RENTING IN THE PHILIPPINES
One of the things we like about owning Jerry's Cafe Services is the opportunity it presents to help whomever we can regarding questions about the Philippines. We do offer many e-books that has a ton of information, but we are constantly getting emails from our members regarding many different topics. One of the most common topics is retirement options here in the Philippines, a subject we discussed in this newsletter a couple issues back.
Another very common question is about property rentals, asked by those members who plan on coming here to spend a couple months or more. So, because of these requests, this months topic will be on rentals and what to expect once you are here. Keep in mind that you can find a nice hotel that will give you excellent monthly rates (in western terms) but if you plan on staying more than 2 or 3 months, then it would be more economical to rent.
Finding a place to rent here in the Philippines can be a challenge in some areas. While in Manila, Cebu, Davao and other big cities there are rentals advertised in the newspapers, in the provinces it is often a case of word of mouth. Luckily there are lots of mouths to pass the word around and you will probably be inundated with properties once the word is out.
We found our last two rentals by driving around the area we were interested in living in and looking for signs posted on telegraph poles. The down side of this is that very often the signs are well out of date. Like political posters, they are quick to post and slow to remove them. If you have a Filipina wife, have her make the call, at least until the price is established. Hearing a foreigner on the other end might tempt the landlord to offer the American Discount, usually four times the local price!
You can enlist "professional" help in finding a place to live. There are some people who could be loosely termed "real estate agents". Different to a broker, who is licensed, many agents are merely people with a desire to make a buck on the side by introducing you to a homeowner looking for a tenant. This doesn't mean they won't find you a home, just that they will show you everything they can that makes them the most commission first, before actually finding you something that might be closer to what you want and specified.
Once you find some properties to inspect, take your time to study the local area. Are there KTV machines going at full distortion all hours of the day and night? The houses either side, are they permanent or squatter shanties? What about vehicular access? Many places here are off the road and accessible only on foot down an alleyway. This is due to the original Lot being divided among many siblings and without regard to how you are going to get your furniture in there, let alone park a car off the street every day.
Water supply in many places, even more up market areas and sub-divisions, can be erratic at best. Water pressure may be very weak and delivery limited to only a few hours a day. This is inconvenient and having to remember to fill buckets every day at 11am or whenever will get old very