What to remember when finding an apartment for rent in Hanoi?

Easy apartment hunt and affordable housing are some of the reasons why you should move to Hanoi. Housing market in the capital can be more complicated than that in Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces, but you will find your ideal home with little effort by filtering the right pieces of information. Alpha Housing help you study the below remarks for further references before you start the hunt.

Getting to know types of apartment in Hanoi

The Link Ciutra - Alphahousingvn
The Link Ciutra – Alphahousingvn

As an expat, you may consider to look for a shared apartment to rent in Hanoi which is very common and affordable. You will live with other mates normally in a shared living space and kitchen but still have your own room with a private bathroom. It is a good chance to meet other expats right in your house and enjoy cheap rent at $200-$350/month. In return, it also limits privacy and pet raise. Otherwise, you can rent a separate serviced apartment or studio apartment which are also popular. A serviced one is located in a 5 to 8-story building and usually furnished. The space is divided into bathroom, kitchen and bedroom separately and additionally, many services are included like weekly cleaning service, laundry, drinking water, etc. By contrast, a studio apartment has one mutual space of all rooms or in other words, there is no division from one to the others. Price of these 2 kinds is from $500 to $650 per month, often excluding electricity. For foreigners with a good budget, you can opt for an apartment which is more spacious and still furnished. However, the price is higher, ranging from $450 to $1,000 (depends on size and location). Some apartments even have facilities like swimming pool, gym, restaurant, bar and so on. Renting a house is also possible since it is suitable for people living with a pet and children. A house often has a yard or garden where your children can play around. You need to pay over $800 for a rented house and another sum of services like Internet, cable, electricity, water, etc. Besides, it takes your effort to clean and manage to fix things by yourself; otherwise a worker should be hired. A house contract term is usually from at least 1 year and longer. Visit alphahousing.vn to see a lot of vacant apartments of all kinds in every district around the city!

How to find an apartment?

Now Facebook is not only where you can connect with friends but also find other useful things like apartment, life hacks and expat community in Hanoi. There are active groups for expats where the landlords post advertisements of their vacant units and other expats look for housemates. You can join to seek your ideal home there and also ask for review from group’s members. Contacting a real estate agent can be more reliable from the perspective of a new comer. There are loads of agents you can come across on the Internet but don’t skip Alpha Housing – a reputable one with a number of experience years in housing segment. We have successfully connected a lot of landlords and tenants in all areas of Hanoi. Our products ranges from serviced apartment to villa with diverse sizes and amenities fit even high requirements. Just send us a message or email with detailed information of your needs, our consultants will help you choose some preferred units. Another choice is letting the landlord know that you are looking for an apartment by advertising on forums and e-commerce sites. Many websites allow you to create a free account, so that you can post your own advert, then wait to be reached by other landlords. 

 Some notes must be taken

Hanoi Housing Guide
Hanoi Housing Guide

Visa – In order to sign up for an apartment, you have to own a Vietnamese business visa. Even though some agents let you go ahead with a tourist visa, remember that it is quite risky. Because a tourist visa is valid in 3 months at most, you need to get a new one after that time. And you will be in many troubles if police come to check all of a sudden finding that you have an invalid visa. 

Deposit – Don’t be surprised when you are requested to pay a deposit (normally 1 to 3 months of rent). This is to ensure that you will not terminate the lease contract suddenly before the end date leaving your landlord under severe stress to find new tenants. This sum will be refunded to you when the lease contract ends without damaged facilities in the house. Furthermore, if you are so keen on a unit and engage to rent it, you also need to make deposit of the first month rent before moving in. As after the landlord takes customers to the apartment to visit and they agree to sign a contract, a few people still change their mind and go away without saying a word. Thus, the owner needs to take control and keep that sum to reserve for committed tenants. 

Site check – It is advised that you should ask for viewing before making agreement or paying any fees in advance. The landlords always use catchy and glamorous words to talk about their product. Sometimes they use gorgeous pictures taken when it was just built to promote, but now it isn’t like what it was several years ago. Therefore, remember to spend some time seeing your home in person before making a conclusion. Even when the landlord says you won’t be regret about it and rush you to pay a reservation deposit before taking a site check, stay calm and witness by yourself first. Read more the lease contract here https://alphahousing.vn/lease-contract/

Searching for another home in a new country is not as stressful as you may imagine. After reading these tips, hopefully you can ease your mind and be ready to start the game. As long as you make a thorough research, take full advantages of all resources and carefully check the options, a perfect apartment with competitive price is in your hands.

Buying property in Vietnam as foreigner

Buy property in Ho Chi Minh
Buy property in Ho Chi Minh

The 10 Best shopping malls in Ho Chi Minh city

Best coffe shop in Saigon
Best coffe shop in Saigon

HCMC District Map

Ho Chi Minh city district map
Ho Chi Minh city district map - Click on the image to view the large size

Zip Postal Code in Vietnam

vietnam postal code
vietnam postal code

Lease & Rental Contract

Lease contract Vietnam
Lease contract Vietnam