Have you guys found a way to find an apartment without bed bugs here? I have found them in two different apartments and so many hotels here it’s unbelievable. I have taken every precaution imaginable throwing away my things and taking nothing with me. I found them under many beds in different places checking as soon as I arrive.
Do you think a real estate agent would be able to safeguard me if it turns out there’s bed bugs after a day or two? They might have other buildings they could let me try I I imagine. I tried insisting with a landlord to stay one night there to be sure but then I only got bites the second day. The problem is it’s almost impossible even checking visually to know if there’s bed bugs before you sleep there.
I’ve yet to knowingly come across bed bugs in Taiwan, but when I encountered them in France and India in the past they generally hid in the corner of the mattress. Damp soap sticks to them and enables their capture.
Never seen them here either… countless nights in hotels and b&b all over the island…never in the apartments I’ve had. I doubt the agent will help you in the way you describe. Depends on the agent really, but I wouldn’t expect much beyond acting as a go-between.
Maybe you could negotiate to pay half and have the place fumigated before moving in. That would take care of any other culprits, like fleas and mosquitoes.
I think that’s his problem, fleas and not bedbugs. They get in the mattress and bite up your body in the night. I had to throw away a good mattress before as it got infested. I brought it in inadvertantly by petting stray dogs. I’ve never once seen bed bugs.
Those little bastards (midges) are likely the most dreadful part of life in taiwan. They even make the buddhist vegetarians monks fine with killing. Lots of people have reactions to their bites as well, can become a problem for some.
I havent seen any here either. Midges and fleas etc on the other hand…
As for your rental spot…speachless. but reality isnt so. Eventually city slickers that cant make it big. realise moving out of the city and making slightly less money from wotk but.savinnlots more on expenses might be nice.
I have never paid over 10k in rent on a residential spot in taiwan. My current living place is a 2 bedroom house with yard at 6500 a month. I get taipei is more, but if i need to explain then we are just different people haha.
The idea of living in a small, poorly built, box made by corrupt unskilled construction firms with neighbours of varying quality under strata type oppression for high prices and nearly uncontrollable pest management issues makes no sense to me just to claim that that kind of life style is “convenient” seems crazy to me. Call me crazy but i.enjoy sleeping well, not being itchy, not thinking about earthquake and fire safety, not listening to noisy neighbours, being able to manage my house without comitee approval, free parking and having general coziness when i get home. And if.bed bugs, rodents or cockroaches show up, i am the only cause and then the sollutions are simple.
Not everyone can afford it in big cities, i understand. but living in the outskirts a house is easy under 20k…if a person makes very little, then movig to rural taiwan seems more logical unless its school, family or limbing the corporate ladder that is whats making taipei attractive. But even Yilan now is basically a suburb of taipei. Under an hour bus ride to taipei, pretty close.
Buying is the way to go in my opinion too. At least for personal residence. Rent is fairly cheap in.taiwan compared to where i am from so i still rent. But god its due time to buy something and invest in some quality living type situation.
Watch out for service/community fees too. I know some people in Hsintien that pay almost 25K in community fees monthly and it costs almost 20K for mandatory window cleaning. Can’t remember how often that needed done though.
Much aware. Thank you though. Community that i live in currently only charges like $1100/m. I wanna buy one of the old shitboxes so I can tear it down eventually.
I have actually seen them in Taipei, one of the hostels I was staying at by Shilin Night Market had some. Management did not seem to care, I’m not even sure they understood how serious it was.
Definitely made me more paranoid about staying in hostels and hotels!
