Finding an apartment in Taipei

Hello all,

Looking for some advice on how to find a decent apartment in Taipei.
So far agents have been usless, as have several internet sites. Is this a bad time to be looking? Do you just walk around and hope to see an “apartment for rent” sign?
Help!

Thanks.

[quote=“samanthar”]Hello all,

Looking for some advice on how to find a decent apartment in Taipei.
So far agents have been usless, as have several internet sites. Is this a bad time to be looking? Do you just walk around and hope to see an “apartment for rent” sign?
Help!

Thanks.[/quote]

Yep, that IS the best way to go about finding a place. People advertising on Websites tend to stretch the truth, or even lie outright. Agents on the other hand aren’t really interested in renting low-end apartments.

Pick an MRT stop and walk in ever-widening orbits until you’ve gone too far and then start at another. I recommend anywhere south of Gong Guan. 25 pings will set you back, on average, about 15k for a decent apartment in a newish building.

Here’s some advice I wrote for people in your situation: http://www.poagao.org/phousearch.htm

People will probably be moving more after Chinese New Year, so now may not be a great time to look. Still, Alleycat is right, walking around the areas you’re interested in is the best way to find a good place, but you might as well give Tsui Mama and agents a chance as well, as sometimes they work out. I found my present place through an agent, and I’m pretty happy with it.

Thanks so much guys. Yup, I’ve been asking around and getting the same answer - just take a long walk in the areas you want to live.
another question - you mentioned tsui mama - is it true their service is only in Chinese? Would you know where these guys are or how to get in touch with them?

Thanks again,
Samantha.

Tsui Mama:

76 Wenchou Street

canuckabroad.com/overseasjob … sing.shtml

taipeitimes.com/chnews/1999/10/3 … 0000008806

You can also try Master Realty , the are very professional and have a sheet with detailed info for each apartment (size, layout, exact location, cost etc.), allowing you to make a pre-selection. They got pictures, too, but of course it usually looks nicer then in reality.

The advice about walking around is very good. I would add to that. Take a local friend with you. Look at the notice boards, usually found outside schools. It’s how I found my 25ping, 9K NT apartment.

try tsuei mama at www.tmm.org.tw they are on Roosevelt rd now between Hsinsheng and Hsinhai? Down the alley that has a 7-11 on the corner. 2nd flr. Hopefully someone will come up with a proper address. They do list the apartments in English and the search can be done in English, but bring along someone with passable Chinese just in case.

That’s how I found my 51 ping apartment for 15k a month

CYA
Okami

The rents you guys quoted in your posts seem awfully low (51 pings for 15k, 25 pings for 9k), or am I being ripped off? I’m paying 15k for just 15 pings of a studio apartment (not including utilities and the $800 building maintenance fee). Sure it’s fully furnished in a centrally located “newish” building with elevators and a doorman. Still, the difference is just too great.

Ahhhh…the secret of my success is that I live 7 minutes by Piglet away from Taipei in Zhong Ho. My buddy has something like 35 ping for 11K just across the GuangFu Bridge in Panciao. So, want to save money? Be a troll and live under a bridge. :sunglasses:

Well, I (my company) paid somewhere around 32k for my first apartment which was a mere 16 ping but in a very new condo and now they pay 40k for a 46 ping place, old building but completely renovated. Both in downtown Taipei, conveninently located.

I guess it depends on the location and, no offense intended, condition of the place. Or some people are just luckier than us … :smiley:

Incubus,

You are right to question it as I live in the ghetto of ZhongHo, right near a taishichang(whole lot of thai writing and indonesian). I’m about 15 minutes from the MRT and I live on the first floor. I had to go to a lot of places to find my decent place and it was absolutely filthy when I got it. It took me about a week to make it livable and a month to actually not be embarrassed by the dirt and grit(most of which has now been cleaned away).

If you go with TMM, expect to see 1 good place out of 5-10. I would also suggest going to the apartment you want at different times and making sure that there are no large temples near it. You need to make sure that the area is livable. You will never get any sleep if on a main road leading to a taishichang and no late mornings as you will be woken up by the yelling of the vendors. Never be in a rush to get a place and always check out the circuit breaker. I saw a 3 bedroom wired for 4 AC’s and a washer with a 30amp main breaker. You have 3 people running everything and you get to see all the lights go out real quick. My current place was a Changfang and is wired with a 100amp main breaker. I could run a small factory there if I wanted with rooms for foreign laborers to sleep in.

You should agree to move in a week or so after you pay the deposit and get the keys. Older places will need a thorough cleaning, especially if the family that use to live there is the family renting to you. They will often give you the keys when you pay the deposit even though the move in date is 1-3 weeks away. I use this time to move small things on my scooter and to get the place cleaned up. I had to install an oven exhaust fan and exhaust piping, gas line to the stove from the tank, a RO water filter, fix the toilet seat, mop the floors 2-3 times. Most things are negotiable and be sure to negotiate all of them before you sign the contract and give a deposit. Things to check on are gas bottles, hot water heater(mone was broken landlord replaced it before move in), windows, stove, toilet, shower, leaks from upstairs.

CYA
Okami

Looks like Zhonghe is the place if you want cheap housing. But 15 minutes from the MRT (and that’s the orange line, mind you, whose trains are a lot less frequent than the main lines) is too much trouble for me, not to mention the frequent traffic jams on the bridges leading to Taipei City. Convenience costs I guess. But the first floor deal is nice. If I lived on the first floor, I’d get a nice motorcycle. No worries about theft.

What traffic jams on the bridges? This has never been a problem for me on any of the 4 bridges(Fuho, Yungfu, Zhongzheng, and Shoulang) I take.

I have a motorcycle and would never live in Taipei again because of the low cost, high density rat holes that are affordable or the nice clean places that will break your piggy bank. Roommates suck, for the most part.

CYA
Okami

Or you could move 1 hour away to the beautiful cosmopolitan Hsinchu where I found a 4 story place near all the exciting anemities for a mere 18k.

We managed to find this concrete gem by using our small network of local people we know and what do you know, someones sisters aunt had become our land lady and she speaks english to boot.

But God it took some cleaning to get this place up to spec. despite the “cleaning” they did before we signed the contract. You should be prepared to spend some time on these older buildings if you choose to rent one. I found dust and dirt that I’m sure was there during the japanese occupation.

Sounds like you live very close to the Eastern District (Sogo, Warner Village area), or in that general vicinity, or TienMu. If not, it is a little steep.

Not really, I used to pay NT$14k for a 15 ping studio near Bade/Nanjing.

During my own housing search a little over a year ago, I’ve found that for something like a 15 ping studio with loft, the going rate in Taipei City for a clean, less than 15 year old place is around NT$15K and above.

Anything less than that, it’s either old, dirty to the point that only a remodeling can clean it up), or it’s not in Taipei City.

The prices drop a lot when you leave Taipei City, and live, say, in ChungHo, YungHo, SanChung, HsinTien, or one of the other areas in Taipei County.

My place was old, basic, but livable.

But still… NT$14K for a 15 ping studio is a bit steep unless it is right near Tung-Hwa. Of course, as mentioned before the quality and age of the building also are big factors, in addtion to location. Perhaps your rent also covers other costs?

Actually, anywhere east of Song-Jiang, south of Min-Chuan, west of Keelung, and north of Ho-Ping is considered pretty good location. You can get relatively cheap housing in Taipei proper if you get out to areas like Da-Tong (right by the river, western-most area of Taipei) or Wan-Hua (near Snake Alley). Of course these are old areas so don’t set your expectations too high.

In Taoyuan City you can get a nice 30+ ping 3 bedroom condo WITH an underground parking space in a nice building with security for NT$10-15K per month… I was looking around and was impressed with how much of a bargain housing is compared to Taipei.