Job Discussion Forums

[ironopolis]

Can anyone give me some input as to start up costs of renting accommodation in HK? I've had a look at a few real estate company websites and have an idea of monthly rents in various areas of HK.

But what I'm unsure of is -

a) how much of a deposit do you usually have to put down at the beginning of a rental contract? Is this all or partly returnable or do you just have to write that money off (as in Japan, where I am now)?

b) are there any other unavoidable costs to be considered, such as compulsary fire & buildings insurance, building administration fees etc. Or is this all generally included in the rent?


Any other relevant tips would also be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[briandwest]

a) 2 months rent. Technically returnable but really depends on the landlord. Most HKers will not pay the last 2 months rent to ensure that we don't lose out on the deposit.
b) Building Insurance - not included; responsibility of landlord
Content Insurance - not included; up to you
Management fee - included.
Agent fee = 50% of one month's rent
Utilities set up = not included; about HK$500 each for water / gas / Elec'y returnable on end of service
Stamp Duty - split between you and landlord ~ HK$1500

Other tips:
Always ensure that you get 2 weeks minimum free rent - there is a section in the contract specifically for this.
Check the contract states who is responsible for repair of furnishings such as washing machines / fridges / hot water / air conditioning.
Change the lock as soon as you move in. Only costs about HK$150 including fitting and gives lots of piece-of-mind.

[ironopolis]

Thanks very much, briandwest - just the kind of info I was looking for.


BTW, what, in the way of fittings and fixtures, if any, could one safely assume to have in rented accommodation? (Not sure what to assume as here in Japan it's not that unusual to not even have light fittings when you move in!) I was thinking particularly of the air-con - would that have been installed beforehand?

[once again]

For fixtures and fittings it will depend on the landlord and flat. All flats will have aircons though and light fittings. In my experience, they will also have fridges and beds. Many flats come fully furnished, with sofa, bed and so on. It depends on what you like and agree with the landlord.

[hkteach]

Flats may be fully furnished, part-furnished or unfurnished and it's up to you to decide what you want.

Obviously a fully furnished flat will usually be more expensive than similar in the same complex but other factors come into play..... e.g. a flat on a high floor or with a seaview/harbour view will be more expensive than those with no interesting view or those on low floors (the Chinese like high floors so these flats command higher rent). Friends of mine have similar-sized apartments in the same complex - one has seaview but unfurnished and pays 2000 a month more than the one that's fully furnished but with a garden view.

Successful negotiation depends on how many other flats are vacant in the complex or in the general area, whether you are prepared to spend the time and effort (+ money) traipsing around to choose furniture and of course, your negotiating skills.
PS - foreign tenants, especially those holding contracts with the government, international school or those with housing allowances, are highly regarded and landlords are usually prepared to negotiate with such people.

[hkteach]

Forgot to say that when I first looked at my current flat (waterview, 3 bedroom, unfurnished ) I wasn't interested because it wasn't furnished (I wanted fully furnished - and nicely furnished too). Rent was 11000HKD a month.
The agent advised the landlord who immediately offered a deal "go out and buy what ever you want up to 25000HKD and that will be in place of your 2 months rent deposit ." Done deal.

[ironopolis]

Thanks once again & hkteach for the further info.

I'd noticed about the higher floor, the higher the rent from just browsing a few websites and this is actually often the same in the other East Asian countries I'm familiar with - Korea and Japan.

[mmmfood]

Can anyone offer a few housing websites that I can browse through?

[ironopolis]

This is the one I've been looking at most. I've no idea if it's the best or if it has any significant shortcomings having done no more than browsing myself, but there seems to be plenty of accommodation all over HK on it.

www.gohome.com.hk/english


BTW, it seems a bit slow when I look at it late eveningish. Mornings (Japan time - GMT +9), it's a lot faster.

[mechanized]

[hkteach]

Hi ironopolis,
Just checked the gohome site. These sites are useful to get an idea of locations and what's available - I think the review section are probably the most useful part of these sites.

I did the same thing before I came here and boy oh boy am I glad I waited till I arrived!!
I would've chosen an area that was too far from my school ( well it LOOKED close on the map!!!!) I also didn't see the mountains which make the trip longer. i would've had a minimum 75 minute trip and transport options mean I would've been getting up at 5am!

1. Unless you know HK very well and understand the distances and terrain, you might choose the wrong area for you.

I also didn't realise that many of these flats which look really good on the internet turn out to be real dumps!
2. Wait until you get here and then you can actually SEE the flat, the furniture (if any) the block it's in and the general surroundings.

NETs I got to know after arrival (staying in same building as me) booked before arriving and were paying more than me (and because they'd signed a long lease, they were locked in)
3. Wait until you get here then you'll understand the pricing and how much you can negotiate.

You can always stay in a serviced apartment for the first month or so (probably more expensive than a flat) but you will have plenty of time after school to look around (no housework, maybe no cooking, no shopping for furniture etc.)

So my advice would be........ arrive and stay in a hotel (near where you need to be) for a couple of nights and while there look around for a serviced apartment or guesthouse to stay in for the next two weeks/month. Ask friends and colleagues to recommend a good estate agent who will show you places that will suit your needs and also negotiate the rent for you.

This way you've got all the time you need to decide where you'd like to live and look around at the myriad of options. It saves you from making an expensive mistake.

One other thing............ if you're a NET, your school will assist you with this and believe me, they will get a better price than you will.

Good luck with this.

[ironopolis]

Thanks for that, hkteach. Actually, if I end up in HK (only been told I passed the interviews so far - I understand there are a few more hurdles after that!), it wouldn't be my first time looking for rented accommodation in a new country, so I know what good advice your above post is, and that's pretty much exactly what I would intend to do anyway.

Interesting (and encouraging) what you said earlier about foreign tenants being highly regarded. In Japan, it can sometimes be quite the opposite, with some landlords refusing to take foreigners and some real estate agents who will smilingly deal with you, but try to palm off the absolute dumps they haven't been able to shift for months onto you.

Mosquitoes, or lack of them, is also one reason elsewhere in East Asia why people like higher floors in my experience. Incidentally, in HK do you usually get those mosquito screen things fitted to windows in apartments? I remember hotels I stayed in in HK didn't have them, but the windows didn't open anyway, which was an equally effective way to keep the little ****s out!!

[hkteach]

Of all the flats I viewed, none had screens.
Only one person I know has insect screens, so no they're not common here.
Strange really, seeing mosquitoes are a problem here. There are 'regular mosquitoes' which buzz around and also tiny black insects (maybe a kind of mosquito but tinier than ants.... you can hardly see them and you don't feel them biting! They are around in the daytime ...they like shady places and/or garden areas (EXACTLY the places where people like to be on hot days!!) You see people with bites all over their arms and legs and these bites don't seem to heal........marks remain for months.

Where I come from all houses have insect screens on windows and external doors so I find it really disconcerting to have none here. In hot weather, rather than open windows for airflow we have to keep them closed at night and keep the aircon going.

[11:59]

Insect screens are the norm 'out here' in the wilderness otherwise known as the NTs; � I've yet to see a property without them on all windows as standard. You don't really need them so much in a high-rise in an urban area.

[Honky Nick]

Hi ironopolis,

Looking for flats in HK is really easy compared to Japan (and no 'key money'!). One thing to remember is that rent is definitely negotiable in EVERY case. I didn't realise that when I first got here and almost paid full price for an apartment - a big no no.

I'm not an expert on it, but you can generally negotiate a fair bit off the price. If it's advertised for 12,000 you might get it for 10,000. They were asking 15,000 for the place I'm in now and I ended up paying 12,000 and I don't know, but they may have even come down more. So negotiating is a must.

Looking at apartments is easy if you know where you want to live. Just wander up to an agent in the area, ask to see a few places and you're away. You could realistically arrive in HK in the morning and be signed up and moved in by the first night. Of course, I wouldn't recommend this as you'll always find a better deal if you shop around, but I just want to ease your mind about the apartment hunting process a bit.

Good luck,

Nick