Practical guide
Renting an Apartment in Asunción: Deposits, Contracts, and the Scams to Avoid
Asunción leases are private contracts: no national form, no standard deposit rule, no checklist every landlord follows. What you get depends on the owner, the agency and how well you negotiate. The patterns are predictable, though. Here they are, plus the scam that keeps hitting renters this year.
Conversions use the central bank's ₲5,874 to the dollar (October 2, 2026). Haven't picked a barrio yet? Start with where to live in Asunción. The barrio comes before the lease.
How a lease works
Twelve months is the norm for an unfurnished or agency-listed apartment. Shorter deals live at the furnished, owner-direct and Airbnb end of the market. Staying under six weeks? Don't sign a year. Residency timing uncertain? Negotiate an exit clause before you sign, not after.
Move-in cash is the number that surprises people: the first month plus a deposit of two to three months, and an agency commission of half a month's rent plus IVA or more. At ₲4,500,000 rent ($770), a two-month deposit and a half-month commission come to about ₲16 million ($2,700) before you buy a single plate.
Currency is whatever the listing says. In September 2026, a third of the Villa Morra ads and half the Carmelitas ads on the first page of InfoCasas were priced in dollars. If your contract is in dollars, it must say whether you pay in dollars or the guaraní equivalent, and at which rate. A verbal "it tracks the dollar" is not the contract.
The deposit and guarantor question
Plan on a deposit of one to three months. Without a Paraguayan guarantor (garante), budget for the top of that range plus recent bank statements. If a landlord takes your passport and one month, enjoy the surprise. Don't budget for it.
- What the deposit covers: the traditional one-month cash deposit covers damage, not unpaid rent. That's why landlords ask foreigners for more.
- Alquiler Protegido: a rental policy from Todo Seguro and SkyOne, issued by Sancor Seguros, that replaces the personal guarantor. It asks for your last six IVA receipts and a clean debt record, so it only works if you already invoice in Paraguay.
- Passport only: a passport alone doesn't close a file. Agencies may insist on a local garante; private owners in Villa Morra and Carmelitas may take a larger deposit plus foreign bank statements instead. Whatever substitute you agree on, get it written into the contract.
Documents you'll be asked for
- Passport, or a cédula if you already have one. Mercosur nationals can ask to use their home cédula.
- Recent bank statements, Paraguayan or foreign.
- Income evidence: an employment letter, pay slips or a remote-work contract.
- Sometimes references, sometimes a local garante.
Two warnings. Never leave your original passport as "security." And keep the lease in your name: when a bank or Migraciones later asks for proof of address, what holds up is a lease in your name plus the property's utility bills. Those bills stay in the owner's name, so the lease is the document that carries yours.
Furnished vs unfurnished
Unfurnished is the local default and the 12-month product. Furnished is the easy start: shorter terms, less paperwork, and more per month but far less cash up front, because you're not buying a bed and a fridge in week one.
The practical path: furnished for your first one to three months while you learn the city and meet people, then decide whether an unfurnished 12-month deal is worth the furniture spend. Ask in the Open Asu WhatsApp group whether anyone is leaving a furnished place.
2026 asking rents by barrio
Asking prices from Ubicaprop's 2026 barrio guide, converted at ₲5,874 to the dollar. Asking, not closed: there's room to negotiate.
| Barrio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|
| Villa Morra (map) | ₲4.5–6 million ($770–1,020) | ₲6.5–9 million ($1,110–1,530) |
| Carmelitas (map) | ₲4–5.5 million ($680–940) | ₲6–8.5 million ($1,020–1,450) |
| Manorá (map) | ₲4.5–6 million ($770–1,020) | ₲6.5–9 million ($1,110–1,530) |
| Recoleta (map) | ₲3–4.5 million ($510–770) | ₲4.5–6.5 million ($770–1,110) |
| Las Mercedes (map) | ₲2.8–4 million ($480–680) | ₲4–6 million ($680–1,020) |
| Mburucuyá (map) | ₲2.5–3.5 million ($430–600) | ₲3.5–5.5 million ($600–940) |
| Trinidad (map) | ₲2–2.8 million ($340–480) | ₲2.8–4 million ($480–680) |
New towers sit at the top of each band. On InfoCasas in September 2026, the median ask for a Villa Morra one-bedroom was about $850. Blogs quoting $350–650 furnished describe older or negotiated units, not the new-tower middle. And rents rose 10–15% in guaraníes over 2025, on top of the guaraní's 10.48% gain on the dollar in 2026 through early August.
Who pays what: utilities, expensas, commission
Unless the ad says included, the tenant pays electricity (ANDE), water (ESSAP), internet and cooking gas. Ranges for a one-bedroom in 2026:
- ANDE (electricity): ₲70,000–110,000 ($12–19) in mild months; ₲210,000–380,000 ($36–65) in summer with the air conditioning running.
- ESSAP (water): ₲60,000–150,000 ($10–26).
- Fiber internet: ₲100,000–260,000 ($17–44).
- 10 kg gas canister: ₲60,000–85,000 ($10–14).
Ask who opens or transfers the utility accounts, and whether a prior balance is still sitting on them.
Expensas (building fees) are legally the owner's debt: under Civil Code article 2140, the owner answers to the building even when the unit is rented. Contracts can pass ordinary fees to the tenant; extraordinary works and improvements stay with the owner. In towers with a pool and gym, expensas run about ₲400,000–1,500,000 ($68–255) a month. "IVA y expensas incluidas" on a listing is worth confirming in writing, because those fees move your real cost more than the gap between barrios does.
Agency commission runs from half a month to a full month's rent, plus IVA, paid by the tenant or the owner depending on the deal. Ask before the tour, and get a receipt.
Where to look
- Facebook Marketplace is the furnished channel. Search "departamento amoblado Asunción" plus the barrio. You can also ask in the Expats in Paraguay Facebook group.
- InfoCasas is the formal portal: more unfurnished stock, more agencies, searchable by barrio and "amueblado." Clasipar is the big classifieds site.
- Airbnb covers the first one to eight weeks.
- Word of mouth: furnished units change hands between people, so tell everyone you're looking: at work, at your coworking space, in the Open Asu group.
Spanish search terms that matter: alquiler, departamento or depto, amoblado, sin muebles, expensas incluidas.
Scams: what actually happens
The police cases this year are Facebook clones, not clever contracts. In late August 2026, a woman transferred ₲2,000,000 as a seña for a house supposedly in Mburicaó, to a Banco GNB account in someone else's name. The listing had been cloned and repriced. After the transfer, the contact demanded three months up front and disappeared.
The filters that follow:
- Never send a seña before you are physically inside the unit.
- Reverse-image-search the photos.
- Match the payee to the name on the contract and to someone who can show control of the property.
- Refuse wire, crypto or Western Union to a person you haven't met at the property.
- Demand a written contract and a receipt.
- A price at half the barrio band is the tell. Cloned listings run on exactly that bait.
Pitfalls that aren't crimes but cost money: expensas and IVA missing from the headline rent; a generator or water-tank fee that appears only in the building rules; air conditioning and water pressure that fail in January; a cash landlord with no contract (which also leaves you without the address proof residency and banks ask for); and signing a year with no exit clause before you know the block.
The bottom line
Budget three to four months of rent to move in, expect to be asked for a guarantor substitute, and assume nothing verbal survives signing. Start furnished, keep the lease in your name for residency paperwork, and treat any rent 40–50% under the bands above as a scam until you're standing inside the apartment.
FAQ
How much money do I need up front to rent in Asunción?
Three to four months of rent: the first month, a deposit of one to three months, and an agency commission of half a month to a full month plus IVA. At ₲4,500,000 a month with a two-month deposit and a half-month commission, that's about ₲16 million ($2,700), plus furniture if the unit is empty.
Can a foreigner rent in Asunción without a Paraguayan guarantor?
Yes, but it costs cash. Agencies may insist on a local garante; private owners may take a larger deposit (two to three months) plus foreign bank statements instead. Whatever substitute you agree on, get it written into the contract.
What documents do I need to rent an apartment in Asunción?
A passport (or cédula), recent bank statements from a Paraguayan or foreign bank, and income evidence such as an employment letter or remote-work contract. Never hand over your original passport as security.
Who pays the expensas in a rented apartment?
The owner is legally responsible to the building, but the contract can pass ordinary fees to the tenant. Extraordinary works stay with the owner. Check the contract and the listing for "expensas incluidas."
How do I avoid rental scams in Asunción?
Never transfer a seña before you've been inside the unit, reverse-image-search the listing photos, match the payee to the name on the contract, and refuse wire or crypto payments to strangers. If the rent is half the normal band for the barrio, walk away.
Renting is easier when you can ask someone who just did it. Join Open Asu on WhatsApp and ask before you sign.