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Before you begin
looking for a place to rent, take the time to consider:
There are three main
costs associated with renting:
- Start-up costs,
- Periodical rental
payments, and
- On-going living
expenses.
You will need to work
out how much you can afford to spend on all three of these costs.
Failure to do this could see you miscalculate your total expenditure and
blow your budget. You could end up paying money on the security deposit,
advance rental and find yourself unable to pay for the satellite
television or telephone connection.
Use an income and
expenditure worksheet, to determine your personal budget. How much could
you afford to spend on rent each month after taking into account all
other living expenses? Make sure you allow for unexpected expenses, e.g.
medical or car repairs. Perhaps even allow an extra 10% of expenditure
to ensure you can cover these expenses.
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you are trying to save money for a future expense, e.g.
a deposit on a home or annual health insurance, remember
to factor this into your monthly expenses. You could put
it away in a special savings account so that you won't
be tempted to use it for entertainment or the like. |
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Now determine how
much you are likely to spend on start-up costs, such as:
- Security
Deposit (Bond),
- Rent in
advance,
- Furniture
removalists,
- Connection of
services, e.g. electricity, telephone, cable TV,
- Furniture, e.g.
bed, table & chairs, fridge, curtains and etc.,
- Kitchen
utensils, e.g. cutlery, crockery, cooking pans and etc.,
- Linen, e.g.
towels, sheets,
- Hot Water
Shower system.
Do you have
sufficient savings to pay for all these items? If not, then keep in mind
that many of these items could be provided by the landlord, borrowed
from friends or bought second hand.
There are many
different types of rental housing to consider, including:
- Houses:
freestanding bungalows,
- Semi-detached
houses; one common wall,
- Townhouses,
- Condominium: apartment or unit,
- Serviced
Apartment: includes services similar to those found in hotels,
- Shopfronts:
standard Thai constructions 4 metres wide and usually rising three
to four floors - equivalent to terraced houses,
- Holiday
Accommodation.
Both your budget and
your lifestyle will influence where you choose to live. When considering
the financial aspects, start by taking a look at the average rental
values in the areas you like. This will enable you to determine which
areas are likely to be within your budget.
Finding a location
that suits your lifestyle is also very important. Look through the
following list and note down those factors that are important to you.
- Close to work
place
- Access to Public
Transport
- Close to
Family/friends
- Close to shopping
facilities
- Close to Hospitals
- Close to Schools
- Close to Beaches
- Close to Parks
- Close to Sporting
Facilities
- Close to
Restaurants and Entertainment venues
- Appealing
streetscape
- Low noise area
Once you have worked
out what you want in a rental, you are ready to start
searching.
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