Tenancy is an informal way of housing which has had very few studies in the city of Medellín; the largest so far was made by Habitat CEHAP School, from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, in 2006. This paper exposes how the lack of recognition of that way of living and making city is the result of several factors including the condemnation and stigmatization of certain sectors of the city. The text outlines aspects related to such places, which multiply in the city without any normalization, making them susceptible to increased degradation of living conditions.