I dunno.
[quote=“headhonchoII”]They were Taiwanese? Any link
to that?
This say they were HKers.
m.scmp.com/news/china-insider/ar … g-visitors[/quote]
Mea culpa. My memory wasn’t even my best virtue.
i think we need to start calling out this racist stuff when we see it. finding a good non shoebox apartment in taipei is not an easy task at all, if i found a good place and lost it because the landlord doesn’t like foreigners i will most likely be ready to kill someone.
Foreigners are all violent.
murderers, in fact 
I’ve had a couple of landlords act a bit wary - one demanding a guarantor, and one making me promise that I wouldn’t be hosting orgies and suchlike, which as we all know are common and accepted in foreignerland. Never actually been turned down. It’s stupid and annoying, but what ya gonna do? It’s their house, and their loss. I think afterspivak back there makes a good point: turn up looking smart, sober and rich (or at least employed), and you’ve got a much better chance of ensuring the landlord’s natural desire for money overrides his natural distrust of laowai.
Actually I was dressed in a dress shirt and pants but that didn’t help.
I should have showed my bankbook balance. I did offer a copy of my local credit report and I had a middle aged local friend intervene but it didn’t help.
Anyway her loss, hopefully it stays empty for a few months.
[quote=“dan2006”]Actually I was dressed in a dress shirt and pants but that didn’t help.
I should have showed my bankbook balance. I did offer a copy of my local credit report and I had a middle aged local friend intervene but it didn’t help.
Anyway her loss, hopefully it stays empty for a few months.[/quote]
What? Every good foreigner should turn up drunk and with some genitalia on show. Haven’t you read your copy of: Debrettes for foreigners?
You are letting the side down with that dressing up shit. Giving us foreigners a good name. You shoulda punched her dog.
[quote=“superking”][quote=“dan2006”]Actually I was dressed in a dress shirt and pants but that didn’t help.
I should have showed my bankbook balance. I did offer a copy of my local credit report and I had a middle aged local friend intervene but it didn’t help.
Anyway her loss, hopefully it stays empty for a few months.[/quote]
What? Every good foreigner should turn up drunk and with some genitalia on show. Haven’t you read your copy of: Debrettes for foreigners?
You are letting the side down with that dressing up shit. Giving us foreigners a good name. You shoulda punched her dog.[/quote]
I’m a grower, not a shower
They were 100% Hongkongers.
Anyway, I think people here are so used to cramped spaces and low salaries that they can’t imagine someone living in a room bigger than a closet or being able to afford anything bigger. :s
The idea I think is to pay as little as possible, eat paomien and save, save, save. At least, it was so. Nowadays, it is barely make by, eat what you can pay and barely survive. Those shoe boxes go for as much as they can ask, and landlords do not care if the place remains empty as it is already worth a gazillion zillion in their minds. OTOH, I am always appalled at how little enjoyment and elegance people here derive from food. Other than adoring places like 85C for their saviness in the stock market, that is.
Dan2006 is down South so a bit easier on the wallet for a nicer place, it’s good to have better options.
There are quite a few families paying more these days for rent in the North, I think it’s when they see a single person they get suspicious. As Others have said, what pay a bit of money for more enjoyment? Dont live in a shoebox? Are you mad?
If you think you’re having a hard time renting an apartment now, just wait till you’re old. The landlord will have an additional reason not to rent to you (us) then: just imagine how much it’d devalue his house if a foreigner died in it.
Yeah…I had the same problem too when I was apartment hunting…My landlord was unwilling to rent me unless my Taiwanese Sister-in-Law co-signed on the rental contract even though I was willing to pay him 12mths rent + 2mths deposit in advance!!! I argued with him for a while saying you don’t have any grounds to worry as I’m paying everything up front and I have an APRC, been here for 14+ years etc etc…he said he needed to have the contact info of someone in case of an emergency…told him you can use my brother’s info (he was on a JFRV then)…he still insisted he needed my SIL’s info. In the end, I gave in and used my SIL as a co-signer.
But, what will happen in the furure, when you are a furriner on the outside but have a Taiwan ID? 
Would go apartment hunting just for the sake of how interesting it would be…
But, what will happen in the furure, when you are a foreigner on the outside but have a Taiwan ID? Would go apartment hunting just for the sake of how interesting it would be…[/quote]
Lol…I’m sure they wont bat an eyelid towards my direction as I’m of Chinese descent…having the ID will bring me much relief as everywhere I go where an ID is needed, they look at me suspiciously when I whip out my APRC…they get totally confused as to why this Chinese looking guy has a 居留證 and not a 身分證 
I’ve had nothing but really fantastic landlords.
My most recent one said they couldn’t stand to see me go.
there is hope.
[quote=“andyj”]I’ve had nothing but really fantastic landlords.
My most recent one said they couldn’t stand to see me go.[/quote]
Mine took care of me when I had my emergency operation. She lived in Argentina as a migrant herself, and says that she understands the tribulations of being alone in a foreign place.
It’s actually really easy to rent a place in general in Taiwan. No need for tonnes of references, credit checks etc.
True, compared to Melbourne, Taipei is pretty straight forward.
In Melb, when you turn up to see anything that is reasonably priced and within a 10km radius of the CBD, you have 20+ people to compete with. This is just renting, don’t get me started on actually buying :fume: