I understand the standard estate agent rate is 1/2 a months rent.
The advice from various expats I heard was that it was worthwhile for non-Chinese speakers who are also not familiar with Taiwanese customs. An estate agent I met is fluent in English, which helps.
What added benefit do estate agents bring to the table that isn’t negated by Google Translate?
None
Some places are run by agencies. They manage everything for the landlord and you, from bills to repairs. They are more reliable than landlords ime.
Is a foreigner less likely to run into problems with the landlord, if an estate agent is in the picture? Such as things needing repairs, who pays for repairs, what constitutes fair wear-and-tear and return of the deposit?
Nope. I had a very bad experience with an estate agent.
On the other hand, my landlord now speaks English and last time I had some issue with a leaky pipe in the kitchen, I sent him a Line message and he sent a plumber.
It’s mostly luck or lack thereof, unfortunately…
free instant coffee or hard candy at their office
From hearsay (never rented here myself), a good agent manages everything for you and sends repairmen over even if you need to change a lightbulb or unclog the bathroom drain. You can Line them at any time and get their help. Landlords may or may not do the same. Luck of the draw, I guess.
well, still better than what u get in HK. Might get some hot water if you ask nicely, otherwise wasting their time anyways.
Are you talking about an estate agent as in having someone help you find housing or a 仲介 (Zhòng Jìe; middleman/broker)? You can’t get a place in Taipei without going through a middleman – Taipei landlords are too lazy to do their own searching for people to rent from them (and the cost gets passed on to the person renting anyway, so the landlords really don’t care). I appreciate having gone through a 仲介 when my landlord (who’s actually the landlady’s grandson) acts like the man child he is and doesn’t repair things unless I get on his case and eventually call him out for being a lazy bum. One quick line message to the 仲介 (who I don’t think is even getting a cut anymore??) and man child moocher is over with a lot of “不好意思” and way too many "我最近很忙"s. But things get taken care of…
The estate agent reads/writes in good English and is effectively doing the pre-filtering and searching for me, according to the criteria I’ve given him.
What about places that are already represented by someone else, do you think he’s showing you those?
I found an agent who insulted my Chinese, said I acted like an American, and tried to rent me places nobody wanted which I knew had been on 591 for the better part of a year. I chose that agency because they catered to expats. Anyways, after one phone call I was done with that company. The other agency I tried didn’t answer my email for weeks or months, by which time I had sorted it out myself, with some help from a colleage and google translate. The landlord is great, he’s handled everything I asked for quickly, um, both times. Things like light bulbs and slow drains and air conditioner filters I do myself
Maybe you lucked out and found a good agent, like I lucked out and found a good landlord
not necessarily, its a matter of luck.
good agents will introduce you to places that arent necessarily on 591, the lazy ones will just search 591 for you.
the vast majority of agents ive dealt with were decent and helpful.
Overall, local agencies have a bit more decent places. If they manage the place for the landlord, it is in the contract. More transparent.
Expat agencies with English services tend to have the pricier, not necessarily better, stuff, for people whose companies pay for them. They won’t bother with small fish.
Luckily, in Taiwan you have everything for all tastes and budgets and you do not have to pay until you find something you like. So shop around.
It’s an especially good rental market if your tastes include “concrete” and “the landlord’s old furniture” and your preferred budget is “overpriced”.
As I said, you get the whole range. Remember the landlord I told you about who wanted half the place for storage, with free rein coming in and out of the apartment? Yes, horror stories abound but also many find decent accomodations to call a home.
If you are a student on a limited budget you can get Tsui Mama. If you are a teacher, then 591 is your friend, maybe some FB groups. If you want a nicer place, a reputable agency can show you handpicked locations. That’s what I mean by choice.
Walked away from a couple places because the landlord refused to remove his/her shitty furniture or even clean the place. If you take the time you can find something, but that’s hard work not luck.
I got my rental through an agent. However… small world. My landlord is one of the contractors for my new school. (Rented 2 years before moving to that school).
We get on well and I try to talk to him when I see him. What I love is how he never once bothered me. I just pay the rent and that’s it. No inspections etc… Has never raised the rent. But I wonder if he will next year…