Part 2 - Finding a Good Deal on Rentals in Cancun and Riviera Maya
Our next piece of advice in our 3-Part guide to finding a good deal on rentals in Cancun and Riviera Maya would be to brush up on your Spanish, or at least enlist the help of a friend who is reasonably fluent. Obviously learning Spanish will help you integrate and get good work, but there are more immediate reasons:
- The local newspapers and online forums like VivaStreet will have good properties advertised within, but are likely to be written in Spanish. In the case of VivaStreet you’ll find that there are also no email addresses left – you must call and converse with the owners.
- Not speaking Spanish, or speaking poor Spanish will immediately single you out as a foreigner and therefore someone who can afford to pay more. This means you will likely get hit with the “Gringo tax” which is pretty much a local tradition. This means that as an outsider, especially from North America, you are likely to be charged 20% more by the locals who will assume you can afford it. Passing as a local or getting a local to negotiate on your behalf could save you money.
Of course you will likely find that many landlords are bilingual, but this doesn’t mean they won’t slap the Gringo tax onto your rent! Even basic Spanish, however, will allow you to contact the owners directly which is a good start to getting the best price. You see the real estate agencies have their eyes firmly on the big fish that the tourist trade brings in, and they do, after all, work on commission.
Getting around the Gringo tax
Well, other than getting a good grasp of Spanish you can always try a few of the following tricks to get around the Gringo tax:
- “Well, I heard the going rate is…” – if you estimate a price 15-20% cheaper than what they first ask you can open a dialogue for negotiation that could net you a discount of 10-15%. So long as you are firm, polite and make it clear that you have other options this is a generally successful tactic.
- Enlist a friend – if you can find a friend who speaks Spanish well enough to pass as a local, or who is a local, you could ask them to call the landlords and check out the apartments for you. They would lock in a good price and then introduce you to the landlord later.
- Pay cash and commit – if you can commit to a longer contract, or you can pay cash upfront for a month or two in advance (or, better yet, both) then you might be able to net up to a 25% discount. Once you’re looking at 3 months to a year of commitment you’re in the right zone for a knockdown in price.
Click here for Part 1 or Part 3 : Finding a Good Deal on Rentals in Cancun and Riviera Maya