FAQ

Frequently asked questions by prospective foreign tenants

The questions you always wanted to ask (about house rental in HCMC)

The answers you always wanted to get !

find them out here !

Question:How should I expect to pay for a monthly rent in downtown HochiminhCity and the surrounding districts ?

Answer: Most of the Fully Serviced apartment are located in downtown Saigon, i.e. Dist 1 and 3 and the monthly rent for a 2 bedrooms apartment is starting from US$ 1 100 upwards.

For locally managed ones, they are mostly located in surrounding areas such as: District 4, 5, 10, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuân. They are mostly priced from US$ 600 for a 2 bedrooms apartment or even cheaper.

For a typical Town house having from2 to 4 bedrooms, expect to pay from US$ 450 to 1 500. The rent is depending on the area, the distance from the city center, the neighborhood and also the condition of the premises and the equipments.

For privately owned Villa with garden with (or without) swimming-pool, expect to pay from US$ 1 500 to up to 5 000. The most comfortable villas are located in the residential District 2 and are setup on an average land of up to 400 m2 and come with a swimming-pool, parking area, outbuildings, greenery and tropical trees. Only few of these villas have a larger land, but are top end priced.

Question: Are those houses and villas usually rented fully furnished or empty ?

Answer: The rent offered by the landlord is often depending on the equipment and the quality of the furniture. Some houses are offered “fully furnished and equipped’’ but sometimes these furniture doesn’t meet the taste of the prospective tenant. Other houses have no furniture at all, and only the kitchen is equipped with a gas cooker and a fridge.

In fact the offered rent is depending if the house is furnished and equipped or not. An empty house will be offered for a cheap price while a “fully furnished and equipped’’ one will have a higher rent.

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Question: Some landlords are asking for a one month deposit and some for 3 months + few months of advance rental, and sometimes for up to 6 months !

What is the rule in Vietnam?

Answer: For an empty house without valuable furniture or equipment it’s fair to pay only 1 month of refundable deposit. For a furnished house often equipped with kitchen equipment, washing machine, air-conditioners, the landlord usually ask for up to 3 months deposit. It’s often happening when this landlord has to purchase furniture, air conditioners or else upon request of the new tenant.

For the advance rental at the signature of the contract, it’s also depending on the value of the premises and its furniture and equipment. I you request a LCD flat TV screen and other costly household items, don’t be surprise if the landlord ask for 6 months.

 At last, it’s also common here to pay the rent every 3 months, especially when you landlord is living far away from his rented house and don’t want to come monthly to ring your bell for the rent. In any case, the terms of the 1^st and subsequent payments should be specified in the lease contract.

Question: How can I be sure that my deposit will be refunded to me when I will leave the house at the end of the lease contract ?

Answer: First of all, be aware that the deposit always mean “refundable deposit” and this should be specified on the lease contract, both in Vietnamese or English.

For us, at Saigon Housing, this is our duty to make understand the landlord that “refundable deposit” doesn’t mean ‘’lost deposit’’ and should be refunded at the term of the lease.

Your deposit should be refunded after checking the premises by the landlord and the tenant, after the signature of the inventory list, upon the departure of the tenant, or after deduction of the utility charges of the last month rental, for the latest.  

Question: My previous landlord refusedto register me and my roommates at the local authorities, and one night we had a visit of local policemen asking us to move out of the house. Is it my job to go register myself to the local police?

Answer: If you rent a house in an area which is known for being ‘’unsafe’’ or if you bargain too much or refuse to have the ’’registration fee’’ including in the rent, your landlord won’t go register you to the local authorities.

 

Question: What should we do to avoid the risk to be asked to move away?

Answer: First of all, be aware that your “registration fee’’ is included in your rent. This fee is around 20% of your rent and is supposed to ensure your security by the local police. So at the signature of your lease contract, if you are the person signing the rent, you should supply your passport to your landlord and register on the contract all the occupants of the house.

Also when you receive a guest sleeping in the house for more than a week, you should supply a copy of his passport to your landlord for his (her) registration.

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