In this guide
- 1. How long are you really staying?
- 2. Can you meet the guarantee requirements?
- 3. What kind of contract are you signing?
- 4. How much flexibility do you need?
- 5. Are you willing to set up a home?
- 6. What does the total cost look like over your stay?
- 7. If you go furnished, what exactly is included?
- The verdict: a simple rule of thumb
- Frequently asked questions
Key takeaways
- Stay length is the biggest factor. Furnished places suit stays of up to a few months; unfurnished leases are usually built around a year or more.
- Traditional unfurnished leases often come with guarantee requirements, such as a codeudor or a rental insurance policy, that many newcomers find hard to meet at first.
- A furnished monthly stay may fall under different rules from a Ley 820 housing lease, so read what you are actually signing.
- Ask for a written inventory of everything in a furnished unit; it protects you at move-out.
- Many newcomers do both: a furnished month or two to learn the city, then an unfurnished lease in the neighborhood they actually like.
Scroll through rental listings in Medellín and you will see two worlds. On one side are amoblados: furnished apartments ready to move into, often listed in English, often priced for foreigners and often available by the month. On the other are unfurnished apartments with a hand-painted se arrienda sign, a local real-estate agency (inmobiliaria) and a stack of paperwork. Both can be the right choice. The mistake is choosing based on photos instead of on your situation. These seven questions will help you decide, and point you to deeper guides where you need them.
1. How long are you really staying?
This question settles most cases. Furnished rentals are designed around flexibility: one month, three months, sometimes a few weeks. Unfurnished apartments in Colombia are typically rented on traditional leases, and under Ley 820 de 2003, if a housing lease does not state a term, it defaults to one year (Article 5). Leases also renew automatically for the same term if both sides have met their obligations (Article 6).
| Planned stay | Usually the better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 month | Furnished | No setup at all; short tourist stays have their own rules |
| 1–6 months | Furnished | Buying furniture and setting up utilities rarely pays off |
| 6–12 months | Either | Depends on your paperwork, budget and how settled you want to feel |
| 12+ months | Unfurnished (often) | Setup costs spread over a long period; more choice of apartments |
Not sure how long you will stay? Treat that as a vote for furnished. We explain why in how long your first stay should be.
2. Can you meet the guarantee requirements?
Many inmobiliarias renting unfurnished apartments ask the tenant to provide a guarantee. The usual options are a codeudor or fiador (a person, often required to own property in Colombia, who agrees to cover your obligations if you do not pay) or a póliza de arrendamiento (rental insurance the landlord relies on, which requires the insurer to study and approve you). For a newcomer without Colombian credit history, local income or a local co-signer, these can be hard to get.
Furnished monthly rentals usually work differently. You typically pay the first month up front and the manager handles the rest, which is why furnished places are so common among foreigners.
One important rule applies to residential leases either way: Article 16 of Ley 820 says landlords cannot require cash deposits in urban housing leases, nor disguise them under other names. For the full picture, see how fiadores, codeudores and pólizas work and the documents landlords ask foreigners for.
3. What kind of contract are you signing?
This is the question most people skip. Ley 820 de 2003 governs leases of urban housing: an agreement where one party grants the use of a home and the other pays a set price. It gives tenants real protections, including a signed copy of a written contract within ten days (Article 8), written receipts for each payment (Article 11) and limits on annual rent increases (Article 20).
A furnished short stay may not be that kind of contract. Colombia’s Commercial Code treats lodging as a commercial contrato de hospedaje when it is provided by businesses dedicated to that activity (Article 1192), and Medellín defines tourist housing as homes used for tourist lodging for periods of up to 30 days, which must hold a Registro Nacional de Turismo (RNT). Many furnished monthly rentals sit somewhere in between, and the label on the document matters.
Which law applies to a particular furnished monthly contract depends on its terms and how the property is operated. If you are staying several months and the amount matters to you, ask a Colombian lawyer to read the contract. Our article on hospedaje vs arrendamiento contracts goes deeper.
4. How much flexibility do you need?
Flexibility cuts both ways. With a furnished monthly stay, you can usually leave at the end of any agreed period, switch neighborhoods or extend if the unit is free. The trade-off is that the manager has the same freedom not to renew you, and prices often rise in high season.
A traditional lease gives you more stability. Under Ley 820, a tenant can end the lease at the end of its term, or at the end of a renewal, by giving at least three months’ written notice, with no compensation owed (Article 24, numeral 5). Ending it in the middle of the term is possible with three months’ notice plus compensation equal to three months’ rent (Article 24, numeral 4). Your contract may add its own terms, so read them closely. Our moving-out guide covers early exits in detail.
5. Are you willing to set up a home?
“Unfurnished” in Medellín can mean genuinely empty. Depending on the unit, you may need to buy or rent a bed, sofa, refrigerator, washer, stove, curtains, lights and kitchenware, and arrange internet service in your name. That takes time, Spanish, transport for larger items and patience with delivery windows.
Some people enjoy this; it is how a place starts to feel like home. Others would rather spend their first months exploring the city. If you are leaning unfurnished, read furnishing an unfurnished apartment: buy, rent or reuse before you commit, and price out the setup honestly.
- Bed, mattress and bedding
- Refrigerator, stove or cooktop and washer (check which, if any, are included)
- Curtains or blinds and light fixtures
- Desk and chair if you work from home
- Kitchen basics and cleaning supplies
- Internet installation and any utilities in your name
6. What does the total cost look like over your stay?
Comparing monthly rent alone is misleading. Furnished units often bundle utilities, internet, building fees (administración) and sometimes cleaning into one price. Unfurnished leases usually quote a base rent, with utilities paid separately to the providers and administración stated separately or included. Our guide to utilities, EPM and estrato explains who usually pays what.
A fair comparison adds up, for your full stay:
- Rent for every month you will be there
- Utilities, internet and administración if they are not included
- Furniture and appliances you would have to buy or rent, minus what you could resell
- The cost of meeting the guarantee requirement (for example, an insurer’s study fee or policy, if the landlord requires one)
- The value of your time setting everything up
For a short stay, the furnished option nearly always comes out ahead once you count setup. For a long stay, unfurnished can work out well, but only if you can actually get approved.
7. If you go furnished, what exactly is included?
“Fully furnished” means different things to different landlords. Before you sign, ask for a written inventory (inventario) listing every item and its condition, and make sure it is attached to or referenced in your agreement. Then check it against the apartment on move-in day.
- Request the inventory before payingAsk for a list of furniture, appliances, kitchenware and linens. Vague answers like “everything you need” are a reason to ask again.
- Check it room by room on arrivalTest appliances, count items and note scratches, stains or anything broken.
- Photograph and send it the same dayTimestamped photos sent to the manager create a record that protects you at move-out.
- Repeat at move-outWalk through with the manager and sign a handover record if possible.
Make sure the inventory matches the listing. If the listing showed a desk, a washer or a second bed and the unit does not have them, raise it in writing before you pay.
The verdict: a simple rule of thumb
You are new or unsure
You are staying under six months, do not have a Colombian co-signer or local credit history yet, or want to test neighborhoods first.
You are settling in
You plan to stay a year or more, can meet the guarantee requirements, and want the stability and protections of a traditional Ley 820 lease.
You want the best of each
Start with one or two furnished months, then sign an unfurnished lease in the neighborhood you have come to love.
That third path is the most common route for people who end up staying long term, and it is the one we recommend most often. If you want to see a full one-year process, read renting unfurnished for a year as a foreigner.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to rent furnished or unfurnished in Medellín?
Unfurnished base rents are usually lower for a comparable apartment, but furnished prices often include utilities, internet and building fees, and you avoid buying furniture. For stays of a few months, furnished usually costs less overall once setup is counted. For a year or more, unfurnished can work out cheaper if you can meet the guarantee requirements.
Can a foreigner rent an unfurnished apartment without a Colombian co-signer?
Sometimes. Some landlords accept rental insurance (a póliza de arrendamiento) instead of a codeudor, but the insurer has to study and approve you, which can be hard without local income or credit history. Colombian law does not require a codeudor; it is the landlord's choice whether to ask for one.
Do furnished monthly rentals follow Ley 820?
Not always. Ley 820 de 2003 governs leases of urban housing. Short tourist stays of up to 30 days in Medellín fall under tourism rules and need an RNT, and some lodging arrangements are commercial hospedaje contracts. Which rules apply depends on the contract, so have a Colombian lawyer review it if in doubt.
What should a furnished apartment inventory include?
Every piece of furniture, each appliance, kitchenware, linens and towels, plus the condition of each item. It should be in writing and attached to your agreement, and you should check and photograph it on move-in day.
How much notice do I need to give to leave an unfurnished lease?
Under Article 24 of Ley 820, a tenant can end the lease at the end of the term or a renewal with at least three months' written notice and no compensation. Leaving mid-term requires three months' notice plus compensation equal to three months' rent. Check your contract for any additional terms.
Furnished or unfurnished, we can help you find it
Tell us how long you are staying, your budget and the neighborhood you have in mind, and we will introduce you to owners and managers with matching places.
Find a Rental Match →Sources
- Ley 820 de 2003 (régimen de arrendamiento de vivienda urbana) — Secretaría General del Senado de la República
- Código de Comercio, Artículo 1192 (contrato de hospedaje) — Leyes.co
- Consecuencias que trae la operación informal de viviendas turísticas en Medellín — Alcaldía de Medellín
- Concepto 2-2026-48064: Artículos 15 y 16 de la Ley 820 de 2003 — Secretaría Distrital del Hábitat, Bogotá
- Fiador y codeudor, dos figuras claves en contratos de arriendo — Metrocuadrado
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Which rules apply to a particular rental depends on the contract and how the property is operated. Before signing any lease or lodging agreement, confirm the terms with a Colombian lawyer. RentMedellín introduces renters to owners and managers; we do not sign leases or collect payments.