Apartment Viewing Checklist for Bogotá

Most rental problems in Bogotá — mold, bad wiring, Wi-Fi that can't be upgraded, surprise administración fees — are discoverable during a proper apartment viewing. The problem is that most renters don't ask the right questions. This checklist covers everything to check before you commit.

• Ceiling and wall stains: Look for yellowish-brown stains in corners and along the base of exterior walls — signs of water infiltration or prior leaks. In concrete buildings, these may indicate chronic issues, not one-time events.
• Mold inspection: Check bathroom grout, window frames, and inside wardrobes. Bogotá's humidity and cold evenings create ideal mold conditions in units with poor ventilation.
• Window seals and frames: Single-pane windows in older units let in cold and noise. Check whether frames seal completely — a gap at altitude with 6°C nights is meaningful.
• Floor condition: Ceramic tile cracking or buckling can indicate structural settling or past flooding. Wood floors should be checked for warping.
• Exterior walls (on rainy days): If possible, visit during or after rain. Water infiltration through balcony drains or terrace membranes is common in Bogotá buildings and expensive to fix.

• Outlet count and placement: Count outlets in the bedroom and workspace area. Many older units have 2–3 outlets total. Remote workers need power strips at minimum, but confirm the electrical panel can handle the load.
• Electrical panel amperage: Ask what the breaker panel capacity is. 60-amp service (común in older buildings) struggles with simultaneous use of a washer, microwave, and computer equipment.
• Water heater type: Is it an inline gas heater (calentador de paso) or an electric tank? Inline gas heaters are common and generally reliable, but pressure can be low in higher floors. Ask the current tenant about hot water pressure at peak morning times.
• Water pressure test: Run all faucets simultaneously and flush the toilet. Pressure drops sharply in top-floor units in older buildings during peak morning hours (7–9am).
• Washing machine connection: Is there a dedicated laundry connection (toma de lavadora) with hot and cold lines? Many Colombian apartments — especially in older towers — have the washer in the bathroom with a gravity drain to the shower floor. Verify this before shipping a top-loader.

• Which ISPs serve the building? Ask the portero. This determines your maximum possible internet speed — if only Claro is cabled in, you're limited to their infrastructure.
• Fiber or coaxial? Fiber (FTTH) in the building means access to Movistar/ETB's full speed tiers. Coaxial means Claro-class ceilings (~137 Mbps, 28ms latency).
• Ethernet ports: Are there wall ethernet ports in the bedroom or workspace? Critical in older concrete buildings where WiFi signal degrades through walls.
• Cell signal test: On your phone, check signal for Claro, Movistar, and Tigo at the unit. Some concrete-heavy buildings have poor indoor cellular coverage on certain carriers.

• Street noise: Visit at a time of day when traffic is active. Units on Avenida Caracas, Calle 26, or Carrera 7 are significantly louder. TransMilenio BRT corridors produce consistent bus engine noise.
• Metro construction noise (2026–2027): Units adjacent to the Avenida Caracas viaduct construction corridor — roughly Calle 26 to Calle 72 — currently experience significant construction noise during daytime hours.
• Natural light direction: Ask which way the main façade faces. In Bogotá, "sol de la mañana" (north-facing) and "sol de la tarde" (south-facing) determine when the apartment gets light. South-facing units are significantly warmer and brighter in afternoon hours.
• Interior courtyard noise: Some apartment towers channel sound from a central courtyard — a noisy neighbor on any floor is audible throughout. Ask about this specifically.

• Administración fee: Ask the exact monthly amount. Confirm whether it's included in the listed rent or separate. The range in Bogotá is COP 150,000–600,000/month depending on building type and amenities — this is the most common hidden cost surprise.
• What amenities are included? Gym, pool, social room, rooftop. Confirm access is actually included in your lease, not priced separately.
• Parking: Included or extra? Ask the specific monthly cost. Parking in Bogotá runs COP 100,000–250,000/month in towers. If you have a car, confirm the parking space dimensions fit your vehicle.
• Building security hours: Is the portero staffed 24h or only daytime? What is the visitor registration process?
• Package delivery policy: How are packages received and stored when you're not home?
• Pet policy: Even if the building legally cannot ban pets (Law 675), some older building reglamentos have unenforceable clauses. Confirm the practical current situation with the portero.

• Who is the legal owner? Ask to see proof of ownership (escritura or catastro record). This is the anti-scam verification step, not a hostile question — any legitimate landlord will have it readily available.
• Is the owner resident in Colombia? Non-resident owners with Colombian properties pay a 35% withholding on rental income (Art. 247 Estatuto Tributario). Some offshore owners pass this cost to tenants indirectly — be aware of the arrangement.
• What's included in the rent? Get a written list of what the listed price includes (utilities, administración, parking, internet). Verbal agreements are not enforceable.
• What are the current utility costs? Ask to see the last 3 months of utility bills. Estrato 5–6 electricity bills can run COP 200,000–450,000/month — significantly more than lower strata.
• When was the last rent increase and by how much? Confirms the landlord's knowledge of and compliance with the IPC cap.