If your living in Vietnam then you will definitely find these tips useful. 

1. Electric and Water bills. 

First of all the water and WIFI is usually free. If not it wouldn’t cost more than 100,000 vnd a month.

When it comes to electric it does vary with each landlord. However you should know that it should not cost more than 4000kwh! 3500kwh is the average price and 4000 kWh is the maximum the landlord can charge for apartments. 

Extra Tips:-

• Always take a picture of the meter when you first move in. To make sure they didnt over charge you on the first payment. And each month its best to check yourself the meter. There will be a 4-5 digit number it should look like this 2700.3 You don’t need to calculate the 0.3.

• IMPORTANT Hack to catch our dodgy electrician or landlords!!! switch off the fuse board so there is no power in your apartment. Then go and check the meter. If its still moving then maybe the electrician or landlord accidentally (or on purpose) Wired YOUR meter to hallway light or outside lighting. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

2. View the apartment Day & Night. 

Make sure you view the property both day and night. The last thing you want is to be living next to a Karaoke bar or some noisy neighbours.

 

3. Leasing Contract. 

First step is to make sure you READ the contract (i know its a pain but its worth checking) 

Watch out for….

– Reasons for liquidating the contract. (for you, so if something is wrong and you leave you won’t lose your deposit) 

– Who is the landlord!? its important to make sure that your signing the contract with the landlord and not his/her brother, friend or manager. This is because the person on the red book (the document that proves the owner of the house/land) Is the person that has the authority. Get a picture of the landlords ID. 

– In the contract it should mention that the landlord or anyone else may not enter your apartment without your permission. I also think its best that the cleaner works on a specific schedule so you know when the cleaner will enter your room.

Making sure the contract suits your requirements. 

• Property leasing companies will help you with the contract. For commercial spaces or renting land you should ask the property leasing company to support you in making the contract following your requirements. Bizlen™ has an in-house lawyer and legal team to help you with this, for commercial spaces and land there is usually a lawyer fee of from $30 –  $50 depending on the case. However for apartments we have our own contract that will cover all of the points mentioned and many more to make sure you (the tenant) is covered and safe. 
  
  

Contract length. 

• The longer your contract length the better leverage you will have in bargaining.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

4. Furniture and equipment. 

• If there are any problems with the apartment like broken things, scratches or marks on the furniture or equipment its best to take a picture and mention it to the landlord at the beginning. to be super careful you can also write it on the contract. 

• Make an inventory list when moving in if the landlord doesn’t have one. It won’t take too long and it will saves any disputes about missing items when your contract ends. (try to get the landlord to sign if possible)

• Keep track of your payments. This needs to be a written proof of payment it can also be done by message, Facebook or email. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

5. Agents

Quite a lot of people might not know this point including myself when I first arrived in Vietnam. The first few times I was searching for an apartment I always drove around for days looking for my own apartments because I assumed that I would be saving money going directly to the landlord. Its actually not the case.

Property leasing companies only take commission from the landlord and its is 8.33% of the contract. Maybe some lone wolf agents might try to raise the price and there maybe some tricks they might try however this is also very difficult to do because the landlord would not agree to raise the price. There are also usually several agents with 1 apartment listed and the prices must be the same. 

6. Things to check when viewing. 

Check for water pressure and temperature. 

There is nothing worse than a shower pressure like a watering can! 

Check the bed! 

• As I’m sure you know the beds, sofas and chairs in Vietnam are super hard and quite often just solid wood! 🙂 its worth a check. 
  
  

Check the wifi strength. 

• There is a simple app to check the wifi strength, Check the link:- https://fast.com
  
  

Take note about the parking area. 

• Its often the case that new apartments don’t have enough parking for the amount of apartments. Just count the rooms available and calculate at least 1 motorbike per room. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

We hope that this information will help you choosing your next apartment. If you have any questions feel free to ask us. Our team is happy to help.

Email: Bizlen.Team@gmail.com
Phone: +84354900977
Address: 10 Bùi Tá Hán, Khuê Mỹ, Ngũ Hành Sơn (1.63 mi)
Da Nang, Vietnam