long term pet friendly furnished rentals

[Harry Bruce]

We are coming from Canada to look for a furnished home to rent starting Sept 1/2017. We would like to be in a safe area with pool access. Gated if possible. Can we find something in the $400 to $500 range? Do we need a car?

Thanks,

Harry

[stuphel]

I suspect you are going to have some trouble finding the kind of place you want for the kind of money you're thinking.  I suggest you look at several of the rental sites online for this area (including the one sponsoring this website) to get an idea of the rents being offered for various kinds of accommodation.  You will see that most homes rent in U.S. dollars.

You may certainly be able to find something less expensive than ones on these sites privately (no property manager to take care of your questions, though), but you are best doing that when you are down here and can see some of the ins and outs of some locations, and have greater access to seeing what's available, such as driving through neighbourhoods and noticing the "se renta" signs.  Some of these rent in Mexican pesos, which is an advantage if you are spending Canadian, and not American, dollars to rent.   I would also suggest you get some advice on what you want and don't want in a lease with a private landlord.  

For gated communities, you will likely need a car, unless you are prepared to walk to a bus stop and then take a bus.  Some communities are quite a distance from public transit; some homes (such as those in Ajijic or Chapala) are within walking distance to supermarkets, etc.  

As is often the advice to people heading here, I suggest you come down for a fairly extended stay---at least 2-3 weeks, and look around, deciding more thoughtfully exactly what you want and what you are willing to spend to get it.  Then you can find a place in an appropriate neighbourhood and decide about a car.  (I highly recommend you bring one or buy one down here.)

[JoeM]

Ah, this topic is of interest to me, as I am leaving in six days for Chapala without a reservation. I plan to stay through April unless the neighbors here complain about my grass before then. Am I safe in assuming I can just pop into town and find a long-term rental for less than, say, 1500 dollars a month?

[WideSky]

JoeM - Check the rental sites - accesslakechapala; hernandezrentals; http://rentallocatersmx.com/featured_properties.htm;

Some of the realtors have rentals. You might want to make a reservation somewhere for a week or so until you get your bearings. Bit chilly at night to sleep in your car .....

 

[JayBearII]

1500 USD a month will get you a LOT--you are in clover. But I would NOT recommend a long-term rental without checking things out first. Consider staying at a B&B in Ajijic or at the Hotel Pereferico (if you have a car and especially if you have a dog) and checking out rentals. If you have not been here before, I would personally recommend renting thru one of the property management companies, as they will take care of paying your gas, electricity, phone, maid, gardener, etc., AND they take care of all problems. And believe me, one can have problems here, if one does not know who to rely on. I bought (not a good idea if you are a newcomer, but it worked for me) BUT I used Roma Property Mgmt. for my first 2 years, and I never had to worry about who to call for whatever maintenance was needed--they vetted the maid, gardener and repair people. Now I have been here 11 years--but if I had had to do it on my own, I might not have succeeded. Take a belt and suspenders approach and trust no one who does not have a good rep in the community.

[WideSky]

I believe the hotel JayBearII was trying to suggest is the Hotel Perico -http://www.hotelperico.com.mx/en/ 

I would strongly suggest that if you are interested to contact them, don't just show up, as they are popular and are usually full during the winter.

 

[JoeM]

Thanks to you who responded. It is what I wanted to know.

Joe