The rental contract in Venezuela: what it must say in 2026

Article 8 of the 2026 rental law requires the contract to be in writing and to contain, at a minimum:

• The name and identification of the parties and the capacity in which they act, that is whether they sign as owners, as attorneys or on behalf of an estate.
• Identification of the property.
• The agreed term.
• The amount of the rent.
• The list of services that come with the property.
• Who has to pay the utilities.

If you sign on someone else’s behalf, that capacity is proven with a power of attorney. When the owner lives abroad, the power is granted at the consulate or apostilled: it is explained in the guide to the special power of attorney.

These are the gaps the lawyers who have analysed the law point out. None resolves itself: if the contract is silent, it is left to interpretation.

The guarantee is a single one: an insurance policy or a deposit of up to three months’ rent (article 16). The deposit is returned within fifteen calendar days of the handover, less proven repairs and unpaid services (article 18).

Unless agreed otherwise, the tenant pays the utilities and the owner pays the condominium fee and the property tax (article 19). It is worth writing it down even though the law already says so, because it is the most common dispute at the end of a contract.

Article 9 allows the contract to be authenticated before any notary, without prejudice to the parties signing it privately. Both forms bind from signing. Authenticating costs money and time, and in exchange it records the date and the signatures before a third party, which helps if the contract ends up in court.

Article 21 accepts digital notices between the parties when it can be proven they were sent and received. If you are going to use WhatsApp or email to give notice of anything, say so in the contract with each party’s address or number.

• Copying a template from before August 2026: it carries over SUNAVI, the statutory extension and rents in bolívares that no longer fit the new regime.
• Asking for a deposit and a guarantor at once without checking: the law sets one guarantee and a three-month cap.
• Leaving no inventory or photos of the initial state, which is what later allows deductions from the deposit.
• Forgetting the notice period, and finding at expiry that the contract continued automatically on the same terms.
• Not identifying the capacity in which someone who is not the owner signs.