So like others probably realized here, lots of landlords aren’t too keen on renting to a foreigner. Doesn’t matter how much money she can prove she has access to or she has a steady job here. They either won’t rent, ask for more, or ask me to sign or co sign.
So I’m wondering what I’m realistically responsible for let’s say my relationship goes south if I do co sign?
Depends on the rental agreement.
In general, if she moved out before the end of the rental agreement, you would forfeit the deposit and have to pay any unpaid rent and bills. You would also be responsible for any damages.
I’d say that’s not the kind of landlord you want to rent from. There are plenty of other landlords who are willing to rent to foreigners.
Are you sure about that? That is not my experience anyway.
Your responsibility is to find a new girl that can use an apartment.
Perhaps, I think some of them see me with her and prefers if I did co sign with her. She doesn’t speak much Chinese so I go see the apartments with her.
Yeah, one flat out told her on the phone she doesn’t like foreigners and won’t rent to one. So now she has me call and go with her. She pretty much lives with me. But I would still like for her to have a place.
Having her depend on you for everything isn’t a good idea, nor is her renting an apartment from someone who is prejudiced against her. Just keep looking till you find a landlord willing to rent to foreigners without a guarantor.
Believe me, i have no desire to look at a bunch of apartments with my time.
Sounds like it’s time for her to become a little more independent. Win win.
I wonder if her or her friends read this website
[insert joke about literacy of OP’s GF here]
It is unusual for a landlord to be wary of a woman foreigner. In my experience, foreign guys have a much harder time, due to sterotypes of drinking/parties/etc. But I haven’t been in the market since a long time ago…
That said, we had a lot of anti foreigner landlords around the university, basically because they had been burned before by bad tenants. I guess it depends on the area. Some other landlords, well, they are troublesome.
I rather you accompany her apartment shopping. Might discourage trouble when they see big bulky BF keeping an eye on things.
That said, cosigning with a local is going too far. We must discourage such practice. Next up we will be like Japan, having to get a local guarantor or else no cigar (no place to live).
I had a few landlords tell me on the phone that the room was rented already. For fun i got my Taiwanese friend to call the next day and surprise surprise it was available.
In my current building a landlord sprung the cosigner at the last minute, i refused. You don’t trust me, we have no agreement. The next day a nicer place on a higher floor came open, no cosigner needed.
This.
There are many nice places to rent and landlords eager to have your money. You just have to look.
If one shuts the door because you are not Taiwanese, don’t let that discourage you. Keep looking.
Also, just out of curiosity, does Taiwan have any anti discrimination laws when it comes to renting?
It was only once where someone said outright to her she won’t rent to her because she’s a foreigner. And the times I went with her, some have said they wanted me to co sign because they would charge more for rent for foreigners. And it seems like most of them expect me to asking me if I’m a local and my relationship with her and my job etc.
We have a rule where I don’t check on her forum and she doesn’t check on mine. Although I did catch her looking when I was contemplating going to shanghai without her.
wow, that is rough. ive rented six different flats all in New Taipei and i never encountered anything like that. Maybe ive been lucky. never had anyone ask for a cosigner either.
Could it be because she’s looking at I would say higher budget rents in the city? They often ask me about my job and stuff as well. A bit nosey about things when I go with her. We are also pretty young, so maybe they doubt her and my ability to pay rent?
They keep asking these questions.
What she and I do for work
The location of my job.
When I tell them I have my own place, they ask where it is.
Just overall super nosy about stuff.
Nosy they always are. I reply in the same way, with questions they may not be so keepn to answer, like is it noisy here? How much does the current tenant pay in utilities? Why are they moving?