BuySellBA
Administrator
How to anticipate rent increases and contract renewals without disrupting your finances - Ambito Financiero
Source:
Cómo anticipar aumentos de alquiler y renovaciones de contrato sin desordenar las finanzas
Con ajustes de alquiler más frecuentes, planificar y usar herramientas financieras ayuda a evitar saltos bruscos y ordenar el presupuesto mensual.
www.ambito.com
April 15, 2026
By Jose Luis Cieri
With more frequent rent adjustments, planning and using financial tools helps avoid sudden jumps and organize the monthly budget.
Planning ahead and organizing your personal finances is key to dealing with rent increases without the impact overwhelming your monthly budget.
In a context of high inflation and increasingly frequent rent adjustments, tenants face a key challenge: how to absorb rent increases without the impact completely disrupting their personal finances. With the Consumer Price Index (CPI) exceeding 32% year-on-year, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC), anticipating increases has gone from being an option to a necessity.
Especially in agreements following the DNU that repealed the 2020 Rental Law, which usually have quarterly or four-monthly adjustments, and with salaries that do not always recover the drop in a timely manner, the pressure on households intensifies.
Today, average market values reinforce this scenario. In the City of Buenos Aires, a studio apartment costs around $600,000 per month, a one-bedroom apartment exceeds $680,000, and a two-bedroom apartment starts at $750,000, with peaks above $1,000,000 in areas of the northern corridor . In this context, each price increase represents a significant jump that, without planning, directly impacts disposable income.
“The timing of the update shouldn't be the day we first start thinking about where the money will come from. When the adjustment date is known, we can work in advance to ensure the impact is gradual,” said Vanesa Di Troilo , Business Manager at Reba, a financial institution authorized by the Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) and part of the Transatlántica Group.
Planning ahead: the key to keeping the budget in order
One of the first questions tenants ask is how much of their income should be allocated to anticipating these increases. There's no single figure, but there are strategies that can help organize finances. These include the 50/30/20 rule—which divides income into basic needs, personal expenses, and savings—and the progressive savings method, which involves increasing the percentage allocated to savings each month.Di Troilo explained: “There isn't a single figure, but what makes the difference is control and prior organization. Having a plan in advance is the only way to manage expenses without disrupting your monthly budget.” Along those lines, the focus is on consistency: setting aside a monthly amount with a clear objective.
FCI: what they are and what they are for
For periodic rent increases, one of the most commonly used tools is mutual funds. These are financial instruments that pool money from multiple investors and invest it in different assets, with professional management and variable returns.Their main advantage is immediate liquidity: the money can be withdrawn at any time. Furthermore, they generate daily returns, preventing capital from being tied up.
“Mutual funds don’t always beat inflation, but they allow money to retain its value while waiting for the payment date. Instead of sitting idle, it generates daily returns,” Di Troilo commented.
In practice, they function as a dynamic reserve fund. The tenant can set aside a monthly amount, invest it, and use it when the contract is renewed. The recommended timeframe for starting to build this fund is six to twelve months before the adjustment.
Comparing prices, evaluating options, and projecting monthly expenses becomes key to choosing a rental without exceeding the budget in a context of frequent adjustments.
He added: “The more advance notice, the better. In the long run, the habit is formed without putting too much strain on the wallet, and the strategy can be adjusted according to the economic context.”
Renovations: another major impact
The second major challenge arises with contract renewal. In this case, the expense is not limited to a monthly increase, but includes deposits, advances, stamp duties, and other costs that can be equivalent to several months' rent.For these types of objectives, fixed-term deposits are a common tool. This is a banking instrument where money is deposited for a specific period in exchange for a fixed interest rate.
“Fixed-term deposits are a good tool for those seeking a guaranteed monthly return. With reinvestment of interest, they can help you reach a more solid foundation when it's time to renew,” Di Troilo noted.
Furthermore, another alternative emerges: dollarizing savings. He elaborated: “Buying dollars can be a strategy to take advantage of exchange rate stability and, in some cases, to agree to the contract in that currency, which allows one to decouple from inflation.”
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
When anticipating increases, mistakes also play a key role. One of the most common is failing to correctly assess the relationship between income and commitment.“Many times decisions are made that are not aligned with economic reality. For example, contracts in dollars with income in pesos or advance payments without considering job stability,” Di Troilo warned.
When there's no planning, the alternatives tend to be more expensive. He explained: "Those who fail to anticipate expenses often resort to personal loans with fixed installments to cover the sudden increase in spending."
The market's perspective
From the real estate sector, the scenario shows sustained pressure on tenants, but also a greater need for predictability on the part of landlords. Miguel Lupardo , of Punto Uno Propiedades, described a market with rising prices and greater financial demands for both parties.He said: “Today, tenants face a much more demanding scenario. Prices have risen sharply, forcing us to think of rent as an expense that requires planning, not just a monthly payment.”
While studying and organizing her expenses, a tenant plans how to cope with upcoming increases without compromising her daily finances.
According to the expert, the gap between income and rent has become more visible in recent months. “A three-room apartment in many areas now costs over $900,000, and in northern neighborhoods it exceeds one million. That changes the logic of the decision,” he explained.
In this context, a change in behavior is also observed. “There are more inquiries related to how to anticipate rent increases and how to structure the contract. Before, the focus was on closing the deal; now, the concern is about sustaining it over time. On the landlords' side, there's also a growing demand for more predictable contracts and arrangements that offer greater certainty in payments,” he commented. However, since these are voluntary agreements between the parties, there's room for negotiation. If the landlord goes more than a month without renting their property, they usually adapt and, in some cases, lower the initial contract price by 10% to 15% to attract tenants.
Finally, Lupardo emphasized that the analysis must be comprehensive. “It’s not enough to just look at the initial price. You have to understand how it’s adjusted, what additional costs there are, and what the tenant’s actual margin is to sustain it,” he concluded.
www.buysellba.com
