If you plan to work remotely in Colombia for six months or longer, start with the apartments available for your dates. In Medellín, you might budget for a coworking membership and use the apartment for part of the week. In Cartagena, you may prefer to work from home and put that money toward a place where you can comfortably take calls in the afternoon.
Before the first call
If you want to work outside the apartment in Medellín, try a coworking day near Segundo Parque in Laureles before paying for a membership. Check whether calls require a separate room and whether room bookings cost extra. On Raizia, browse apartments for rent in Medellín, Colombia and compare the listing locations with the workspace you’d actually use. Ask for the address before the viewing so you can check the walk yourself.
The middle of the day
In Cartagena, we’d give the work setup a close look in the afternoon. A living room with a sea view may get warm in the hours you need it most. As you look at apartments for rent in Cartagena, Colombia, ask which rooms have air conditioning and whether electricity is included. If you usually take video calls after lunch, ask to see the apartment around then, even if you’re doing the tour online.
If access to the water is part of why you’d choose Cartagena, look at Bocagrande for walks by the beach and Manga for walks along the bay. Try the route from the building you’re considering. A listing can say it’s near the waterfront without telling you where you’d actually get onto the path.
Put your work calendar next to the lease
For a stay of six months or longer, give the listing contact your move-in and move-out dates in the first message. Ask whether the owner will write a lease for that term and when you’d need to decide about an extension. If the owner only offers a full year, it’s better to find out before setting up a viewing, especially if you’re still deciding between the two cities.
If you’re paid abroad or work for yourself, ask how the rental application is handled before you start sending documents. In Colombia, you may hear estudio de arrendamiento, a review of the applicant’s finances, or codeudor, someone who agrees to be responsible for the rent with you. Requirements vary. We’d ask which documents are accepted for income earned outside Colombia and whether there’s an application route without a local co-signer. If you’re looking from abroad, ask whether the application can be completed online and who will send you the form. That can tell you which listings you can realistically pursue before you arrive.
Before choosing a city, compare the first month of each option. Include the rent, any building fee and utilities you’d pay separately, and the workspace you’d use. Then confirm that the apartment is available at that rent for the full term. That puts two real options side by side. If your rent is quoted in a foreign currency, ask which amount and currency will appear in the lease. Check how much your bank or payment provider would charge to send the rent each month. Over six months, that belongs in your budget alongside the utilities.
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