Cuenca Ecuador apartment prices

 

Thank you for visiting our upscale
apartments for rent!
Last update  October 2013

And a hearty "Welcome" (bienvenidos!) to our beloved Cuenca
from your future landlord: Susana Castro (who speaks excellent English)

The two apartments are located in a vertical brick duplex located inside a safe secure gated private 12 family community, each apartment in our duplex has a private entrance and intercoms with their respective and separate front doors. The top floor of the duplex is 2000 sq. ft., the ground floor is 1,600 square feet for the apartment itself, with additional backyard patio and laundry room. The upper apartment will be ready to rent starting December 1, 2013, is rented in an unfurnished state only, The lower apartment is furnished but is rented for an indefinite time, we were told years by the present tenant, a retired quiet English speaking expat professional.

We'd like to add you to our waiting/prospect list if you are not interested right now.   Email susi1971 at yahoo dot com
We write the email address this way to avoid spam by foiling robot email sniffer programs that detect then sell email addresses to spammers.
 

We seek long term tenants of 6 month minimum, preferably 1 year or more.

 

Please respond to the contact data below:

susi1971 at yahoo dot com
Phone: country code 593
area code 07  number: 421-3179 or 321-3178, both work.  78 is for Susi's husband, 79 is for Susi, your future landlady.

If you call from any location other than Azuay province (Cuenca's province) or from a cell phone anywhere IN COUNTRY dial 7 4213178 or 7 4213179.  It won't work on cell phones without a 7 or 07 prefix.  Some cell providers require 7, some 07 so if one doesn't work, use the other prefix.

Rent is $400 USD/month with a yearly increase equal to the published national inflation statistic that is published in the newspapers here or on TV news programs.  In the past it's been between 5% and 7% annually.  The yearly increase is not for us to make more money, it's to maintain income value since this is what we live off of, primarily in return for an investment of lot plus over 3,600  sq. ft of construction.  Frankly, by investing in a local bank's CDs, we could derive more income from the investment than from rent however the banking sector here is NOT guaranteed in full by the central bank, hence investments in real  estate are much preferred by most Ecuadorians including us, to banking the capital.

Lest one thinks rent is high, it is roughly 1/3 the investment "rule" of recuperating investment in seven years, say in Europe or USA/Canada.  In developed countries it's  rule of thumb to recuperate the investment of a property with rent in seven years or less. Here it's over 20 years if you do the math.  One might think rental properties are a lousey investment and they are compared to a more profitable bank CD in a local bank, but the CDs are not guaranteed nor is banking, property however is real.

Most pensions also provide for a cost of living increase so ideally in a perfect world Ecuador's modest inflation rate will be partially or totally covered by increased cost of living allowances for pensions.

DEPO$ITS: There are two deposits.

1. There is a cleaning and damage deposit of $200. If the apartment is left in the same state as in CLEAN and surfaces/accessories in good condition as it was originally rented from the first day, including without any holes put by the tenant in the walls which have to be patched and painted, the $200 deposit in full will be returned. A complete clorox/detergent cleaning of all floors and cabinets must have been done also. A maid we know well and is honest, neat and has a great attitude, can at your option, clean the apartment if you want, paid for by the tenant. She charges about $15/cleaning which takes a half day.  You provide breakfast and lunch for her or an equivalent monetary amount. Breakages in excess of $100 value will be paid by the tenant. All lighting and water heater, light bulbs and batteries have to be functional upon the tenant's departure.

2. There is a first month's rent deposit of $400 and a last month's rent deposit of, likewise, $400 for the first year renting.  After that year the last month's rent will be applied to the last of twelve payments (monthly rent). 

Location: Av. Primera de Mayo in S.W. Cuenca, Ecuador (see Google map image below in the image section) located in a small cozy gated secure private community named "Urbanizacion Playa de Yanuncay" close to the Mall del Rio, the bypass, other stores/shops, beauty parlors/barbers, office supplies/copies, hardware stores, convenience stores & well stocked fruit/veggie stand, various types of grocery outlets, 4 BBQ/brazier restaurants, sandwich shop, petrol station, gym and aerobic exercise studios, fast foods, movie CD sales, pharmacy, 2 vets,  auto repair shops/mechanics/body shops, Cuenca's best seafood shop, Bocatti and Ital Deli butcher shops, the soccer/event stadium (18 min walk) which has more restaurants/"watering holes". In addition there is a few blocks away an excellent Italian restaurant (Bertucci's). By the way the very best charcoaled hamburgers in Cuenca are available a couple blocks away.

The apartments are 18 minutes walk from the University of Cuenca and it's recreational and spa facility consisting of heated olympic pool, workout room, raquet ball courts, really nice steam bath, sauna and jacuzzi at a reasonable membership fee or paid by the day.

Features and things included:
3 carpeted bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, (carpet is a relaxing neutral light oyster/beige-gray tweed) which the landlord shampoos each six months. The master bedroom has a spacious attached fully tiled bath for easy cleaning. All 3 bedrooms have lots of built in closets/drawers.

A "great room" with a table/chairs dining room and living room (ceramic beige marble motif tile) with book case that can be used as a CD/DVD wall case that goes from almost to the ceiling to the floor, it's spacious. The neighborhood remote controlled (like a garage door opener) electric security gate is visible from living and dining rooms to watch for arrivals of guests and you can open the electric gate from that window without opening the window. The front and back windows have screens, one of the few in Cuenca, so breezes can waft through the apartments without the bother of insects.

An enclosed well lit ceramic floored and partially ceramic walled easy to clean kitchen with 4 place dinette, lots of cabinetry and counter space, electrical outlets, ceramic (beige marble motif) tiled floor (easy cleaning), natural light window.

Enclosed (with door) laundry room with a hand wash or pre-wash facility.  The laundry room is plumbed for a washer.  A drier isn't normally needed for clothes dry on lines provided in the laundry room fast enough, however if a drier is needed, it must be a stackable washer/drier combo, otherwise there's no room for a stand alone drier.  The drier can be vented at landlady's expense to the outside just as is the gas water heater.  There is not enough amperage for an electric drier.

USE AND VISITOR RESTRICTIONS, a partial list of "don'ts":
Per neighborhood bylaws the general public without invitation from an occupant can not access the interior of the neighborhood compound such as salespeople, visitors promoting religious material or attempts to convert you from your present religious convictions, walkabouts, charity workers asking for money and people looking for a handout, drunks asking for money to buy booze, riff raff and random public.  Were this a private gated community in which you would be inundated with the presence of all the above, constantly.  Restrictions include but are not limited to operating a business where the public visits or calls on you.  Restrictions include the offering of services, sales and also any use of the apartment which involves paid guests, bed and breakfast, and the trafficing or storage of humans, no pets of any kind except fish aquariums, trafficing or storage of any and all contraband, prostitution, rent sharing without the express written permission of the landlord, use as a halfway house for alcohol and/or substance abusers or any other medical/health recovery use other than private living space for the tennant's family. Private guests such as visitors and parties, overnight stays and relatives are of course permitted as in any apartment.

STORAGE:
Large storage loft and attached attic. The loft is being renovated to be an additional "great room" for additional living space at no extra charge to you. This large loft with flooring made in Switzerland no less in an oak pattern, could serve as an office, music and arts appreciation room, yoga or meditation studio or just a nice large space like an additional living room for parties or a kid's play room and "hideaway".  The loft offers a well lit warm environment, warmer than the rest of the apartment in fact. Hot air rises...simple physics.

AMBIENT LIGHTING GALORE:
The well lit apartments have sky lights to provide light and passive solar heat..including a bathroom skylight, kitchen sun light for both apartments.

PRIVATE ENTRANCES and PRIVATE COMMUNITY: Each of the two apartments has it's own private  locked secure entrance with separate intercom systems: for each apartment there is a intercom portal outside that is "always on" so you can just pick up your wall mounted handset inside to monitor neighborhood sounds or talk with a visitor to qualify them as to the intention of visit. Wall mounted hand sets" are in the Master Bedroom and Kitchen, just pick them up and that trips an internal switch which then puts them "on the air".  Since it's always on, there is no need to physically answer the door buzzer for guests with this intercom system. Although the community is private, gated, secure, thanks to the intercom system, it is comforting to know you don't have to answer the door in your pajamas or dripping wet from a shower or in the midst of cooking, just use the intercom to ascertain who's at the door. The visitor merely presses a button to buzz you, and talks hands free, it's NOT like a walkie talkie where one has to key each sentence such as "push to talk".

You will have unlimited  WIFI access absolutely FREE to ETAPA's ADSL wireless (WIFI) Internet which is a gift apart from the apartment rental agreement.  We are not responsible for service issues if any arise.  Users must share expense of maintenance but we cover the bill for the monthly service.  Essentially it's a gift to tenants from the landlady.

1. Our rental rate is the same for everyone, no surprises. It is common in Ecuador to charge foreigners more than nationals. We don't do that, it's unfair and an insult. Our tennants have included those from Ecuador (our longest term tennant in fact), Europe and various venues of USA and Canada.  The lease contract after tenant and landlady sign is registered with the Municipio of Cuenca so there are no misunderstandings or hidden anything.  This protects landlady's and tenants' rights.

2. We selectively choose tenants and priority is given to: "straight" normal couples, retired couples, pensioners, teachers and professors, professionals or semi-professionals, non smoking (mandatory), light (or no) drinking, within reason conservative in appearance, and we prefer but certainly not mandatory, tennants with prior experience in: military, fire department, emergency services, medical and law enforcement and the reason for this is they are usually more adaptive and seem to be more willing to join with the community, and able to offer something in case of emergency. As you may gather, we are community minded and it's a conservative community here. The community has 1 lawyer, a top eschelon municipial manager, 2 medical doctors, 1 dentist, 1 finance company supervisor, a psychologist, 1 retired business man who still owns businesses, 1 beautician and several business owners.

You get a sanitized apartment. The apartment is clorox sanitized, walls unmarred, spotless throughout and carpets/rugs which have been freshly shampooed.

Location: Southwest Cuenca (see Google Earth image below) next to a trout brook Rio de Yanuncay, with a forrested jogging trail/greenspace/park network stretching miles. Open your bedroom window at night and hear the soothing sounds of the brook to lull you to sleep.

We remind you that this is NOT a jail like condo building, it is a neighborhood with common neighborhood sounds such as kids playing, occasional music and pets, roosters from close by neighborhoods. It is common to have a pet rooster and a hen or two in back yards of many upscale Cuenca homes. Although there are no chickens in the compound  homes itself.  One neighbor has a rooster and several have dogs  If you want to immerse yourself into Cuenca's society, then you shall live in a real neighborhood with real people and a real life and real sounds.

The apartment is extremely well lit/bright during the day, lots of window space, a full view of the neighborhood and front compound entrance, two skylights, and the apartment has more than adequate lighting plus the neighborhood has street lights for night time and each apartment has a porch light. Both apartments have covered entrances (porch areas) and since it rains frequently, that's important. Neither apartment has cable or satellite TV, you must contract privately for these services.

About our free unlimited use broadband WIFI Internet system. 
We offer this for free.  Other providers are available.  If the tenant does not like the free service we offer, the tenant may select another provider, paying for the same, which is not included in the rent. Computers have varying signal receiving ability. Our router is a good router and new as of October 2013. For computers that are older or machines with -low-to-medium reception ability, for some tenants, good WIFI reception of 4 to 5 bars has been limited to the living room, dining room, and kitchen area, other rooms have from one to three bars and actually that's sufficient for most usage. However for other tennants with computers having better reception ability, it's even better in all rooms.

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