Capital Housing Market Faces Fluctuations

A recent report reveals that Buenos Aires' rental market initially saw a 14% increase after the repeal of the Rent Law, but prices are stabilizing with a costly rental burden on citizens.


Capital Housing Market Faces Fluctuations

Following the repeal of the Rental Law, the supply of rental properties in the City of Buenos Aires experienced significant variations. According to a survey, it initially increased by 14%, but then fell by about 8% in July, stabilizing around 20,000 units in recent months.

Regarding prices, the price per square meter for rent fell by 2.3% in the latest report, although it showed an increase of 22.5% in the cumulative for the semester. On the other hand, the price per square meter for sale decreased slightly by 0.8% in August after several months of increase.

In September, a report indicated that 2.88 minimum wages were needed to cover the rent of a two-room apartment excluding expenses, which continues to represent a critical situation for tenants in the city.

The distribution of properties by the number of rooms remains stable, with two-room units predominating in rentals, representing almost 40% of the supply. Studio apartments are also a significant part, making up more than 70% of the supply in half of the city’s neighborhoods. However, in Villa Lugano and Villa Soldati, three-room apartments represent more than 50% of the supply.

On the other hand, the Airbnb market showed in September the third month with the highest occupancy of the year, although average rates experienced a decrease of 5.5% compared to August after the winter season. The gap between earnings from an Airbnb rental and a permanent lease was reduced to half compared to July.

In terms of housing costs, the City of Buenos Aires has seen an accumulated increase of 133.4% so far this year, with a year-on-year increase of 221.1%, surpassing the general inflation indices according to a report from the Metropolitan Studies Center (CEM) called IV Housing Monitor in the City of Buenos Aires.