Is our tenant a smart arse or a chancer?

There are 13 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 2,440 times. The latest Post (September 9, 2025 at 10:13 AM) was by Rice.

    After many years renting out the Buenos Aires apartment the missus decided she wanted it back for our own use. Has to be said all the different tenants have been great and never caused any problems. For the last five years the nephew of a long time friend has been renting it...he's a lawyer in his 30's. Always paid the rent and the monthly maintenance charge on time and has made some improvements to the apartment. All agreed with my wife beforehand which she covered the costs for.

    Anyway, last week when his tenancy ended we agreed to meet him there for the 'handing over of the keys'. He moved his stuff out and we moved stuff in. One thing remained though...the aircon he had installed not long after he had movced in. My wife agreed to buy it at the right price. Therein lies the problem as he wants 600,000 pesos. He seems to think it's a fair price considering ''the equivalent cost of us buying a new one and having it installed would cost a million today''. The missus told him just to take it with him.

    I told her he's a chancer and I'd rather pay extra for a new one that we'll know will work as it should. What are your thoughts?

    Quote from GlasgowJohn

    A definite chancer.

    He can take it with him.

    Or offer him 400k . 200 now and 200 in January if it's still working.

    Glad you agree. :thumbup:

    I think he's got a bloody cheek especially as the missus was undercharging him the going rate for the rental. If anything he should be giving us it for nothing. He's in town this weekend to vote so he's coming to see us. He speaks English so I'll tell him to come to his senses and stop being such a Del Boy. ^^

    I don't know if it is just one unit of aircon, and the size and technology (inverter or not?). I believe the installation nowadays should be well north of 100k pesos alone (for the gas and technician). If it is a simple aircon, no fuss, you can buy it new for 500-600 k. If it is something bigger or fancier, then 1 million pesos seems plausible.

    That said, when we bought our STR, we were given the option to buy it furnished or unfurnished. It seemed the furnished price was priced also for the convenience of not having to shop around, so we declined. Then the seller asked if we were interested in some items specifically, such as the fridge, the roller shadows, the microwave, the kitchen table and some other furniture. With my husband, we decided to keep only the roller shadows, as those are made to size, you need someone to install them etc. We paid 200 USD for 3 rollers. The day we went there after the signing, we found out that two were stuck/not even due to misuse. My husband tore them down in a fit of rage. Rollers are delicate and the previous tenants were evidently savages. They stayed there just 1 year and had a toddler and a small dog. The dirty and damage to the kitchen and entrance doors were unbelievable for a 1-year old apartment.

    We decided to pass on everything else, even if the refrigerator was the same we would have bought, and the microwave was a Samsung, too. We were glad to find out we had made the right choice: with used stuff, especially in a rental, you can never tell how it was used and if it actually function as it should until you start using the things yourself. At that point, it is too late. We just lost 200 USD to learn this lesson.

    I would say that you'd better pick an aircon yourself, provided you are using the apartment in summer. You might as well live without one if this apartment is just a pied-a-terre to you.

    Seems I got my figures wrong. He originally wanted a million for it. :huh:

    He came last night for a chat and admitted he was way OTT with that asking price...his parents were astounded when he told them that was the figure he asked for. His mother advised he should just leave it as it wasn't worth the hassle having it removed and refitted. Also found out it has the heater function and inverter. So the missus took pity on him and offered him a price which sent him home happy. So a win win for both parties.

    Quote from UK Man

    Seems I got my figures wrong. He originally wanted a million for it. :huh:

    He came last night for a chat and admitted he was way OTT with that asking price...his parents were astounded when he told them that was the figure he asked for. His mother advised he should just leave it as it wasn't worth the hassle having it removed and refitted. Also found out it has the heater function and inverter. So the missus took pity on him and offered him a price which sent him home happy. So a win win for both parties.

    Glad he came to his senses!

    Good advice, UK Man

    In our current apartment we found three aircon units installed. Our realtor showed us that they were working. However, one was not working properly, as it was misused for years by temporary tenants (our apartment was a STR previously). This and other stuff which was apparently working were not working well. The heater needed proper maintenance as the former owners never visited in winter and didn’t use them, the tenants (all foreigners) had no idea that the flame was not burning properly as this kind of heater is not used abroad, the kitchen had the knobs burnt because the door was not shutting properly etc. lots of surprises when you “inherit” a rented apartment. Very different from buying a property where the owners lived. They are usually kept up in shape as the owners are incentivized to maintain the unit vs. a rental where no one wants to put serious money for up-keeping/service.

    Quote from serafina

    Good advice, UK Man

    In our current apartment we found three aircon units installed. Our realtor showed us that they were working. However, one was not working properly, as it was misused for years by temporary tenants (our apartment was a STR previously). This and other stuff which was apparently working were not working well. The heater needed proper maintenance as the former owners never visited in winter and didn’t use them, the tenants (all foreigners) had no idea that the flame was not burning properly as this kind of heater is not used abroad, the kitchen had the knobs burnt because the door was not shutting properly etc. lots of surprises when you “inherit” a rented apartment. Very different from buying a property where the owners lived. They are usually kept up in shape as the owners are incentivized to maintain the unit vs. a rental where no one wants to put serious money for up-keeping/service.

    That's not so good. Thankfully all the tenants we've had have been very good. That's probably down to my wife knowing them before she rented the apartment out to them. She would never have rented it out to someone she didn't already know anyway. Even the ''chancer'' made improvements to the place and kept it decorated during his five years there. All were discussed and agreed to by my wife beforehand. So she has no complaints. Plus the concierge she's known for 30 years has always kept her up to date with what was happening as well.