Buenos Aires legislators propose new tenant and consumer protection laws

Two legislative initiatives have been introduced in the Buenos Aires provincial legislature aimed at protecting consumers and tenants.

Senator Mónica Macha has presented a bill to modify Law 10.973, proposing that real estate commissions for residential rentals be paid exclusively by property owners. The project, supported by Inquilinos Agrupados, seeks to prevent tenants from paying for intermediation services they did not request. If passed, real estate agencies would also be required to clearly disclose who is responsible for these costs on their websites and physical locations.

Separately, Deputy Facundo Tignanelli has proposed the Provincial Regime for the Prevention and Treatment of Consumer Over-indebtedness. This law would establish the Ombudsman's Office (Defensoría del Pueblo) as a mandatory pre-judicial mediation instance. The goal is to allow for a comprehensive analysis of a person's total debt and financial capacity, ensuring that debt settlements do not compromise the minimum subsistence conditions for individuals and their families.