Bolivia situation guide
The cost that never stops
Doña Lorena hands you this month's aviso de expensas, the fee notice every owner at Torre Aurora gets. It lists the ordinarias (seguridad, limpieza, mantenimiento, áreas comunes), a separate extraordinaria for the terrace waterproofing paid in cuotas, a fondo de reserva percentage, and a line about morosidad. This chapter teaches you to ask what these cover, how often they change, and whether the building is carrying debt, always as questions, never as your own verdict on the numbers. The expensas are a permanent monthly cost layered on top of the purchase price, and asking about them clearly is how you learn the real cost of living at Torre Aurora before you commit.
Essential vocabulary
- las expensas: the condo fees The permanent monthly cost of owning in a condominio, part of the real price of the unit, not a one-time fee.
- ordinarias: regular, recurring (fees) The everyday costs (seguridad, limpieza, mantenimiento, áreas comunes) that repeat every month.
- extraordinaria: special one-time charge A charge for a specific big repair, decided by the copropietarios in asamblea, the word to recognize when a large one-off cost appears.
- el fondo de reserva: the reserve fund The building's own savings for big or unexpected costs, asking whether one exists is one of the most useful questions a condominio buyer can ask.
- la morosidad: arrears, unpaid fees Owners who haven't paid their expensas, a reason to ask and verify, never an accusation to make.
- las cuotas: installments How a big extraordinaria is usually split into smaller, spaced-out payments instead of one lump sum.
- ¿qué cubren las expensas?: what do the expensas cover? The default opening question with any administración, it asks for a fact, never a verdict.
- ¿existe un fondo de reserva?: is there a reserve fund? Checks whether the building has a cushion for future extraordinarias, without asking anyone to say whether it's 'enough'.
- ¿el edificio tiene deudas?: does the building have debts? The cautious money question every buyer asks before committing, unpaid expensas can attach to the unit, so this is worth asking early and confirming later with a certificado de expensas al día.
Bolivian Spanish terms
- el aviso de expensas: the monthly fee notice The one-page notice an administración hands or WhatsApps every owner each month, breaking down what's owed and why, the everyday document this chapter is built around.
- la asamblea de copropietarios: the owners' assembly The body of all owners that approves expensas extraordinarias and their amounts, decisions like the terrace repair are made here, not by the administración alone.
- al día: up to date, current The phrase attached to 'expensas al día', proof a unit carries no fee debt, checked before any money changes hands.
Useful phrases
- ¿Cuánto son las expensas y qué cubren?: How much are the expensas and what do they cover? Your default opener with any administración, asks for facts, never for a verdict on the amount.
- ¿Hay expensas extraordinarias previstas?: Are there extraordinary charges planned? Surfaces upcoming big repairs beyond the current one, so you're not caught by surprise later.
- ¿Existe un fondo de reserva?: Is there a reserve fund? Checks whether the building has a cushion for big costs, without asking anyone to judge whether it's enough.
- ¿El edificio tiene deudas?: Does the building have debts? A calm, routine money question (never an accusation) that routes to a certificado de expensas al día before any payment.
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Buy in a Condominio in Bolivia, Practical Spanish