Philippines Guide
For Travelers, Expats and Pinoys
How to be at Peace with Rent Fees
Rent fees in the Philippines are skyrocketing high lately, especially in posh districts. There are units in regular vicinities which are reasonably priced, and there are poor units with mismatching rental fees.
How to get over rent fee payments in this country?
Read this.
The unit has been rented and it’s found out too late that it stinks. Units on display often look perfect—until one pays the down payment and starts living in it. The awful discoveries pop up one by one; the sink’s clogged, the roof and the pipes leak, the celing’s a mouse condo, and water comes in the living from somewhere. And the neighbor’s a rock concert queen, besides. So, how does one continue to pay rent with peace with this scenario?
Stay in the apartment unit for 2 to 3 months—that’s the usual advance down payment rent in the country. If the monthly rent is P5,000, the advance is P10,000. So the total for the first 3 months is P15,000. It’s often non refundable. Use up the three-month rent. Get used to the environment for a while. Stay out most of the time. Go on a vacation spree at a friend’s studio. Most important, start scouting for a new unit. Learn from the first experience. Check the “hidden secrets” of every apartment units.
If the apartment unit is okay but the rent is a bit too much, start preparing the rent fee on day one after paying the recent one. Say, the advances have been paid yesterday and one moves in today. Start saving for next month’s rent. If one’s paycheck comes every week, save money for rent each week. If per 15th and 30th of the month, then save for rent accordingly. It’s more tolerable to do this than deduct the whole rent fee outright from a monthly paycheck, or scour for money to pay the whole thing at the time of collection. This gradual saving for rent fee makes the payment seem lighter and less stressful—that’s peace for the tenant.
If the apartment unit’s good enough but the rent seems incompatible with unit quality, a discount may be asked the owner. Discounts or “tawad” applies to many facets of life in the country. Owners are apt to understand it and, with some gentle prodding, may grant some.
An apartment unit rent fee need not add pressure to one’s budgeting challenges. There are ways of preparing rent payments with ease and tranquility.
Renting Low-Cost but Quality Apartments
Low-cost but quality apartments? Is there such a thing today in the Philippines? There are, but they are hard to come by—except when one looks really hard for them with the aid of some tips on scouring such rare apartments.
Of course, classified ads give lots of help in renting quality apartments. But it’s easy for anyone to advertize even ramshackle apartments for rent in such ads and give them a glamorous touch. And most “beautiful” apartments for rent show their Dr. Jackal features for a few months and then later turn Hyde the rest of the months. There is more to renting quality apartments than what one sees in paper ads. It’s got to be a more thorough search for low-cost but quality apartments for rent.
First step is to consult close friends, or those close to them. Ask for lots of reliable referrals. The technique is to be as relational in one’s approach as possible. Low-cost but quality apartments for rent are often not advertized on papers but only through word-of-mouth. The reason is clear: owners of such apartments don’t want just anybody using the units. They look for tenants referred by close friends. People referred by them are likely to be responsible tenants who’d care for the units as their own.
Second is to look for apartments for rent right inside an owner’s compound. Low-cost but quality apartments are often located just beside or at the back of an owner’s residence. Owners can afford to have them rented lower because of security considerations. They can rest assured that tenants will not escape any obligation—they see them everyday. Some apartments for rent are located away from the owner’s residence. As security, their owners charge high monthly fees that also mean high advances and deposits. Units inside an owner’s residence are quality apartments because they are well maintained by the owner.
Third, low-cost but quality apartments are often medium or small size. They are easier and cheaper to maintain. They often offer one or two small bedrooms, a small living, shared kitchen and dining, a small toilet, and a small laundry.
It’s pretty much like treasure hunting in deep mountain recesses and crannies. But they’re there. Low-cost but quality apartments do exist. The right searching guidelines must be in hand, accessed through close relationships—often they cannot be bought from stores. And one has to search hard to chance upon these rare gems of apartments for rent.
The Flood Factor in Renting
Residential and industrial real estate development is a boom in the Philippines due to the government’s bullheaded focus on housing and attracting foreign investments. The trend is to lure foreign investors into renting, leasing, or buying prime properties in the country and providing housing for their expatriate managers and local work force, if needed. This needs wise renting considerations.
Or even if one is just plain looking for a nice rental property to live in, what are the renting factors to watch out for? Experts advise tips on renting considerations, but the common factor always is the flood factor. It’s easy to check the water and electric supply of a property. Just turn on the faucet or switch on the light and immediately they’re checked. To check house or building structure, a civil engineer will easily do the job. For community peace and order one can always survey the neighborhood.
But flood?
Floods don’t happen except in a particular time of year—the rainy season. It’s improbable that anyone would wait for rains to come before deciding on renting a property. A neighborhood survey may work but because a good number of residents are either new or temporary residents (mere tenants themselves) such surveys are often unreliable. So what renting considerations should we do?
Among renting considerations on flood, first is ocular inspection. Watch the street slope. Lowest street portions are flood prone areas. Or look for the opening where canal water drains into the underground sewer. That canal opening often means the street slopes down to that portion. It’s the lowest portion of the street. If the scouted property for renting happens to be near or directly in front that canal opening, it’s a flood prone area. Sure, the drainage system may be working now, but what about in the future?
Second renting consideration is to check it out at city hall. The Engineering or Zoning Department or the weather bureau can furnish graphs of average rain levels of certain areas. If a certain area gets an average of more than 3 inches high of rain water per minute and the area has poor drainage systems, it’s flood prone.
Last renting consideration on flood is the presence of nearby creeks or rivers. Drainages exit through creeks or rivers. But if there’s human habitation on them, they’re flood prone.
Renting considerations on floods is an important factor in renting any property. With basic tips this may be easily looked into.
Renting Property in the Philippines
Lots of people aver that renting is wiser than buying property, especially when the stay is only temporary. Property rentals are one of the booming businesses in the country today. Hence, prices are reasonably competitive, especially if one knows what to look for in renting property in the Philippines.
House rentals are always advertised in major dailies in the city. Good properties are lined up in the ads section. But it takes more than browsing paper ads to get a good bargain in renting houses. Renting properties needs to be a hands-on thing if we want to end up with good properties. Pick several choices from the newspaper ads and start calling them up. Get basic details, directions, and go check them out.
Most rented properties look like they’re good properties. But often there’s more to them than meets the eyes. Seemingly good properties can be hiding secrets. Check out the drainage. Is there stagnant water anywhere? Any broken pipes? How about catch basins? How about flooding in rainy season? These are important things to check out when renting houses or renting properties.
Check water supply. Is there any? Is it potable? If there’s none, is there at least some alternative clean water source, like rationed or deep well? Good properties must have a clean water source. If there’s water, how strong is the water pressure? Water supply in drips or trickles is a no-no during rush hours. Then the electric supply—it’s another factor in renting houses or renting properties. Is it continuous? In some parts of the country electric supply is rationed. That’s also a no-no in rush hours.
In renting properties or renting houses check for termites. Termite-ridden walls can cause hassles once the walls need repairs—and especially when the house starts tearing apart. Repairs and mite exterminations spoil privacy and rest. And treatment chemicals are odious to the nose. Good properties are termite-free.
As one goes higher the house, check the roof and ceiling. Any roof or ceiling repair needs to be done before any renting is started. Having them repaired during the stay is a lot of disturbance. Good properties have good roofs and ceilings—that’s a basic in renting properties or renting houses.
Finally, check out the neighborhood itself. Are there difficult neighbors? Is it a quiet neighborhood? No crimes around?
Renting houses has 6 factors to consider in looking for good properties—drainage, water, electricity, termites, roof and ceiling, and the neighborhood. These make for a guideline in renting properties.
High Rise or Bungalow-type?
Rentable properties in the Philippines today go by either high rise buildings or bungalows. Both choices have advantages that renters can benefit from. Here are tips to see what will more likely be to one’s advantage—high rise or bungalow-type?
High rise rentable properties are either condo units or townhouses that offer vertical space or room arrangements. There are condotels in the country today— rental properties combining the amenities of condo units and hotels. And lots more offer rentable properties with rental schemes that allow renters to own the property; rents are as good as installment payments. The same goes for bungalow-type rentable properties.
High rise rentable properties offer more views and more air circulation. Condo units, especially really tall ones, afford a panorama of the city skyline and a better view of the sunset. They also get more prevailing gentle winds and an escape from street pollution. High-rise rentable properties are often neighborhoods packed in well-planned snug buildings, so one gets to interact more with neighbors and share building amenities. Most high rise rentable properties are fitted with posh swimming pools, gyms, wide, open porches, and amusement areas. These are common in Makati, Ortigas Center, Manila, and Cubao.
The only downside to tall rentable properties is that one doesn’t get to own tangible land, and of course, danger scenarios in case of emergencies.
Bungalow-type rentable properties offer horizontal space or room arrangements. They afford privacy and quiet. They may not have the better air circulation and views that high rise rentable properties afford but they have better access and safety factors in emergency situations.
Also, neighbors get to be nosey around less than in a high rise context where one’s immediately face-to-face with neighbors upon exiting the front door. There is a likely chance of also enjoying posh community amenities like a swimming pool, gym, amusement areas, and open, wide spaces, but not as accessible as in high rise rentable properties—especially on rainy days.
When staying alone or when fewer than three, single detached rentable properties can be gloomy. Plus, security can easily be breached and help cannot be that accessible. Individualism often rules in such environments. But with the close community enjoyed in high rise rentable properties, familiarization breeds fellowship and fosters security.
Rentable properties in the Philippines, high rise or bungalow-type, have plus factors that make them ideal places to live in, and minus factors that make one think twice before settling in them. Purely renting schemes do not present many problems as do rent-to-own ones. These are crucial factors.