Job Discussion Forums

[mictweety]

I will be moving to HK soon and I need some help please. Can anyone tell me where to look for renting apartment? I tried a few sites on the web, but since I am not familiar with HK, I don't know where to start searching. I also would like to know are HK apartment usually furnished with the major appliances or do I have to buy them myself? Thanks for your help!

[Kaloi]

Asia Xpat is alright

[BCinHK]

Hong Kong is a big place with a wide variety of accommodation. You have to decide where you want to live and how much you want to pay.

Two big estate agencies have websites where you can search rental listings to get an idea of sizes and prices: centaline and midland. Also gohome will give a general idea of rentals.

asiaxpat has rental listings from private individuals (although some are estate agents) as well as serviced apartment listings.

Most flats will come with a fridge, a 3-burner cooktop, and a microwave in the kitchen and air-con in the living room and bedrooms. Usually you can negotiate with the landlord about other furniture.

If you google "renting in Hong Kong" you can find several blogs/forums with information about the rental process which might be helpful.

[Honky Nick]

gohome.com.hk

[Serious_Fun]

[dandan]

In my experience you really need to physically go to local property agents in the area you're interested in. There's rarely good value to be found on property websites, particularly those geared toward expats.

Regarding appliances then yes the major ones are usually supplied even in unfurnished flats. Anyway it's a free market so if they're not supplied and the rental is not lower than a similar unit where they are supplied then you can negotiate or rent another unit instead.

[articulate_ink]

Hong Kong has a large supply of serviced apartments. These need to be booked with care: I'm moving there in August and was planning to stay in one (on the more modest end of the price range) until my boyfriend (who lives there) checked out a few for me and said they weren't great at all. Another caution worth keeping in mind is the fact that some managers will show your occupied room to potential residents without asking your permission. Not cool. We came up with another solution instead: the Ibis Hotel in North Point has a monthly rate of 9000 HKD. The location's good but the drawback is that the rooms are tiny. I've stayed there before so I know what to expect. It'll be adequate for a month, which will be enough time to find an apartment.

[anninhk]

When I first came I too stayed in a hotel. Often they will give a good rate for long stay accommodation and although the rooms are often relatively small, they are OK, as at that stage you don't have much stuff and it is usually quite cheap to eat out in Hong Kong.

[Marcoregano]

[clarabelle]

My TEFL training school here states that many positions in HK come with paid studio/ apt? Is that not correct?

[hkteach]

As far as I know, VTC offer accommodation as part of the package. Not sure what it's like but seem to recall posts on here about apartments being shared.
Apart from that, I don't know of accomm being offered as part of the deal - for NETscheme, a special allowance is paid and this can be used for housing and international schools usually give some sort of housing allowance.

[once again]

The vast majority of jobs in HK do not come with housing.

[afarr]

I suggest that you wait until you arrive in Hong Kong. Visit your school. See what transport links it has and where they go to. Often your Head of Panel will give advice as to a brand new complex with outdoor and indoor swimming poolsthat is only a mini bus ride away.

Because transport is so good you can literally be teaching right up in the New Territories but can live in mid-Levels in Hong Kong island as it might only take an hour or less of commuting time. I've even heard of people commuting everyday from one of the islands (Lamma or Lantau) but obviously this is a much longer commute but they must think it's worth it.

It also depends on what sort of place you want to live in. Very ex-pat apartment close to western bars and restaurants, an out of the way Chinese village , by the sea or in a brand new complex with pool, gym and resident's transport to the nearest MTR.

My advice is think about what you would need - good transport, near western shops, in the countryside or in a modern complex - before you come to give yourself a general idea. Then once you get here check out all the transport options from your school and see where they take you and in what time. Then visit the local property agents / Asia Expat website for the area you like or who deal with the complex you like. (If they are very Chinese property agents ask your Head of Panel to accompany you!) but usually someone will be able to speak English.

Hope this helps!

[Marcoregano]

[Smoog]

Be aware that rents have gone up markedly over the past year.
They were in the doldrums for the better part of a decade due to the Asian Economic crisis and then SARS but are recovering and picking up steam fast as-of-late: A nigh-on 40% increase in rents since July 2007 with no sign of any slowdown.
Landlords, after several years of getting eff-a for their properties are now looking to cash in as much as possible with this new boom.
Housing on HK island is fast becoming unaffordable for the average teacher.

My advice is to look outside of HK island, unless you wish to live in a shoebox. On Asiaxpat recently, someone was trying to rent a 400 sq ft studio apartment for $26000/mth!