{"id":2916,"date":"2026-07-21T12:32:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T17:32:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hepacom.org\/leasing-habitacional\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T12:33:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T17:33:42","slug":"leasing-habitacional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hepacom.org\/en\/leasing-habitacional\/","title":{"rendered":"Housing leasing: what it is, how it works and who can apply for it"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last updated: July 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

There is a way to own your own home where you move in first and finish buying it later.<\/strong> He residential leasing<\/em> It's almost always explained by what it isn't\u2014"it's not a loan," "it's not a rental"\u2014and so nobody understands anything. The underlying idea is simple: a financial institution buys the property, you live in it from day one paying a monthly fee, and at the end of the term you decide whether to keep it. The house is yours when you exercise that option, not before.<\/p>\n

We are Hepacom, the Hechos Para la Comunidad Foundation (NIT 900.841.914-1), and we work for the right to decent housing in the southern Aburr\u00e1 Valley. We don't sell financial products or earn anything if you sign one: we explain how it works using the official definition from the Financial Superintendency, so you know what you're signing.<\/p>\n

What exactly is residential leasing?<\/h2>\n

The Financial Superintendency of Colombia defines it as follows: it is given to a person called tenant<\/strong> the tenure<\/em> of a property intended for housing, for its use and enjoyment, in exchange for the payment of a periodic sum of money during an agreed term; upon expiration, the property is returned to its owner or transferred to the lessee if the latter decides to exercise a purchase option<\/strong> agreed in his favor.<\/p>\n

Read the keyword again: tenure<\/strong>, It's not ownership. Throughout the contract, the financial institution owns the property, and you are the tenant living there. This isn't a minor detail: it defines who appears on the deed, what happens if you want to sell, and when the house is transferred to your name. This is the fundamental difference with a mortgage. mortgage loan<\/a>, where the property is yours from the beginning and is mortgaged as collateral.<\/p>\n

How does the monthly fee work?<\/h2>\n

Here's the part that almost no one explains, and it's the most important to understand: the principles of residential leasing. It's not a monthly rent payment<\/strong>. According to Decree 1058 of 2014, the canon has a financial cost component<\/strong> and a capital component<\/strong>; and that capital component, in turn, is divided between a periodic amortization<\/strong> and a part that is administered as long-term savings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Translated: Part of what you pay each month is the cost of the money, another part goes toward reducing your debt, and another part is saved for when you want to exercise the option. That's why it's not money lost like with rent. The regulation also stipulates that the Financial Superintendency approves the amortization system and that each institution's board of directors sets the interest rate, so the specific conditions vary from one institution to another.<\/p>\n

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\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Component of the canon<\/th>\nWhat is<\/th>\nWhat happens to that money?<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Financial costs<\/strong><\/td>\nThe cost of the money that the entity put up to buy the home<\/td>\nIt's the cost of credit: it doesn't reduce your debt, nor does it get you back.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Principal \u00b7 Periodic amortization<\/strong><\/td>\nThe portion of the capital that is paid monthly<\/td>\nIt reduces the amount that would still need to be paid for the property.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Capital \u00b7 long-term savings<\/strong><\/td>\nThe portion of capital that the entity manages as savings<\/td>\nIt accumulates towards the purchase option<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Prepared by Hepacom based on Decree 1058 of 2014, which regulates the structure of residential leasing fees. We do not include financing percentages, terms, or rates: the regulation does not establish these in a general way, and each entity defines its own. Always consult the entity's official channels for this information. Last updated: July 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Common mistakes with residential leasing<\/h3>\n