Renting in Dominican Republic
The process of renting a home in Dominican Republic
Renting in Dominican Republic is quite similar to renting in North America, with a few exceptions that I myself haven't ran through in North America. The best way to make this clearer is to start from the beginning of the process and walk through the steps. From finding the place, to the rent prices, not to expect appliances or furniture, and signing the contract lease.
Finding a place to rent would probably be a challenge for most foreigners at first. There is no MLS in Dominican Republic and the majority of sites that list homes are usually outdated. Some listings have already been leased, but yet remain on the site showing availability months later. As the saying goes “the early bird gets the worm”, apparently many agents haven't caught on to the importance of being prompt. Some agents, but not all will have extreme delayed timing in responding about a posted listing. Fear not, you do have the other agents who work fast and are on it at the drop of a dime. Is there a foreigner price and a local price? lol I cannot say for sure, but I doubt if there isn't just like many parts of the world. Luckily for you if you're reading this article, here's a jewel on how to get the local price. Facebook marketplace, there you can find homes for rent at the requested offer without any mark up. Also, with Facebook marketplace, the listings are updated regularly, so with the selections that you would see is what you could get.
So, now you've locked into a location and a couple of selections that have sparked you're interested, but you’re noticing a reoccurring theme, that there is no appliances or furniture in the home. This is common in Latin America, and Dominican Republic is no exception. Landlords typically don't rent homes with appliances, much less furniture. Some apartments do have appliances, or furniture, but rather not expect it because it's unlikely. In Dominican Republic they use gas power stoves, so that you would need to buy and a gas tank that you will have to fill every 2-4 months. Fridges, microwave and other appliances are for good prices and if you don't have use for them after, there is always an aftermarket ready to buy from you. Furniture like beds, bed frame, couches, drawers, table and chairs are usually sold in the same stores, which makes it all convenient. Pots, plates, kitchen utensils, hangers, lamps, garden hose, lightbulbs, etc. can all be found in one of the many home stores. In Dominican Republic you’ll never be left stranded, there are wide selections of stores always nearby that carry home supplies.
Assuming that you agree on the lease, now the fun starts, signing the contract for the lease. Terms of the contracts will ask for 2 deposits, some landlords may ask for 1 or 3 deposits. Deposits are not for the first and last month's rent as they are in the U.S or Canada. 1 deposit is the price of a full month's rent, so if the rent is $400 per month and the contract requires that the tenant must pay 2 deposits, $800 is expected to be paid for deposits only, an additional $400 for the first month rent will have to be paid also, (400x3=1200) equaling a total of $1200. I want to make it clear that it may all vary, depending upon the landlord, the agent and their lawyer that is responsible for assembling the contract. The landlord has all the right to choose how he/she wants to go about renting their property. For example, if you found an apartment and the landlord requested 2 deposits, that's just 2 deposits, but the first month's rent will still need to be paid separately. The 2 deposits are to be returned to the tenant in full by the end of the lease. If the property is damaged, there will be a fee that the landlord deems fair, and this fee will be taken out of the deposit. If you decide that you will no longer be staying in the home for the full year, breaking the lease after signing the contract. Don't worry so much, you should first talk to the landlord, likely there will be a penalty of losing a deposit or two as stated in the contract.
Contracts are usually done in Spanish, but if you don't know Spanish then you could find a agent that speaks the same language as you. There are lots of agents in Dominican Republic that speak many different languages including English, French, Italian and even Dutch. The overall experience of renting in Dominican Republic is pretty simple, there's no credit check, and I guess that's the reason for the many deposits in order to protect the landlords from faulty renters. You must have ID; a photocopy of your passport is required by the lawyer. It’s not complicated to rent in Dominican Republic, as long as the tenant meets these simple requirements, they'll be turning the key to their new home in no time.
Two things come to mind: no credit check and bypassing the middle man. I just learned a couple days ago Facebook Marketplace is the site to use here in many parts of the US, it gets rid of the middle man. The being said there a lot of scams here, if it sounds too good to be true... another thing, deposits here in the US are often suspect. Landlords will do anything to keep them. Renting is sometimes difficult but at the end of the day it's my preference for sure. Good read.