So I’m new to Taiwan and with the help of a coordinator from my school, have pounded the pavement looking for my first apartment here in the beautiful city of Taoyuan over the past few days. Most of the places we’ve found just haven’t cut the mustard in terms of what I’m looking for. Finally today, we find a place that is very close to what I’m looking for but alas it smells God awful. It’s also really dirty with lots of black mold in the bathroom. If it wasn’t for the terrible stench, I would have got it in a heartbeat because it really is quite suitable for me. I guess here’s my question: is it normal for apartments to smell really bad before the new owners take it over? I only ask this because I’ve noticed that quite a few apartments that I’ve looked at have smelled pretty bad (this one being the worst). Do you think a good scrub down with the windows open a few days might take care of the problem or should I keep looking?
I have a few more days before I start work and would like to get my living place sorted yet without making a massive blunder. If the bad smell is only temporary I’ll call the agent and sign the papers. My only problem is not only am I a newbie to Taiwan but also I’m clueless to apartments in general. Any help would be much appreciated!
Or tell the landlord you’d like to rent it, but would like them to clean it out first. Depending on their response will tell you what kind of landlord you’re getting and whether to keep looking.
Check ventilation and windows in this room. If there is none, then that mould may be there to stay. And if so, stay away!!!
If there is some form of ventilation (or possibly a window) in the bathroom, then maybe you can make this work. But disinfect everything carefully and make the purchase of a dehumidifier a top priority, and run that machine like your health depends on it (as in fact it does).
Also check the bathroom fan. Many houses in Taiwan have a fan that does not exhaust. it’s just an empty cavity up there with no way out. Said bathrooms mold far easier. It is so common they sell bathroom fans here that suck air in from the sides and shoot down, but do.t exhaust anything. more just to let some air movement happen.
On the flip side, if you smell your neighbours cigarettes than at least you know you have some actual ventilation
The agent said the landlord wouldn’t clean it. I gotta agree with you, it’s a very bad sign. In my desperateness, I nearly got it anyhow but my coordinator had a cooler head than I.
Definitely mold. I can see it scattered across the bathroom walls and tile. The shower curtain too. The question becomes, is it a superficial type of mold or is it in the walls as well? With a landlord that won’t even clean the damn place, he probably wouldn’t open the walls up to get down to the bottom of it if it were that bad.
I don’t think it is a bad sign, it is just what it is here. My experience here tells me that landlords never clean, do not even mention paint, anything between tenants.
Dont mind the haters. After a while in Taiwan you will hear the term “sky dragon” and “sky dragon people” thrown around here and there (especially outside of sky dragon countrys’ borders…) This refers to Taipei folk looking down at the rest of Taiwan from their holier than though roosts up in the civilized part of the country.
Ask your coordinator over a beer, it’s fun fare to have some chuckles at the expense of the rich and/or arrogant
Don’t underestimate mold. It can make you really sick if you live with it for an extended period. If it’s in the walls, I would just walk away and look for something else.
