The Best Long-Term Rental Companies in Rio de Janeiro

Zap Imoveis is one of the most popular and well-known long-term rental companies in Rio. You won’t find short stays for New Year’s or Carnival here, but you will find plenty of apartments and houses for rent in practically every neighbourhood in the city. Be aware that most apartments come unfurnished, so you will need to buy your own furniture which can be costly. Zap has a wide range of houses, apartments, and even farms, both for sale and for renting.

This place is another popular and well-known long-term rental company in Rio. Imovel Web lists apartments and houses all throughout Brazil and covers every neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro. Prices are reasonable and reflect the current market. There are thousands of apartments and houses available for both renting and buying. Ask for a viewing of the apartment or house you like and be sure to research the area that it’s in. The most popular places are those in the South Zone (Zona Sul).

Although typically for temporary and short-term stays, it is not unheard of for people to rent long-term on Airbnb – you simply need to ask the owners and see if they will negotiate an agreement with you. The upside to renting long-term on Airbnb is that the apartment usually comes in great condition and is fully furnished, saving you the cost of having to buy an apartment’s worth of new furniture and kitchen appliances. The drawback, though, is that Airbnb tends to be a lot more expensive, and monthly rental prices are often highly inflated compared to market prices.

Viva Real provides a great selection of apartments to rent in Rio de Janeiro. It covers a fair amount of Rio’s neighbourhoods, such as Gávea, Barra da Tijuca, Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Méier, Copacabana, Taquara, Jacarepaguá, and Tijuca. The prices of the apartments are reasonably priced, reflecting the current market conditions. Many of the apartments aren’t furnished, but their low prices balance the costs of buying furniture. Many of the apartments also accept a bond payment rather than a guarantor, which makes renting a whole lot easier.

OLX is like the Gumtree of Brazil and has some great bargains when it comes to long-term rental properties. Pretty much all of Rio’s neighbourhoods are represented on this site, and new listings are added every day. The site is easy to use and lets you search based on your regional preferences and your budget range. Some of the properties on OLX come partially furnished, so it pays to spend some time searching to find something that comes with the basic necessities furniture-wise.

A similar setup to OLX, Mercado Livre sells anything and everything, including rental properties. Here is a good place to find cheap rents, and it’s more common to find partially furnished properties. Mercado Livre advertises everything from individual apartments and houses to long-term lets in single rooms in shared houses or even shared bedrooms. It pays to tread cautiously with Mercado Livre as it isn’t as strictly regulated as the sites dedicated to long-term rentals. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Easy Quarto occupies a niche segment of the market by focusing on renting out only kitchenettes or rooms in shared houses. The shared option allows cheaper monthly rent and almost all the rooms come fully furnished. The announcements are informal rental contracts and don’t usually require a deposit. Although this provides less protection for the tenant, it does give more flexibility on how long you will stay at the property, and most places allow both short-term and long-term stays.