Rent payment cycle

Payment cycles for UPEACE students basically start the same day of arrival and extend until the last day of stay. To better cover this topic, we will explain it below.

We will take as an example the First Semester 2023, with an arrival date on August 15^th and departure date on December 15^th. Considering this case, the first payment and due date will be on August 15th of each month.

Important information (based on the case above)

• According to local lease law, all months must be paid in full, and must be paid in advance.
• The rental month usually starts the same day of arrival/move-in to the reserved option. In the previous case, the reference is that you arrived on August 15^thso you will have to make your next rent payment on the 15^th of the following month and consecutively.
• For your information, “prorate” payments are not legally valid; however, are usually negotiable to house owners, but any negotiation will depend strictly on each property owner (so don’t count on this, without first discussing it with your house owner, preferable in advance).
• Be sure to notify your landlord 1 month before your departure (or moving) taking as official reference your payment cycle date (same day of your arrival). In the case above, the payment date is taken as 15^th of each month, so, for example, if you plan to move on December 15^th, you must officially inform your landlord of your departure on November 15^th (or even earlier). If you do so after (November 15^th) then you may need to stay another month (to properly inform about your moving) and get the deposit back or moveout and lose your security deposit, for not complying with the one-month notice timeframe.
• What if my departure date is a few days or weeks later considering my payment cycle? According to the previous case, if your departure date differs from your arrival date (e.g., 18th, 22nd, 25th) then you are advice to talk to your owner and inform them about your departure date. In most cases the price could be negotiated for not paying the whole month (although it is not mandatory) but you should inform them in advance (preferably more than a month in advance). Do not leave it to the last minute and avoid inconveniences. Please, keep in mind that house owners will have the final say, whether to grant discounts or not.
• What if I need to change my payment cycle? This may be necessary for students who receive scholarships, stipends, or student loans on dates different from their arrival dates. In this case, the student should contact their landlord/lady (in advance) to explain the reason of the request and negotiate change. In most cases this will be possible (most landlords are willing to help and understand student’s needs) however it will depend on each property owner and their possibilities to make any changes. Taking the above case, let’s say you arrived on August 15^th,but your stipend will be provided on the 20th, 25^th or 30^th of each month. In that case, you could negotiate and make a partial payment of the first few days of rent (5, 10 or 15 days) on a case-by-case basis and restart with a new payment date/cycle according to convenience and agreement with the owner. It is reiterated that this will strickly depend on each owner and particular case.
• The trial month applies only with the first month (same place you booked before your arrival in Costa Rica). During the trial month you will have between 2 or 3 weeks to choose/decide whether you will stay longer in the same place OR choose to move to another place starting the second month. Whatever decision you make, at the second month you have to sign a contract, pay second’s month rent and pay a deposit deposit together.
• Take advantage of the trial month to make decisions about the best place for you to stay as you will have more flexibility during this period. After the trial month (first month), you must comply with the terms and conditions of the contract. Remember to review your contract in detail before signing it.