Renting in Medellín without a co-signer (fiador) or deposit
Tried renting in Medellín without a Colombian co-signer? Then you know. Here’s why regular leases ask for one, and how monthly furnished rentals on Medellín Monthly work without it.
A guide, not legal advice. It summarises Colombian rules as we understand them in October 2026. For your own case, check with the relevant authority or a professional.
Why regular leases ask for a fiador
A standard Colombian lease usually runs for a year and asks for a fiador: a co-signer, often one who owns property in Colombia, or an approval from a rental insurance company. Most people moving here have neither.
How it works on Medellín Monthly
- You verify your identity instead: your ID or passport and a selfie, from your phone.
- The landlord accepts your request and you pay a 10% booking payment directly to them. It counts towards your first month.
- You pay the rest of the first month on move-in day, and each following month in advance.
- You sign a residential lease for 30 days, renewable every 30 days.
No deposit: what the law says
Colombia’s housing lease law (Ley 820 de 2003, article 16) doesn’t let landlords demand money or similar guarantees as security on a housing lease. In short: no deposit.
Every landlord on Medellín Monthly agrees to list with no deposit and no co-signer. The only money up front is the 10% booking payment, which is advance rent.
Red flags
Landlords who break the no-deposit rule or insist on cash are removed from Medellín Monthly. Report it and we’ll look into it.
- Anyone asking for money up front beyond the 10% booking payment, or for cash only.
- Pressure to pay outside the platform before you’ve seen a contract.
- A listing that can’t be shown on a video call or visited.
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