Safety Guides
Renting on this coast is usually arranged from another country, months ahead, with a stranger. These guides are the checks that decide whether the rest of the arrangement rests on anything — written from the Federal Civil Code, the Jalisco and Nayarit civil codes, and how renting actually works here.
Verification reduces risk. It cannot eliminate all risk — and any listing or service that claims otherwise is overstating what verification can do.
The four checks, in order
The sequence matters. A confirmed address is worth little if the person showing it has no authority to rent, and both are worth less if the money leaves by a route nobody can trace.
- 01
The property
Pin the listing to a real address and test the photographs against it.
Read the guide - 02
The person
Establish who they are and on what authority they are renting to you.
Read the guide - 03
The contract
Read the lease against the civil code of the state the property sits in.
Read the guide - 04
The payment
Pay traceably, to an account whose holder matches the contract.
Read the guide
Before you pay
The checks that have to happen while you still have a decision to make.
How to Rent Safely in Puerto Vallarta: A Step-by-Step Checklist
Verify the property, the person, the contract and the payment before you send money.
Rental Red Flags in Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit
The warning signs worth stopping for — and why they almost always arrive together.
How to Verify a Rental Listing and the Person Renting It
Four checks, in order: the address, the photographs, the person's authority, and a live look.
The agreement and the money
What a legitimate lease says, what a deposit secures, and how to pay without losing the record.
What a Mexican Lease Should Contain
The clauses worth checking before you sign — and why Jalisco and Nayarit are not the same contract.
Rental Deposits in Jalisco and Nayarit: What They Cover and How to Get One Back
The deposit is decided at move-in, not at move-out — by whoever documented the property.
Paying Safely for a Rental in Mexico — and What to Do If It Goes Wrong
Match the account to the contract, keep a receipt for everything, and know the channels before you need them.
Once you have signed
How renting actually works on this coast, and what to arrange in the first week.
Vacation Rentals vs Long-Term Leases: How Renting Actually Works Here
Two different contracts, two different sets of protections, one listing site.
After You Sign: Setting Up a Rental in Puerto Vallarta
Utilities, the building's rules, how you will pay, and what your landlord's insurance does not cover.
Red flags, at a glance
Rarely conclusive alone. Two or more pointing the same way — especially urgency plus a reason not to verify — is the pattern worth stopping for.
- A deadline that exists only to stop you checking.
- A price that comparable units in the same building cannot explain.
- Photographs that appear elsewhere under a different name or price.
- A reason why the property, the person or the documents cannot be checked.
- An account holder whose name appears nowhere in the contract.
- Payment asked by gift card, cryptocurrency or an unrelated third party.
Save the checklist
A printable one-pager to take with you.
Browse verified rentals
Homes and condos we have verified ourselves, across Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit.
Explore the MarketplaceWant a second opinion on a listing?
Our team can look at a listing or a contract before you commit. We would rather answer a question than see a bad rental go ahead.
Speak with an advisorGeneral education, not legal or tax advice. Requirements vary by state, municipality, notario, SAT office, and year — confirm current specifics with your Notario Público, an attorney, and a cross-border accountant before acting.