Mexico has plenty of houses, apartments, and condos for rent, although finding a rental property in the right location that's also adequate for your needs requires planning and effort.
One of the first things to consider when you come to Mexico to live —whether part-time, full-time, or, for a defined period— is finding a house to suit your lifestyle needs.
Most people begin their property search online, and a cursory glance at the main property portals suggests that there are ~100,000 residential properties for rent in Mexico right now.
Searching the market for a rental property
With plenty of inventory to choose from, securing a rental should in theory be straightforward; but when you begin a search in earnest, you’ll discover the practicalities of securing an adequate rental home in an appropriate locale will present challenges and force you to make compromises.
A search for property in Mexico normally begins online. Realty agents and word-of-mouth are two other popular ways to find a home here. When you begin to search, you’ll find that while there’s lots of inventory, the quality and/or situation surrounding many homes offered for a rental is not ideal.
Always visit a property before you agree to rent it While online photos and videos are an excellent way to sift through potential properties and create a short-list of homes to consider in detail, it’s crucial you visit the property before you agree to rent: we recommend that you never sign or agree to a property rental contract at-distance, sight unseen. Always explore the locale and visit the property at least once before you agree to rent it.
Searching for Mexico home rentals online
Classified ads for the property have proliferated in recent years through online sites that specialize in this market. The most popular sites to search properties and connect with owners or the agents representing them are Vivanuncios, InMuebles24, MetrosCubicos, and Homie.
if you find something you like share it with us we can help you work out a better deal.
These sites also help you to get an indication of rental prices in a given locale, which is helpful when you come to negotiate the rent.
Finding home rentals through local realty agents
Realty agents operate in every town and city and some can help you find a rental home in Mexico. Some agents are professionally established, others work informally and/or part-time. Agents’ fees emanate entirely from landlords paying them a commission; tenants do not pay any fees directly to the agent.
The realty agents only earn a small fraction from property rentals than they earn from property sales, and homes for rent are often represented by multiple agents all vying for a limited pool of potential renters. Experienced agents often won’t deal with rentals unless they sense that the people renting might eventually become buyers in the same locale.
Finding a rental by local word-of-mouth
If you’re already in Mexico or have friends or family network here, you might be able to find a rental by word-of-mouth. These can often work out to be the best arrangements as people renting decent houses prefer to have them rented through a personal referral. You usually end up dealing directly with the landlord, who might or might not draw up a formal contract. If you deal direct, we suggest you get agreements in writing, whether those are formal or informal, to avoid misunderstandings later.
Housing types available for rent in Mexico
The selection of property types available depends on where in Mexico you’re seeking a rental. The most common types of rental properties are apartments, condos, and houses on their land within a residential neighborhood.
Apartments and condos
In Spanish, these are called departamentos and condominiums. These are the two most common types of property for rent; some condos are classed as ‘condominios horizontal which are single or two-story homes joined together at the sides instead of being stacked. Condos and apartment blocks may also be part of gated communities.
Houses and family homes
Casas. These are usually family homes situated on their plot of land, usually within a residential area or defined neighborhood of the town or city. They might face a public road, or they may be part of a fraccionamiento, that is a gated community, or be inside a cerrado or privada, that is a gated or private road.
Countryside properties
Some locations offer specialist or unusual homes, usually away from urbanized centers, although close enough to a significantly-sized town or city for access to services and amenities. Typically, this offer:
rustic casitas, in essence, a rudimentary country cottage;
bungalows, that can be on their property, on a shared property with other bungalows, or shared within the grounds of a larger home; and
country houses, that can range in size from 1-2 bedrooms, to larger estates with at least 3 or 4 bedrooms (and possibly more), ample reception areas (which may also include features like terraces and roof gardens) as well as extensive well-tended gardens; they might also have their swimming pool.
Some countryside properties may be situated near or on a golf course, or overlook a lake or the ocean; others may be situated in quiet neighborhoods of a small village or town. These countryside property types are more often found tucked away in a rural idyll, a short (or long) drive away from the nearest town or city.
Rental costs in Mexico
Rents vary depending on the house type, location, seasonal demand, as well as other factors. Contact us for a detailed overview of rental costs.
Beware of over-paying for rent A common mistake made by inexperienced foreigners renting in Mexico is to overpay for rents based on their value perception of rents in their home country. Homes in Mexico can rent for less because rents are typically aligned to local earnings. It’s worthwhile doing some local research —independent of agents’ and landlords’ say-so— to establish what homes are fetching in rent locally, to avoid overpaying. Most homes rent for 10-15% less than the quoted rental rate.
The physical state of rental houses in Mexico
Most people rent apartments and condos as these are the most convenient and well-appointed homes on the market: usually of recent build, they include a range of modern amenities, their fixtures and fittings are in good shape, and security and maintenance are taken care of when they are part of a gated community. (Note that gated community fees may or may not be included in the rent; you should check this to avoid surprises.)
If you’re seeking something less ‘boxy’ and more charismatic, you’ll find that older homes in traditional Mexican neighborhoods (perhaps rented by families who no longer occupy them) can offer charm but can also exhibit dilapidation with fixtures and fittings that are old, dated, and which may not be in full working order.
Landlords don’t tend to reinvest very much in these types of older properties; you might try offering a lower rent instead of dilapidated conditions, perhaps on the assumption that you’ll undertake minor repairs or improvements to make it more comfortable for your stay.
Luxury homes and brand-new properties being rented for first-occupier use are available and will usually be presented in excellent shape, but the rents for these are higher, and you might consider the advantages of renting a less expensive house that you can spend some money ‘making comfortable’ for yourself, and that will work out less expensive if you intend to rent long term.
Services and utilities available at the house
Check to see what services and utilities are available at the house you intend to rent before you pay a deposit or sign a contract.
Electricity and gas supply
Virtually all homes for rent in Mexico, except those in very rural or secluded areas, will have electricity and most will have a natural gas tank to heat water and for cooking.
Check the source of water supply
Water supply will depend on where the property is situated: in urban areas, this will usually be via mains water feed; in outlying and rural areas this might be from a local well, or you might have to take water deliveries from a truck—check this with the agent or landlord before you agree to rent. Drainage will either be via mains sewerage in urban areas, or a self-regulating septic tank system in rural areas.
Telephone and internet services
Internet services are widely available in urban areas but cross-check this if the house is situated in a (semi)rural area or a new or recently developed area. If there are no telephone or cable lines available, wireless home internet service might be available.
Gardens, maintenance, and security in a rental home
When you take on a rental house in Mexico, you’ll need to consider how you will take care of the property to ensure your deposit is returned.
Large gardens offer attractive outdoor spaces which are ideal in Mexico’s agreeable climates, although they do require time, effort, or money (to pay a gardener) to look after. Reasonable wear-and-tear is accepted in the home, but you’ll have to make-good make good any damages, plug holes in walls, and cover marks when you leave.
If the rental property is not situated inside a gated community, you may need to take extra measures to defend against burglary.
Renting a house with pets in Mexico
If you have pets, particularly dogs, your choice of available rental properties will be more limited in Mexico. Many property owners here explicitly forbid pets on the property as part of the rental contract, usually due to potential damage pets may cause as well as the issue of having to clean the property afterward.
If the property you intend to rent is a house on its own with a garden, there is a higher likelihood that pets will be accepted. Homes inside gated communities and condo buildings tend to be the most restrictive. (Often the restrictions are due to covenants associated with the building itself; for example, pets may be banned from certain condos.)
If you have one cat, you might be able to persuade an owner who otherwise does not allow pets to let you rent. In any event, if pets allowed, you should expect to pay additional damage and cleaning deposits.
If you are using the services of a real estate agent to find a rental property, then be up-front about having pets from the start to save you both wasted time and time and effort of reviewing unsuitable properties.
Dealing with house-related issues while renting
Appliances included in the rent may fail, fixtures and fittings may break, and events like electrical storms, hurricanes and earthquakes can cause significant issues to arise that you’ll need to deal with.
If the home you are renting requires some improvement or repair and you want to do this yourself, the landlord might negotiate to have specific work undertaken in lieu of rent —in Spanish this is termed as ‘a cuenta de renta’— and we suggest you get any agreement for proposed works in writing before committing to the expense.
For more serious issues caused by floods, storm damage, or earthquakes, you’ll need to deal with the landlord on a per-case basis. In the event of a force majeure, the landlord will need to make-good any structural matters, but your personal goods are your own responsibility.
End of rental term, checking-out, and deposits
Review your contract to determine when you need to start renegotiating the rental agreement, the rent to be paid, and any notice you need to give to the landlord before you vacate the property.
Provided that the house is returned in the good order —allowing for domestic wear-and-tear— your deposit should be returned to you. Some agents provide an ‘escrow’ service between the landlord and tenant in regard to rental deposits; but this is not very common in Mexico and your deposit is often paid directly to the landlord on trust of its return. Some landlords will accept the last month(s) of rent in lieu of the deposit they hold.
Renting versus buying in Mexico
We recommend that people moving to Mexico rent first before buying—unless you have good prior knowledge and experience of the area and feel confident that you want to live there.
Some people come to Mexico and rent a home for many years through a long-term and stable contract. However, rental contracts are often subject to unforeseen termination: two common reasons include a family member needing use of the property, or the owner or family deciding to sell it.
Renting almost always requires compromises to be made
Whatever rental home you find in Mexico, it’s unlikely to deliver everything you want; and any improvements you make will remain with the house when you leave—whether or not the landlord paid for them in lieu of rent. If you’re in Mexico for the long-haul, you’ll need to buy a home here to get the property you really want, benefit from any improvements you make to it, and have the peace of mind to know that a landlord’s whim or personal circumstances won’t force you to move.
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