How to Rent an Apartment in Medellín: Documents and Rules

If you are working out how to rent an apartment in Medellín for a year or more, the hard part is rarely finding a place. It is meeting the requirements. A Colombian landlord or agency will usually ask for a guarantee that most newcomers don't have, and some will ask for money the law says they cannot take.

This guide covers both sides. First, what you will typically be asked for, and what changes when you are a foreigner. Then, the rules that protect you as a tenant under Colombian law, with the numbers that apply in 2026.

What landlords usually ask for

Urban housing rentals in Colombia are governed by Law 820 of 2003 (Ley 820 de 2003). The law does not set a list of documents for tenants. The list comes from practice.

According to the housing guide published by Universidad del Rosario, landlords generally ask for:

• A guarantor or co-signer (fiador or codeudor) who owns property in the city where you want to rent.
• A recent employment letter.
• Copies of your bank documents.
• Your ID.

The same guide says the guarantor is not legally required. It is a guarantee landlords commonly ask for, and the usual alternative is a rental insurance policy. One more detail: the guarantor cannot live in the apartment.

What changes when you are a foreigner

The guarantor is where most foreigners get stuck. Few people arriving in Medellín know someone who owns property in the city and will sign for them.

Nexo Legal, a Colombian law firm, notes in its Medellín rental guide that formal agencies tend to ask for a valid cédula de extranjería, the foreigner ID card, rather than a passport. The firm says that card comes with a visa of more than three months. It also says some landlords ask for a copy of your visa or a migration certificate. If you are in Colombia on a short tourist stay, expect that door to be harder to open, and plan for a furnished short-term place while you sort out your status. Our guide to furnished apartments in Medellín explains how a furnished lease differs from a short-term rental, and what to check in each.

Universidad del Rosario gives a practical tip for foreigners: try to negotiate directly with the owner, because the requirements tend to be lighter.

The insurance policy: an alternative to a guarantor

When there is an agency involved, your application will usually go through a screening. The owner requests it from an insurer, which checks your ability to pay, your credit history and your commercial and bank references, and approves or rejects you. That is how Universidad del Rosario describes it.

According to El Espectador, the documents insurers ask for include an application form, an ID, an income tax return, a property title certificate (certificado de libertad y tradición) and bank statements for the last three months. Each insurer has its own list, so ask for it in writing before you start collecting paperwork.

The policy protects the owner, not you. Both sources say it can cover up to 36 months of rent if the tenant defaults, plus legal costs if there is a lawsuit. It runs for one year and renews with the lease.

What it does for you is simple: it can stand in for the guarantor you don't have. So before you rule out an apartment that asks for a co-signer, ask whether they accept a policy instead.

What Colombian law bans

This is the part most worth knowing before you start viewing apartments.

Cash security deposits are banned. Article 16 of Law 820 says that in urban housing leases, the landlord cannot require cash deposits or other real collateral to guarantee the tenant's obligations. They also cannot be agreed in a separate document or under a different name. Universidad del Rosario acknowledges that a three-month deposit is often requested in practice, and that the practice is prohibited.

The exception is utilities. Article 15 does allow the landlord to require a guarantee for the payment of utility bills. It has a cap: no more than the value of two consecutive billing periods, calculated as the law sets out.

Rent has a ceiling. Under Article 18, monthly rent cannot exceed 1% of the property's commercial value, and that commercial value cannot be estimated at more than twice the current cadastral appraisal.

Rent can be set in a foreign currency. Article 19 allows the rent to be agreed in a foreign currency, but it is paid in Colombian pesos at the market exchange rate, unless the parties agree on a different date or rate.

How much rent can rise in 2026

Article 20 lets the landlord raise the rent after each twelve months under the same price. The increase cannot exceed 100% of the consumer price index (IPC) for the previous calendar year.

Colombia's statistics office, DANE, reported on January 8, 2026 that inflation for 2025 closed at 5.10%. That is the cap for increases applied during 2026.

The same article adds two conditions:

• The increase must be notified. The landlord has to tell you the amount and the start date, by authorized postal service or by the notification method set in the lease. Otherwise the increase cannot be enforced against you.
• Paying it closes the door. If you pay an increase you were not properly notified about, you cannot later ask for the difference back on those grounds.

If your landlord asks for more than the cap, Portafolio sums up the options: pay only the legal amount, leave a written record that you disagree, and go to the city government, which has authority over rentals. It also notes that an illegal increase is not grounds for eviction.

Leaving early, and other lease terms

The lease term is whatever you agree. If the contract says nothing, it runs for one year (Article 5), and it renews on the same terms if both sides have complied (Article 6).

Leaving is where foreigners are most often surprised. Under Article 24, you can end the lease at any time with three months' written notice, sent by authorized postal service, plus a payment equal to three months of rent. If you leave at the end of the term or of a renewal, three months' written notice is enough and there is no penalty. Without written proof of that notice, the lease renews automatically for the same term.

You cannot sublet or transfer the lease without the landlord's express permission (Article 17). That includes renting your room out to others while you travel.

How to check who you are renting from

In any municipality with more than 15,000 people, including Medellín, anyone whose main business is renting out housing, their own or someone else's, or brokering rentals, must hold a landlord registration, the matrícula de arrendador (Article 28). When they advertise, they must show that registration number (Article 31). If an agency doesn't show it, ask.

In Medellín, that registration is handled by the Secretaría de Seguridad y Convivencia, according to the city's website. The city's public helpline is (+57) 604 44 44 144.

This is not a formality. In May 2026, El Colombiano reported on a Medellín agency that allegedly left more than 40 people out of pocket. Authorities had received 25 formal complaints, imposed 17 sanctions and had 6 administrative cases under way. The warning signs in that report apply to any search:

• being asked for money before you see the apartment;
• being pushed with "this is your last chance";
• a contract that is not clear.

One rule covers all three: don't transfer anything until you have seen the place and have a contract you can read calmly.

Before you start looking

Get your ID, proof of income and bank statements together, and ask each landlord up front whether they accept an insurance policy or require a co-signer.

Then pick an area. If you want a walkable neighborhood with metro access, start with the Laureles neighborhood guide. If you want a separate town right next to Medellín, read the Envigado guide. If you are after furnished rentals and nightlife, the El Poblado guide is the place to begin.

Once you know the area, browse the apartments for rent in Medellín listed today, and go to each viewing knowing what can and cannot be asked of you.