Category: Taxes and fees
Expensas (common fees)
The recurring fee paid by unit owners in buildings, gated communities, and countries to cover security, maintenance, and administration of common areas.
Last updated:
Expensas are the monthly cost of living under horizontal property or in a gated development in Paraguay. Ordinary expensas cover recurring costs: 24/7 security, cleaning, elevators, pool, gym, staff salaries, administration, and reserve fund; extraordinary ones are voted for one-off works (repainting, major repairs). The amount is set by the administration or owners' consortium in proportion to each unit. In Asunción towers with amenities they run roughly Gs. 500,000 to Gs. 1,500,000 a month depending on building and unit size; in gated communities they vary with services. In rentals, who pays is agreed in the contract — typically the tenant covers ordinary fees. Before buying a resale unit, demand the no-debt certificate for expensas and read the co-ownership rules: the seller's unpaid fees should be settled at the deed so the buyer does not inherit the dispute with the administration.
Example
A Villa Morra apartment rents for Gs. 4,000,000 a month plus Gs. 800,000 in ordinary expensas paid by the tenant. When buying a resale unit in the same building, the buyer requests the no-debt certificate: the unit carried Gs. 6,500,000 in unpaid fees, which the seller settles at the deed.
Related tools
Related terms
Gated community
A residential community with access restricted by a security barrier, private internal streets, and shared services managed by an owners' association.
Country (gated subdivision)
A private gated subdivision with own security and shared amenities, where lots are sold for owners to build homes following internal rules.
Townhouse-style apartment (departamento tipo casa)
A standalone residential unit with no apartments above it, usually part of a horizontal-property complex, with its own entrance and sometimes a yard.