Ultimate Guide to City Apartments Rental – Hong Kong
Many of us had struggled a little here and there when we first rented a place. We didn’t know all our options, we might not be fully prepared for the conversation with agents when it comes to fees, we might even regret a little after we signed the lease and found out it might be less convenient than we thought once we lived there for a week.
With all that in mind, welcome to your personal walkthrough to renting a flat in Hong Kong, from insider tips, things to take note and avoid, options & resources, etc. Feel free to pick & choose what you might be looking for. The guide is all yours.
Know Your Options for Monthly Rental in Hong Kong
It is crucial to know your choices before going into cherry-picking. There might be options that you have yet to consider, and there are always pros and cons.
Regular Flats
Regular flats are available everywhere and almost too easy to find. You can basically look for any places in Hong Kong and be able to find something to suit your requirements with sites like Spacious, 28Hse, Okay.com, etc.
While options are plentiful, renting regular flats are prone to tasks which might not be for everybody – from setting it up with an empty space, getting water & electricity, dealing with small fixes & issues & landlord, and handling terms which could differ from landlord to landlord, agent to agent.
lots of units, lots of configurations to choose from, available in most locations, could be cheaper
high variation, no standards, no services, agency commissions, long lease terms typically, hassle on utility & furniture
Serviced Apartments
Used to be deemed the higher end/expat options in the earlier days, serviced apartments are actually more affordable nowadays with options for different price points in the market.
Serviced apartments usually come with regular cleaning services, fully furnished, and with additional facilities & perks here and there, with the premium that you are paying for the convenience.
fully furnished, fully serviced, no hassle on utility & furniture & small fixes & landlord liason, more flexible lease
more expensive, less configurations available than regular flats, might not be pet friendly, limited locations to choose from
CHECK OUT DASH SUITES
with affordable options & multiple prime locations to choose from
Coliving Units
While some see the concept (physically) as dormitories for adults, actual coliving is all about the experience. You would have your own bedroom in most coliving spaces, with a shared living space, communal kitchen, and some other shared facilities to come along.
In a lot of cases, you can still enjoy your private space in your own bedroom & bathroom, while taking advantage of being in a community of likeminded individuals, be able to engage with different people in events, day to day interactions, and more.
Many coliving spaces are also serviced, meaning that you are actually enjoying most of the benefits as if you are living in a standard serviced apartment. While the premium you pay will get you access to a much larger living space & common areas you would not get otherwise.
fully furnished, fully serviced, no hassle on utility & furniture & small fixes & landlord liason, more flexible lease, a community element, bigger living spaces (shared)
more expensive, less configurations available than regular flats, might not be pet friendly, limited locations to choose from, some might not like the aspect of interacting with others
CHECK OUT DASH COLIVING
with affordable options & multiple prime locations to choose from
Evaluate Your Wants & Needs
Your wants and needs can be very different things, and sometimes you might need to give up some to win some.
Furry Friends
This is probably the single trickiest part of rental in Hong Kong. Most places DO NOT accept pets, period. Some are landlord preferences to avoid issues and complaints from neighbors, but more often than not, it’s just policies of the building or related management. So do check in advance if you are bringing a cute furry animal along.
Do take note that many government-run parks also have no-pet policies, so you might need to research a little for the healthy lifestyle of your little ones.
check out this article by Hellodog for the 45 pet friendly parks in HK
Gym, Pool, Sauna, Everything!
Yes, we all want a clubhouse right at where we live, but you should also be well aware that it goes into what you are paying.
Do you REALLY need a gym downstairs, or is it equally convenient to have it near your workplace? Instead of a pool downstairs that you might use once a month, would it be to identify a public pool that is closeby?
Serviced vs Unserviced
It might sound mostly a “want”, but some would argue it is also a “need”. Let’s face it, not everybody is born equal when it comes to housekeeping skills. And especially in Hong Kong, when time is always of the essence, you will always prioritize going to an event versus cleaning your place. Even if you are not living in a fully serviced space, many Hong Kongers will end up getting part-time cleaning anyways.
So have a deep dive with your current & expected lifestyle, and see if you would be better off living in a serviced space or a non-serviced one.
Calculate Your Actual Cost
Reality check: there is way more than just the rent when it comes to monthly accommodation expenses. Let’s do some math, shall we?
Rent + X
It might not be $10,000 when it is listed $10,000.
If you have to pay a month worth of agency fee for 12 months’ rental, for example, your effective rent will become $130,000 / 12 = $10,833. If you have other management fees to pay for the unit, then it becomes more.
So if you have a unit that requires you to pay extra fees here and there, even though it is listed $10,000, it might be the same thing to rent a $12,000 unit with less hassle and hidden fees.
always check and have a rough calculation on all fees incurred
Deposit
While this does not go into your rent, and in most cases being fully (or at least partially if any deduction happened) refunded to you, the deposit will be $ that you don’t get to keep nor spend for the entire lease period.
Typically 1-2 months’ rent worth of deposit will be required, but some cases can go even more, depending on your lease duration and the unit.
Utility Value
$50, $100, $150; these might be small numbers, but they add up.
Remember to add the services included in the value calculation for your rent paid. For example $150 internet + $250 water + $250 electricity + $600 gym can easily save you more than a grand if they are included in your condo / clubhouse / benefits.
Dash Living units are inclusive of water, electricity, and Wi-Fi
CHECK OUT DASH TENANT PERKS
30+ perks which gives you over $1500 value plus gym access for your entire stay
Commute ( vs Time )
Location, location, location — it all comes down to how much you value your time spent vs commute cost.
Yes, you can read a book a week if you need to commute an hour a day one-way to work. But that time can also be reading a book in your balcony, or yoga, or something else if they are freed up by living closer to work.
Choosing the right neighborhood also means less uptime for commute & errands, and more downtime to relax & to hang with family & more me-time.
don’t forget your time is actual $ as well, maybe even more weighed than the rent $
Paperwork, Documents, Stuff
As with other contractual obligations, there are things that you need to take note of before signing your name on any papers.
Lease Terms
Typical rental terms would involve a 12+12 months lease. Where after 12 months, each party will usually have the option to terminate with a notice period, if the break clause is present.
don’t forget to ask or even put on the paperwork if you would want renewal terms set out
Documents to Prepare
Typically,
– Passport or HKID copy
– Employment letter / Sponsorship letter
– Valid working permit
Whom to Contact
Make sure you get a list of names & contacts from your agent/landlord, so you know whom to reach out to in case of small fixes, issues, and any essential connections you might need to be aware of.
you just need to contact Dash Community Team for all your requests as a Dash Living tenant, through in-app messenger or WhatsApp
Moving In
Congratulations on finding & confirming your new place at this point!
Buying Stuff
There is undoubtedly Ikea that needs no introduction. Still, you might want to also consider 2nd hand options such as Happy Shop, or have a weekend stroll through the online shops of Carousell, for some eco-friendly items and furnishing for your new place.
For electronics (and some other household items), check out Price.com.hk if you want to go for brand new options. They have the best price comparison in town.
facebook marketplace is also getting popular for 2nd hand items
Maintaining the Place
If you ended up getting a place without service (or you still want a spring clean every now and then), the usuals in Hong Kong involves a good part-time maid/cleaner by word of mouth (as we all have trust issues).
You can, of course, enlist help from places like Hello Toby and other helper apps out there for all kinds of service.
Thank you internet.
“Befriend” with Your Security Guard
Before we begin, this is not bribing, but part of a local culture of how we keep a good relationship with our security guard a.k.a. delivery pick-up a.k.a. gossip source a.k.a. an actual security guard for crazy ex-bf/ex-gf.
The moment you move-in, and over the Chinese New Year, in particular, it is of your best interest to give a red packet to your security guard as a gesture of goodwill. You don’t need to be his / her bestie, but it is a small but worthy investment for a rainy day.
you will need to get to the Hong Kong Post if services like EMS delivers when you are not home
The Extra Scoop
Now, the bonus stuff that you deserve 😉
Expat Resources
Here are some popular expat sites to help you out with setting things up in Hong Kong, from rental listings to local tips to message boards.
– Asiaxpat
– Geoexpat
– Expat Living
Tax Savings
This only applies if you have any sort of housing allowance, or can negotiate such from your employer. If you do, don’t forget to check out your tax calculations as it might save you a fair bit.
based on Hong Kong’s tax filing, housing allowance vs tax might NOT always yield a tax saving
All About Feng Shui
Like “13” is bad luck for the western side of the world, the number “4” is traditionally perceived as the bad luck number as it sounds like “death” in Cantonese/Mandarin. Similarly, “3” sounds like “life” and “8” sounds like “wealth”, so they are the preferred numbers.
So, if you don’t trust anything about Feng Shui & luck, picking a floor or a unit number ending with 4 might get you a much cheaper rate than one ending with 3 or 8.
The “Unlucky” List
Same thing for Feng Shui, if you are totally fine with ghosts, there might be more deals for you to rent.
Though most are in Chinese, there are lists on property websites like this one to show what life & death accidents happened in which units in which estates.
on the contrary, if you “feel” anything funny before renting, do double check the list too
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