Lease, study and commission policy: how much is paid before the keys
Machine-assisted English version of the Spanish original by Aptología. All figures are locked to the original (numbers are copied, not re-translated); if in doubt, the Spanish original prevails.
Renting an apartment with real estate requires paying about 1.3 rentals before receiving the keys. With the rates published by a real estate in Bogotá (Master Group, 2026), a 2 $2,500,000 (the median requested in Bogotá according to Aptology) costs $3,243,750 entry: $743,750 more than the first month.
Abstract: we compare two public charges from 2026, one from Bogotá and one from Medellín. Although they charge different items, they both carry the cost of entry to between 1.28 and 1.38 rentals in 12 measured cities, without any alteration or HOA fee. Money deposits as a guarantee of rent are prohibited in urban housing (Act 820 of 2003, art. 16),
Updated: 9 October of 2026.
Prices ordered, not closing. The Aptology figures are medium of the price requested in the announcements published on 5 October of 2026, not what is finally paid or signed.
The entry "ticket" (2 $alcobs 2,500,000)
| Heading | Grupo Master, Bogotá (public source) | TOTAL BIENES, Medellín (public source) |
|---|---|---|
| Study | $148,750 (5% + VAT) | $150,000 (6%; the sheet does not mention VAT) |
| Contract / commission rights | $595,000 (20% + VAT) | $500,000 (20% of first rental) |
| Certificate of tradition | — | $30,000 |
| Paper industry | — | $60,000 |
| First month | $2,500,000 | $2,500,000 |
| Total | $3,243,750 (1.30 rentals) | $3,240,000 (1.30 rentals) |
The $2,500,000 is the median of the rental order for a 2 alcobs in Bogotá (Aptology, 5 October of 2026). The rates are derived from the public documents of each real estate.
By city
Applying the two rates to the median requested of a 2 alkobas in each city (Aptology):
| City | Medium rental, 2 alkobas (Aptology) | Total with Master Group | Total with TOTAL WELL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medellin | $3,850,000 | $4,995,375 | $4,941,000 |
| Cartagena | $3,300,000 | $4,281,750 | $4,248,000 |
| Pereira | $2,750,000 | $3,568,125 | $3,555,000 |
| Bogotá | $2,500,000 | $3,243,750 | $3,240,000 |
| Rionegro | $2,500,000 | $3,243,750 | $3,240,000 |
| Barranquilla | $2,200,000 | $2,854,500 | $2,862,000 |
| Manizales | $1,600,000 | $2,076,000 | $2,106,000 |
| Bucaramanga | $1,566,150 | $2,032,080 | $2,063,349 |
| Chia | $1,550,000 | $2,011,125 | $2,043,000 |
| Cali | $1,400,000 | $1,816,500 | $1,854,000 |
| Cucutta | $1,050,000 | $1,362,375 | $1,413,000 |
| Soacha | $800,000 | $1,038,000 | $1,106,000 |
In cheap rentals, the Medellín tariff weighs a little more (up to 1.38 rentals in Soacha) because it has fixed costs (certified and stationery) and a 7% study for rentals up to $1,000,000.
What the law says
- Deposits: prohibited. "In urban housing lease contracts, no deposit in cash or other kind of real captivity may be required" (Act 820, art. 16). They cannot be disguised with another name or paced in another document.
- Exception, public services. The lessor may apply for a guarantee for the payment of public services, with a limit: the value of two consecutive billing periods (art. 15).
- Who's watching. The mayors are aware of the cases of deposits and of disputes over their recovery (Act 820, art. 33, literal to, numeral 3).
- What the law does not regulate: the study, "contract rights" and commission are not regulated by the Act 820. They're rates for each real estate. Ask for the written breakdown and compare.
What we don't include (and why)
- Stress: We do not find a verifiable public fee to serve as a reference. You can add it to the calculator.
- HOA fee: the data from Aptology does not bring it; the calculator the sum if you know it.
- Public services, damage and missing: Master Group publishes $123,400, which are paid only once (source), but it is not clear whether it is paid by the tenant. We left it out of the total.
- Counterparties: no direct cost, but on the sheet of TOTAL BIENES, from $1,500,000 of rent are ordered two and a certificate of tradition of a property free of limitations.
Methodology
- Public data: 2026 charities published by two real estate, chosen because they detail the charges to the tenant. They are not a representative sample of the market. Also the text of Act 820 of 2003 (Senate Secretariat).
- Aptology data: median rental order for 2 alcobs per city (API / today, 5 October 2026). Only cities with at least 300 ads of 2 alcobs.
- Calculation: for each median we apply the formulas of each tariff, with HOA fee = 0. Detail in datos.csv,
- Update:
updatere-read the Aptology dataset and recalculate everything. The rates are checked by hand every January; the URLs are in the script.
Limitations
- Two charges do not represent all real estate, and rent directly with the owner may not have these charges. This is a verifiable example, not a market average.
- The rent is medium, not closed prices.
- It's not legal advice. Apart from the prohibition of deposits in Article 16, this study does not qualify the legality of any collection; in the light of a specific doubt a legal review should be made.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the lease policy cost? The tenant is usually given as the study payment: in the revised rates, from 5% + VAT (study with Insurance The Liberator, Master Group) to 7% of the rent. The monthly insurance premium appears in the Master Group tariff as 2.57% (El Libertador), 2.97% (Zurich) and 2.85% (Unimay), calculated on rent, HOA fee and VAT. That tariff doesn't explicitly say who pays the premium, so we don't add it to the tenant's total.
How much does a real estate charge for renting an apartment? In the two revised public charges, the tenant pays a study of 5% to 7% of the rent and a "contract rights" or commission of 20% of the rent (plus VAT in one of them). In total, about 0.3 rentals in addition to the first month.
Is it legal for me to be asked to rent a deposit? The 820 Act of 2003 (art. 16) provides that in urban housing no deposits in money or other actual charges may be required to guarantee the obligations of the lessee. The guarantee it does provide is that of public services, with a maximum of two billing periods (art. 15).
How much does the lease study cost? In the revised rates, between 5% + VAT and 7% of the rent. In a $2,500,000 rent, about $150,000. If the study comes out negative, ALL RIGHT warns that the money is not returned.
Can you rent it without a pin? It depends on the real estate and the insurance company. In the TOTAL BIENES tariff, from $1,500,000 of rent two joint debtors are requested.
How much money do I need to move to an apartment for rent? With real estate, some 1.3 rentals before the keys, more operation and HOA fee. For a 2 medium alkobas in Bogotá are $3,243,750.
Search demand
Trends (2026 - 10 - 09): 'lease policy' dominates (30 average in 5 years, 43 in 12 months) against 'guarantor rental' (5), 'requirements for rent' (3) and 'deposit rental' (1. This is why it becomes the main wanted. 'requirements for renting an apartment' goes up 40%. Pico in January, with retips in abril - May and July. Comparison: Google Trends. They're relative values, no absolute volumes. Google's self-completed, consulted on the same day, is on meta.json.
How to quote
Pinzón Pineda, D. M. (2026). Lease, study and commission policy: how much is paid before the keys. Aptology. With rates published by the Master Group and TOTAL BIENES (2026), the Act 820 of 2003 and rental announcements of Aptology. https://www.aptologia.com/estudios/costo-de-alquilar-antes-de-las-llaves. Data: datos.csv, CC BY license 4. 0.
Sources and data
- Original study (Spanish): Póliza de arrendamiento, estudio y comisión: cuánto se paga antes de las llaves
- GitHub (CSV, PDF): https://github.com/elbroker/aptologia-datos/tree/main/estudios/costo-de-arrendar-antes-de-las-llaves
- Hugging Face: https://huggingface.co/datasets/aptologia/costo-de-arrendar-antes-de-las-llaves-colombia-2026
More questions
- How much does the lease policy cost?
- How much does a real estate charge for renting an apartment?
- Is it legal for me to be asked to rent a deposit?
- How much does the lease study cost?
- Can you rent it without a pin?
- How much money do I need to move to an apartment for rent?
- What does the study “Lease, study and commission policy: how much is paid before the keys” show?