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sharkey
Joined: 12 Oct 2008
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 Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 7:29 am Post subject: building fee ? is this customary ? |
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| Hi there , I have a question for you guys. I was sitting with my english KT today at lunch and the administrative guy, who is a total doucher comes up to her and says something to her in Korean. He leaves and shes explains that I need to pay the owner of the building 30,000 Won for electricity for the elevator and lights in the hallway... I was like ok.. that sounds a bit sketchy... has anyone had a scenario like this? or is this doucher who gave me a students school desk as furniture trying to screw me over ? |
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T-J
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Location: Seoul EunpyungGu Yeonsinnae
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 7:41 am Post subject: |
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Yes, he is. Everyone is trying to screw you over. You haven't figured that out yet? How long have you been here? Are you some kind of slow learner or something?
Kidding. These extra fees for maintenance and services are unique to individual places, but quite common.
What makes the administrative guy such a "douche", sounds like a good story, please share. |
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losing_touch
Joined: 26 Jun 2008
Location: Ulsan - I think!
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:40 am Post subject: |
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| Yes, the maintenance fee is standard operating procedure (SOP) here. I pay 60,000 per month which includes my water. Everyone pays it .... |
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cruisemonkey
Joined: 04 Jul 2005
Location: Hopefully, the same place as my luggage.
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 11:04 am Post subject: |
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| losing_touch wrote: |
| I pay 60,000 per month which includes my water. Everyone pays it .... |
Not everyone... I don't. It depends on the landlord.
From what I've read (depending on the amount charged), some of these monthly apartment maintenance fees are a good deal and include things like internet and cable TV (among others)... and some are a total rip-off.
All my utility bills come to me and (depending on the season) average about W150,000/month over a year... including water which averages about W9,000/month. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 11:12 am Post subject: |
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| cruisemonkey wrote: |
| losing_touch wrote: |
| I pay 60,000 per month which includes my water. Everyone pays it .... |
Not everyone... I don't. It depends on the landlord.
From what I've read (depending on the amount charged), some of these monthly apartment maintenance fees are a good deal and include things like internet and cable TV (among others)... and some are a total rip-off.
All my utility bills come to me and (depending on the season) average about W150,000/month over a year... including water which averages about W9,000/month. |
Most Koreans live in condos. There are very few actual apartments available in Korea.
Most condos are rented from individual owners. Due to the tax penalties, owners generally own 3 or fewer condos, including the one they live in.
Condos have monthly maintenance fees. These are considered a utility and paid by the renter.
Apartments generally do not have a maintenance fee.
What is included in the maintenance fee varies a great deal. Some will include most of your utilities in a package. Others will include little beyond maintenance and cleaning of public areas, and you will have individual bills for your other utilities. |
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cruisemonkey
Joined: 04 Jul 2005
Location: Hopefully, the same place as my luggage.
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 11:27 am Post subject: |
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| ontheway wrote: |
Condos have monthly maintenance fees. These are considered a utility and paid by the renter.
Apartments generally do not have a maintenance fee. |
So... if your school rents a condo for you, you pay a monthly maintenance fee; but, if they rent an apartment you don't? |
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linky123
Joined: 12 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:16 pm Post subject: |
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| It's similar to HOA (Home Owner's Association) fee back in the states. You are paying for the maintenance of the building and utility. |
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AussieGav
Joined: 02 Sep 2007
Location: Uijeongbu
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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| cruisemonkey wrote: |
| ontheway wrote: |
Condos have monthly maintenance fees. These are considered a utility and paid by the renter.
Apartments generally do not have a maintenance fee. |
So... if your school rents a condo for you, you pay a monthly maintenance fee; but, if they rent an apartment you don't? |
I dont quite get this. I live in an apparta rented by the school. We have to pay a monthly maintainence fee to the property management agency it covers elevator, heating, water, security/garbage nazis, everything except gas. In my previous job we lived in a villa and paid the owner a monthly maintainence fee also. My understanding is that everyone pays it but some employers pick this up for the teacher. |
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Sland
Joined: 12 Apr 2008
Location: Suwon
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah, I need to pay an additional 20 000won per month. My school tells me it's to keep my hallway clean and to pay for the lights and such. I think it's bull... my hallway has no roof anymore (they took it away, put it back, then took it away again), so when it rains (or snows) it's right outside my door. Totally ridiculous. |
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Big Mac
Joined: 17 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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I've paid maintenance fees in every place I've lived in. The most I paid was 50,000 Won. I think the landlord sees it as a way to get more rent money.
Even though we paid 50,000 Won a month, we were lucky if we got an adjumma at our building once a month to mop the hallway floors with a dirty mop. |
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movybuf
Joined: 01 Jan 2007
Location: Mokdong
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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| ontheway wrote: |
Most Koreans live in condos. There are very few actual apartments available in Korea.
Most condos are rented from individual owners. Due to the tax penalties, owners generally own 3 or fewer condos, including the one they live in.
Condos have monthly maintenance fees. These are considered a utility and paid by the renter.
Apartments generally do not have a maintenance fee.
What is included in the maintenance fee varies a great deal. Some will include most of your utilities in a package. Others will include little beyond maintenance and cleaning of public areas, and you will have individual bills for your other utilities. |
I think you are confusing the American terms for condos and apartments and the Korean term for apartment. In Korea there are apartments, villas and officetells. I would say that all apartments (아파트) in Korea have a monthly maintenance fee. Villas and officetells vary, some have monthly fees and some don't.
My in-laws live in the apartment they own and pay around 200,000원 per month. I know in the Mokdong area, maintenance fees can be 250,000원 or more, depending on the complex you live in.
It's not about who actually owns the "apartment" you live in, its about the services the building offers you. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 9:56 am Post subject: |
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| movybuf wrote: |
| ontheway wrote: |
Most Koreans live in condos. There are very few actual apartments available in Korea.
Most condos are rented from individual owners. Due to the tax penalties, owners generally own 3 or fewer condos, including the one they live in.
Condos have monthly maintenance fees. These are considered a utility and paid by the renter.
Apartments generally do not have a maintenance fee.
What is included in the maintenance fee varies a great deal. Some will include most of your utilities in a package. Others will include little beyond maintenance and cleaning of public areas, and you will have individual bills for your other utilities. |
I think you are confusing the American terms for condos and apartments and the Korean term for apartment. In Korea there are apartments, villas and officetells. I would say that all apartments (아파트) in Korea have a monthly maintenance fee. Villas and officetells vary, some have monthly fees and some don't.
My in-laws live in the apartment they own and pay around 200,000원 per month. I know in the Mokdong area, maintenance fees can be 250,000원 or more, depending on the complex you live in.
It's not about who actually owns the "apartment" you live in, its about the services the building offers you. |
Movybuf, your inlaws live in a condo. The difference between an apartment and a condominium is all about who owns it. That's why the word "condominium" was created.
The Koreans don't understand English and have adopted the wrong words for the wrong things. That is called "Konglish."
You should never accept the Koreans' misuse of these words nor allow it to confuse you.
The apartments (아파트) in Korea are actually condominiums.
The "Konedoe" in Korea are actually hotel suites.
And do you think the "billa" in Korea are villas? When you hear of a millionaire buying a villa in France is that really what you think of, a Korean "billa"?
A very high percentage of the words in the Korean/English and English/Korean dictionaries have been mistranslated. You need to get out, ask questions and discover the real meanings. |
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geldedgoat
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 11:04 am Post subject: |
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| I've been here two years and lived in two different locations, but both of my places of residence have been the same style. Ya know, three to four stories, single bedroom, blah blah blah. At the first place, I paid about 25,000 a month (the teachers at that school dubbed it the 'ajuma fee'). At my current condo/villa/apartment/whatever I pay nothing. Oddly enough, though, this place is cleaner. !!!And!!! it even has an electronic entry system to the building, so I no longer get the tons of stupid flyers stuck to my door, random drunk Korean guys stumbling up to the wrong door and ringing my doorbell at all hours of the morning, or Jehovah's Witnesses (although I do kinda miss talking to those guys). |
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T-J
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Location: Seoul EunpyungGu Yeonsinnae
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| Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 2:49 pm Post subject: |
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| geldedgoat wrote: |
or Jehovah's Witnesses (although I do kinda miss talking to those guys).
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That should be on the "You know you've been in Korea too long thread"
You know you've been in Korea too long.....
If you look foreword to Jehovah's Witnesses visits just so you can have an English conversation.  |
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BS.Dos.
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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| I pay about 40,000 per month. I think it just covers the communal electricity bill and the building attendants salary. |
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