When a Landlord Calls — Finding and Saving Money on Rental Accommodation in Egypt
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When you’re a stranger in a strange land such as Egypt, finding accommodation at a decent price can be as challenging as learning the language. If you’re smart about it, however, it can be done. Here’s how you can avoid parting with more Egyptian pounds than necessary when finding a place to live in Egypt.
Save beforehand
It’s common in Egypt for landlords to expect several months’ rent in advance. This can be as much as a year, which is a lot of money, so you may even think about applying for a personal loan to cover it and make sure you have a roof over your head until you can raise the money.
Shop around
These days, property in Egypt is pretty pricey, whether you’re renting or buying. If you can be flexible in where you choose to live, you’ll find that you can save yourself a fair few Egyptian pounds. If you opt for a location that is nice but is a little less well connected in terms of shopping and communications, the rent can turn out to be cheaper, leaving you more money to play with.
Negotiate the rental amount
Just because a landlord claims to want a certain sum, it doesn’t mean that’s what they’re actually looking for. If you’re new to the country, they may try to squeeze extra pounds out of you that would have a local in the know bursting out: ‘You don’t expect me to pay that, do you?’ So ask the landlord if they’d be willing to accept a little less than the amount they originally state — and if they are, get it in writing. They may like old-school gentlemen’s agreements in Egypt, but handshakes can become empty when property and money are part of the equation.
Check terms and conditions
Once you have a contract in front of you, make sure that you know what yours and your landlord’s responsibilities are under the agreement. Ask a lawyer or, at the very least, someone with a high level of Arabic, to read through the contract and point out any potential pitfalls. Otherwise, you could find yourself on the end of a premature eviction from the flat, a sudden hike in rent or costly repairs that the contract failed to set out. Worse still, the landlord may be able to hold on to your security deposit.
Find out more about the estate agent
Estate agents in Egypt tend to charge a commission if they help you to find a property. However, the tenant’s not always the person who foots the bill when it comes to paying the commission. Sometimes they’ll expect the commission to come from the landlord, so you should ask about this if you go to an estate agent, as it’s another way you can hold on to some more of your cash.
If, incidentally, you should have any problems with your landlord in terms of early, unwarranted eviction, consider ringing the police. Whether the police will take your complaint seriously depends on the strength of your contact, but when they do become involved landlords are quicker to play ball and maybe, just maybe, that eviction isn’t so necessary after all.
Image by Veira_da_Silva, used under Creative Commons license.
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