Real Estate Agents often have the most attractive accommodation, as many landlords do not wish to spend time looking for and contracting tenants. In many cases you never see the landlord as the agent handles all administrative tasks. In Argentina this is especially common practice as the Real Estate agents also check backgrounds and guarantees and have far more knowledge on dealing with tenants.
Many homeowners prefer to make use of Realtors and prevent any possible future conflicts with non-paying tenants. In Argentina tenants that are not capable of paying the rent have been reported many times over the years. To get tenants evicted is a long, difficult and costly process. Bad experiences also explain why, when renting a place, a third person that stands guarantee for the tenant is required.
In Argentina the remuneration for real estate agents in rentals differs per province. In the city of Buenos Aires (Capital Federal) remuneration is not covered by legislation which means common practice is viewed as the norm. In Capital Federal this means commission is one month of rent.
In other provinces 1-2% commission is charged over the total contract to both the owner as the tenant. Sometimes the real estate agent provides additional services, such as the complete management and administration of the premises. In this case commission could range between 5-10%.