Furnished Apartments Medellín: Monthly Stays, Rules and Checks

Most people who type furnished apartments Medellín into a search bar want the same thing: arrive with a suitcase, skip buying a bed, and stay for a few months. What they don't always know is that, depending on how the deal is set up, they may be signing a residential lease or booking tourist accommodation. In Colombia those are two different things, with different rules, and in Medellín they are overseen by different city offices.

This guide explains the difference, what each one has to comply with, and what to check before you pay. It also covers what is happening in the city with short-term rentals, because the rules are being debated right now.

A furnished lease and a short-term rental are not the same

A residential lease is governed by Law 820 of 2003. The law expressly allows a property to be rented with or without additional services, goods or uses (Article 4). Furniture alone does not change that.

A short-term rental is something else. Medellín's city government, citing Decree 2590 of 2009, describes it as accommodation for a maximum of 30 days. The national rules currently in force, Decree 1074 of 2015 as amended in 2018, define a tourist home by its purpose rather than by a number of days: a unit used entirely to provide accommodation, with at least a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. They add that tourist apartments fall into that category.

So besides how many nights you plan to stay, ask what you are actually being offered. A lease with monthly rent and a set term falls under Law 820. A place that operates as tourist accommodation and charges by the night or week falls under tourism rules, and has to be properly registered.

Who oversees them differs too. In Medellín, the registration of agencies that rent out housing sits with the Secretaría de Seguridad y Convivencia, while inspections of short-term rentals are handled by the Secretaría de Turismo y Entretenimiento.

If you stay for months on a lease

A furnished lease gives you the same protections as an unfurnished one. Three points matter more when the apartment comes equipped:

• The inventory belongs in the contract. Article 3 says the parties must agree, among other things, on a list of the connected and additional services, goods or uses. If the apartment comes with furniture, appliances and kitchenware, ask for them to be listed along with their condition.
• Extras have a cap. Under Article 2, if the lease charges separately for additional services, goods or uses, meaning what the landlord provides that is not inherent to living in the property, that charge cannot exceed 50% of the rent.
• Cash deposits are still banned. Article 16 makes no exception for furnished units: in an urban housing lease, the landlord cannot require cash deposits to guarantee the tenant's obligations.

Everything else applies as well: three months' notice to leave, the inflation cap on rent increases, and the agency's registration. Our guide on how to rent an apartment in Medellín covers those in detail.

If it is a short-term rental: what the place needs

In August 2026, the city government published what a short-term rental needs to operate legally in Medellín:

• A National Tourism Registry number (RNT), before it starts operating. It is processed through the chambers of commerce.
• Express authorization in the building's bylaws (the reglamento de propiedad horizontal). If the bylaws don't include it, the residents' assembly approval must be recorded in a public deed.
• Permitted land use. The property has to be in a medium or high mixed-use zone under the city's land-use plan (POT).
• A building license from a Medellín curaduría urbana confirming the use for short-term lodging.
• A fire department certificate for life-safety and fire-protection compliance.
• Plus a tax registration (RUT), a business registration, the foreigner registration system (SIRE) and the accommodation registration card (TRA).

One of those you can check without asking anyone. Decree 1074 requires anyone providing tourist accommodation to publish their RNT number in the advertising they use. If a listing doesn't show it, take note.

Expect to be asked for your details, too. Under the decree, until the national hotel registration card system (Tarjeta de Registro Hotelero) is ready, the provider must keep a guest register with, at a minimum, your full name, ID type and number, nationality, and check-in and check-out dates. Being asked is part of operating legally, not red tape.

Why it matters in Medellín right now

The city has been tightening controls, and a closure doesn't only hit the owner. It hits whoever is staying there.

According to the Secretaría de Turismo y Entretenimiento, there have been 408 inspections of tourist homes since 2024, and 105 ended in temporary suspensions for violations. Over the same period, tourist-home providers in the RNT went from 521 in 2019 to 8,322 in 2026.

Planning controls run on a separate track. In March 2026, the Secretaría de Gestión y Control Territorial reported that it had compiled 93 technical reports on possible planning violations at short-term rentals, and that 34 of those places had no license. By neighborhood, the secretary pointed to concentrations of cases in Laureles (21), San Cristóbal (19), El Poblado (16) and La Candelaria (13).

The rules may also change soon. Bill 104 of 2026 (Proyecto de Acuerdo 104), which revises the POT, passed its first debate in the City Council's First Committee with seven votes in favor, and the second debate before the full council was scheduled for November 4, 2026, according to Publimetro. The city has said the revision aims to protect residential housing without stopping short-term rentals. If you plan to spend several months in one place, it is worth knowing what kind of zone it is in.

What to check before you pay

A short list to use with any listing:

• Which contract you are offered. A lease with monthly rent and a term, or accommodation by the night. Ask directly and get it in writing.
• If it is tourist accommodation, the RNT number on the listing.
• If it is a lease, the inventory of what comes with the apartment, with its condition, inside the contract.
• What the price includes: utilities, internet, building fees, cleaning. If something is charged separately as an extra on a lease, remember the 50% cap.
• No cash deposit if what you sign is a residential lease.
• That the building allows it. For short-term rentals, the authorization has to be in the bylaws. If the building staff won't let guests in, the trouble starts on day one.

Where to look

The Laureles neighborhood guide describes a flat, walkable area on the metro, suited to a long stay rather than a short one, and explains how long-term leases, estrato and building fees work. The El Poblado guide covers the city's most international and most expensive district, where a whole furnished, flexible rental sector operates.

Once you know which kind of contract you want, browse the furnished apartments for rent in Medellín listed today, or go straight to furnished rentals in Laureles.