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LettersAthruZ
Joined: 25 Apr 2010
Posts: 466
Location: North Viet Nam
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 Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 2:11 am Post subject: Standard procedure when renting a place?? |
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Looking into renting a little bigger house up here in The North!
Property owner wants SIX months up-front rent payment twice a year.
I've ALMOST ALWAYS gone with three months advance up-front rent every 90 days.
This bloke is screaming to me that six months rent advance is standard procedure "....because it is a larger house....."
Anyone wanna share experiences so I can get an actual idea of what really IS (for the most part) standard advance payment on rent??
Thanks to all......I really appreciate your responses!! |
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tonyjones01
Joined: 20 Aug 2010
Posts: 67
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| Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 12:28 pm Post subject: Re: Standard procedure when renting a place?? |
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I've rented 5 homes over a 4 year peroid (small to medium sized). Each time I gave the landlord the first and last months rent only.
The botton line is the home owner can ask for whatever he likes. You can counter and be ready to walk if you don't except the terms. |
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TimkinMS
Joined: 18 Oct 2005
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 3:05 pm Post subject: Re: Standard procedure when renting a place?? |
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| LettersAthruZ wrote: |
Looking into renting a little bigger house up here in The North!
Property owner wants SIX months up-front rent payment twice a year.
I've ALMOST ALWAYS gone with three months advance up-front rent every 90 days.
This bloke is screaming to me that six months rent advance is standard procedure "....because it is a larger house....." |
This, is ludicrous.
I've never heard of this not only in Hanoi, but anywhere in Vietnam.
The answer is simple: say "no."
After you say "no," say, "goodbye."
How could you possible trust a person like this?
| Quote: |
Anyone wanna share experiences so I can get an actual idea of what really IS (for the most part) standard advance payment on rent?? |
I will add to the above poster's comment and say that you should only give a 1 months advance with is ALSO your depsosit.
Nothing more, nothing less.
It has become a renter's market, recently. Have you seen the lease? In Dong only? Dong pegged to the USD at a bank rate?
If you give 6 full months in advance, who hold the strings? The power? Not you. This landlord.
Walk away, and don't look back. |
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anubistaima
Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 110
Location: Thailand
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| Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 3:41 am Post subject: |
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| I moved three times in the year and a half that I lived in Hanoi. I also looked at many houses before I moved. Every single one asked me for either 3 or 6 months rent in advance. I told every single one NO and they all said "ok, we'll take first month and security deposit." So whatever they tell you, it's negotiable. |
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chim35
Joined: 25 Jun 2010
Posts: 35
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 8:20 am Post subject: Re: Standard procedure when renting a place?? |
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| TimkinMS wrote: |
| LettersAthruZ wrote: |
Looking into renting a little bigger house up here in The North!
Property owner wants SIX months up-front rent payment twice a year.
I've ALMOST ALWAYS gone with three months advance up-front rent every 90 days.
This bloke is screaming to me that six months rent advance is standard procedure "....because it is a larger house....." |
This, is ludicrous.
I've never heard of this not only in Hanoi, but anywhere in Vietnam.
The answer is simple: say "no."
After you say "no," say, "goodbye."
How could you possible trust a person like this?
| Quote: |
Anyone wanna share experiences so I can get an actual idea of what really IS (for the most part) standard advance payment on rent?? |
I will add to the above poster's comment and say that you should only give a 1 months advance with is ALSO your depsosit.
Nothing more, nothing less.
It has become a renter's market, recently. Have you seen the lease? In Dong only? Dong pegged to the USD at a bank rate?
If you give 6 full months in advance, who hold the strings? The power? Not you. This landlord.
Walk away, and don't look back. |
TimkinMS, TonyJones:
Can you clarify what you mean by a "1 month advance which is ALSO your deposit"?
Or first and last month's rent in the case of Tony.
I want to rent a house soon and I sure as hell am not going to give them any big security deposit because I would expect that I would never get it back.
I want to tell the landlord that I will give him each month's rent in advance, no security deposit, and he can check the house monthly to make sure nothing is damaged.
Do you think that approach will be acceptable to him?
Is this the same thing that you are suggesting, Timkins?
Thanks. |
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The Mad Hatter
Joined: 16 May 2010
Posts: 165
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 6:53 pm Post subject: |
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| This is bs. Dont deal with him. Ive had it happen too- I was told six months, and it is common among some types. Just keep moving. there is a lot of pride here with these types and if you say good bye to him make it clear just how absurd you think he is in no uncertain terms. Remind him that none will accept his deal. then call him back about three months later and inquire . But dont rent there. They play a short game here- meaning trying to go for the bigger lie, the bigger sale. They dont want repeat business or satisfied customers t hey just want as much money now as possible and the devil be damned. This is a moral problem and not much you can do about it except roll with the punches until you find shelter from the storm. |
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roym
Joined: 17 Nov 2008
Posts: 42
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:23 am Post subject: |
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Annoying how some can be so unscrupulous. I rented a place that was advertised with a fridge. No fridge..the owner bought one and wanted me to pay for it! I refused..we argued...I walked...unfortunately he only gave me back half my upfront payments and in Dong...after insisting I pay him in US$.
Stupid breed... |
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just noel
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Posts: 168
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:24 am Post subject: |
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| The Mad Hatter wrote: |
| This is bs. Dont deal with him. Ive had it happen too- I was told six months, and it is common among some types. Just keep moving. there is a lot of pride here with these types and if you say good bye to him make it clear just how absurd you think he is in no uncertain terms. Remind him that none will accept his deal. then call him back about three months later and inquire . But dont rent there. They play a short game here- meaning trying to go for the bigger lie, the bigger sale. They dont want repeat business or satisfied customers t hey just want as much money now as possible and the devil be damned. This is a moral problem and not much you can do about it except roll with the punches until you find shelter from the storm. |
My personal policy - no deposit. I pay month to month, pay cash one month ahead. I rent my own apartment, and don't share rooms in a house, however.
You can find these deals, but it requires patience.
I understand a deposit if renting a large house.
But asking for more than one month's rent in advance (with perhaps a deposit) is giving the power to the landlord.
And this also is a LOT of money.
People don't know how long they may stay in Vietnam, for many reasons. The job may go sour. You may not like the city. You may want to leave Vietnam to go to another country, or return home. People come and go.
I don't want to financial strings holding me back, and worse, losing a lot of money. |
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Skyblue2
Joined: 04 Sep 2007
Posts: 127
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 5:49 am Post subject: |
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| Personally, I'd walk away from the place right now. He's shown what kind of landlord he is. If you come to some agreement with him now, the nasty face will come out again later. |
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1st Sgt Welsh
Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 946
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 6:27 am Post subject: |
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| just noel wrote: |
But asking for more than one month's rent in advance (with perhaps a deposit) is giving the power to the landlord.
And this also is a LOT of money. |
Hear, hear! Six months in advance is ridiculous! One of the ladies I work with is house hunting at the moment and she just inspected a place that she really likes. The landlord wanted a month in advance and two months deposit. This adds up to a sizeable chunk of money.
Besides, there is nothing to protect her from this landlord blowing her deposit on mahjong or boozing down at the Bia Hoi  When she leaves, he can just say she left the place filthy and damaged and not refund her deposit. Hasn't happened to me [well, at least not yet], but this scenerio seems to be common here and a lot of expats I've spoken to just write off their deposit on the premise, regardless of how they behave, they will never get it back.
Given these circumstances, a month's deposit and one month's rent when you move in is more than reasonable. Also, as many others have said, if the landlord is acting like a douche nozzle from the start why should you expect them to act any better during (and especially immediately after) your tenancy? If you get a bad vibe from them, no matter how much you like the place, don't walk away - run. |
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The Mad Hatter
Joined: 16 May 2010
Posts: 165
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| Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 7:08 pm Post subject: |
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| There are no checks and balances in the housing system. People do things because they feel confident. I dont think it occurs to anyone that it is wrong or a scam. Did you ever read about the condos that were offered for sale at the beginning of construction, and so many lined up and bought them, that the prices rose so high due to speculation so they cancelled all the sales and gave the money back and started over? People had sold their homes and given their life savings and then they were out of a deal. there is no court for this sort of thing. Neither for your deposit problems. Its encouraging to hear those here that say dont pay more than a month for rent up front. That raises my spirits |
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roym
Joined: 17 Nov 2008
Posts: 42
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 7:08 am Post subject: |
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Just do not pay advance more than one month...it's not only Vietnam...regard this for all Asian countries...they are a deceitful scamming breed with no iota of honesty...there will always be an excuse not to pay you back the advance.Even if you left the place in pristine condition.
I'm now believing that the moon light flit is an honest (for this part of the world anyway) option...make excuses when you know when leaving is imminent, don't pay the rent, let them keep the advance / deposit..and disappear one night.
Play them at their own game, don't be taken advantage of. |
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1st Sgt Welsh
Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 946
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 12:04 pm Post subject: |
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| roym wrote: |
Just do not pay advance more than one month...it's not only Vietnam...regard this for all Asian countries...they are a deceitful scamming breed with no iota of honesty...there will always be an excuse not to pay you back the advance.Even if you left the place in pristine condition.
I'm now believing that the moon light flit is an honest (for this part of the world anyway) option...make excuses when you know when leaving is imminent, don't pay the rent, let them keep the advance / deposit..and disappear one night.
Play them at their own game, don't be taken advantage of. |
Thought I would just chime in before the thread gets locked  Roym, I don't know your background, so I am not talking about you specifically and the below are just some general statements from my point of view.
When you are staying in a place for a relatively short time, especially if you are just passing through, I think there can be a natural temptation to let a few bad experiences sour your opinion of an entire country. Unfair, but, as I say, natural.
Certainly some of the common business practices here don't do the reputation of the Vietnamese amongst Westerners any favours. For example, being quoted an often highly inflated price simply because you happen to be white has been discussed on this forum before and, as we all know, it happens all the time. They wouldn't try it on a wealthy Vietnamese so why is it OK to do it to us? Also if the boot was on the other foot, what would be the reaction? What would happen in Australia, Canada, the UK etc if just about all the shopkeepers in the country decided to charge one price for 'whites' and another much higher one for 'non-whites'? Would that be acceptable? Would ethnic Vietnamese living in Western countries think it was perfectly OK? I think we all have a fair idea about the answers.
I think overcharging is one of those things you just have to accept sometimes if you are living here and education as to what is the proper price is the best answer. Certainly the Vietnamese Government does nothing to curb the overcharging of foreigners, despite it no doubt costing the country tourist dollars. I don't know if it is just an urban legend, but I have heard that during announcements before football matches, the spectators used to be told not to overcharge each other (as the Vietnamese are a poor people) and instead they should "gouge the foreigner" In short, an 'overcharging culture' seems pretty ingrained in many places in Vietnam. Besides, I am sure many Westerners do ask themselves the above questions and it's perfectly valid to do so. Anyway I can certainly understand why some people take a dim view on the honesty of the Vietnamese when it comes to financial dealings.
But, every now and then, something will happen that can make even the most jaded expat have a re-think  I was driving a rented scooter whilst I was on holiday in Hoi Ann about a year ago and got into an accident with another driver (her fault). Anyway a crowd gathered and after dusting myself off I realised that my wallet must have fallen out of my pocket during the collision. The wallet had several forms of ID, one of my credit cards, ATM card, some business cards and cash (about half a million dong). Spent about five minutes trying to find it but no luck. Figured someone in the crowd had seen it lying on the street and picked it up and possibly walked off with it. Got back on the bike and rushed to the hotel to call the bank to cancel my cards. Wasn't worried about losing the cash but the bank cards and the ID were going to be a real hassle to replace. Next morning, a Vietnamese mother and daughter came into the hotel where I was staying (fortunately I had the hotel's business card in my wallet) and returned the lot  They were reluctant to accept it but I insisted that they keep the cash as a finders fee. I'm sure other people living here have stories similar to this.
Time to get closer to the OP's topic. There are dodgy landlords here but there are dodgy landlords in Western countries as well. Furthermore, I am not convinced that the situation in renting a property in, for example Australia, would necessarily be that much better if Australia didn't have readilly enforceable consumer protection laws, as is the case here. If in fact Vietnamese landlords generally tend to act more dishonestly than Western landlords [and I don't doubt this for a second] I think it is largely and simply because they can get away with it. |
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