Key takeaways
- Write a water-level clause.
- Short-term rentals in the area have yielded 8 to 15 percent gross a year against 5 to 9 percent for long-term, so a tenant who signs a long lease and relists the house by the night is capturing a spread the owner priced away.
- No peso figure belongs in this article, but the contract needs every one of them written out.
- Attach a signed inventory with photographs.
- Annual property tax runs from 0.3 to 1.2 percent of cadastral value depending on the municipality.
Yes, a lake house lease needs clauses a town lease does not: at minimum settle water-level risk, dock and shoreline use, who pays CORNARE-related compliance, short-term subletting rights, and an inventory of furniture and boat equipment. Everything else is standard Colombian lease law.
The reason is physical. Guatapé and El Peñol sit on a reservoir whose level is managed by the utility that operates it, so shoreline, dock and view conditions change through the year. A contract that says nothing about that leaves both sides arguing in writing-free territory when the water drops and the dock is sitting on mud.
What the lake itself forces into the contract
Write a water-level clause. State plainly that the level is controlled by the operating utility, that neither party controls it, and what happens when it falls: no rent reduction, a defined reduction, or nothing at all. Pick one and sign it. Silence here is how disputes start, because the tenant believes they rented water access and the owner believes they rented a house.
Define the dock and shoreline rights separately from the house. Who may use the dock, whether guests may moor, whether the tenant may install a floating platform, and who is responsible if a structure needs to be moved as the level changes. If the property has any permitted structure at the water's edge, the lease should say the tenant may not modify or extend it, because permits near the reservoir run through CORNARE, the regional environmental authority, and they are issued to the property, not to the occupant.
Add a trees and vegetation clause. Tree felling near the reservoir requires a CORNARE permit. The lease should forbid the tenant from cutting, pruning heavily or clearing without the owner's written consent, and state that any fine arising from unpermitted work is the tenant's cost.
Short-term subletting: decide it before the keys change hands
This is the clause owners most often forget. Short-term rentals in the area have yielded 8 to 15 percent gross a year against 5 to 9 percent for long-term, so a tenant who signs a long lease and relists the house by the night is capturing a spread the owner priced away. Either prohibit subletting and short-term listing outright, or permit it with named conditions: a cap on guests, owner approval of the listing, who holds the platform account, and who answers to the horizontal property rules or the neighbours.
If you allow it, the contract should also say who pays for the extra wear: linens, pool service, rubbish volume, and the cleaning between stays. Those costs do not scale like a family living there.
Money, utilities and the clauses that decide who pays what
No peso figure belongs in this article, but the contract needs every one of them written out. Rent amount, the deposit or guarantee and its exact conditions for return, the annual adjustment mechanism, the payment date and the account. Colombian residential leases are governed by national law on increases and term renewal; ask the lawyer drafting the contract to cite the applicable rule rather than copying a template.
Then split the recurring costs by name:
- Property tax (predial). Owner's obligation. Annual property tax runs from 0.3 to 1.2 percent of cadastral value depending on the municipality, and the rate for the specific property is published by the municipality where it sits. Check it there.
- Administration or condominium fees, where the house is inside a parcelación. Say who pays and what the tenant may use.
- Utilities. Power, water, internet, gas. Rural electricity in the area is not uniformly reliable, so state whether the owner must provide a generator or a backup, and who fuels it.
- Septic and wastewater. Many reservoir-side homes are not on municipal sewerage. Name who pays for tank emptying and at what frequency.
- Pool, garden and lake-edge maintenance. These are recurring, visible, and the single most common source of end-of-lease argument.
Inventory, maintenance and the exit
Attach a signed inventory with photographs. For a furnished lake house that means furniture, appliances, kayaks, life jackets, motor, dock fittings and keys, each listed by item and condition. Both parties initial it on the day of handover. Without it, the deposit discussion at the end is one person's memory against another's.
Separate ordinary maintenance from structural repair. Tenant handles bulbs, filters, blockages they cause and routine upkeep; owner handles roof, structure, installations and anything failing from age. Set a notification deadline for defects and a response deadline for the owner, so neither side can claim the other delayed.
Finally, verify the person signing is entitled to. Request the certificate of tradition and freedom using the property's registry number: it shows the registered owner, mortgages, liens and encumbrances. If the registered owner is not the one offering you the lease, ask for the written power of attorney before you transfer anything. Tenants planning to buy eventually can read Buying property in Guatapé; owners weighing lease against sale will find the context in Guatapé real estate.
Frequently asked questions
Can the tenant reduce the rent when the reservoir level drops?
Only if the contract says so. The level is managed by the utility that operates the reservoir and neither party controls it. Agree in writing whether a low-water period triggers a rent reduction, and define it precisely. Without a clause, the tenant has no automatic right.
Who pays the property tax on a leased lake house?
The owner. Annual property tax runs from 0.3 to 1.2 percent of cadastral value depending on the municipality. The applicable rate is published by the municipality where the property sits, so check it with Guatapé or El Peñol directly rather than assuming.
Can a tenant put the house on a short-term rental platform?
Only with an express clause allowing it. Short-term rentals in the area have yielded 8 to 15 percent gross a year against 5 to 9 percent long-term, so owners who stay silent effectively hand over that spread. Prohibit it or permit it with named conditions.
Does the tenant need a CORNARE permit to cut a tree on the property?
CORNARE is the regional environmental authority for the reservoir area and issues tree-felling, water and wastewater permits. Permits attach to the property and are the owner's business. The lease should bar the tenant from cutting or clearing without written consent, with fines at the tenant's cost.
How do I confirm the person offering the lease actually owns the house?
Request the certificate of tradition and freedom using the property's registry number. It shows the registered owner, mortgages, liens and encumbrances. If the name differs from the person signing, ask for a written power of attorney before transferring any deposit.
Who wrote this
Real estate broker · writes for the network · Real estate broker, Guatapé and eastern Antioquia. Specializing in Guatapé and El Peñol, Antioquia, Colombia. Founder of Mike Zapata Real Estate and the guide behind the Guatapé Properties and Guatapé Finca Raíz portals.