Rent Contract Agreement Help

Yesterday I signed my very first rental contract. What made it easy was that it was an English person who spoke me through everything. However, when it came to signing the red contract, I had a Taiwanese lady handle that. She didn’t walk me through the entire contract and I would just like to know if anyone on here has ever translated it to English?

My main concerns are what happens if I leave the apartment before the stipulated period of 6 Months (i.e. I leave after a month or two)? Do I lose my deposit, or do I also have to continue paying rent, penalty fine etc.

And the minute the document is signed is it legally binding? or do I have a day or two to take back on the deal and pull out? is there at all a grace period?

Please help

Suggestions from hermana @Icon will point you towards Tsue Ma Ma to help you with overseeing housing things.

http://www2.tmm.org.tw/English/about_EN.htm

In the mean time, don’t sign it until someone who you trust can translate it for you.

I have already signed the contract. The contract is the standard Taiwanese Rent agreement contract, and I only owed 1 month Rent as a deposit. I would have otherwise lost the place to someone else and had to continued living on other’s floors and at backpackers until the perfect place came about. What are the costs of Tsue Ma Ma?

These contracts are usually very much in favor of the landlord and they will hold your deposit until all of your bills are paid and any damage to the apartment is paid for. Get someone to look over the contract for sure.

If I could I would like to ask a question of my own. Does anyone know how long you can stay in an apartment before the landlord can kick you out? I’m trying to get out of my lease without losing all of my deposit.

Costs? Like 150 ntd, if I remember correctly. It is not a rental agency, but a commnunity service, more like an NGO, that provides assitance matching already checked services and landlords with tenants and roomates. If you see their website, they have a basic translation of the contract.

For the next time, or for everybody else, always bring a witness, a local or at least a foreigner who understands Chinese. Never sign any document alone. It is already signed and binding.

Whether you have some leeway, depends on the kindness of your landlord.

AFAIK, if you leave before the contract period is up you won’t get your deposit. If you’re talking about the same standard Taiwanese contract that’s in a white booklet with a red horizontal strip right on the bound then yeah, we have the same contract. I think they usually buy this somewhere.

Most landlords are willing to give you an English contract if you ask them for it. In my experience, it helps to talk to the landlord in English so as not to give an impression that you can probably understand what’s in it for you. Also, I’ve been able to “weasel” my way out of unfinished contracts (i.e., staying for 1 year but leaving only after 6 months) by asking nicely. Yep, very much possible. It also helps to pay your rent on time especially during the first month, so as to create some level of trust between you and your landlord. With that landlord, I was able to get back my deposit with a few deductions–kinda my fault as the wall’s paint got chipped/marked a bit coz I placed some some posters on it.

The “standard” Taiwanese rental contract exists in more than one version, and the two parties can make revisions by hand before signing.