Should I pay booking fee for condo before I’m in KL?

Personally everyone will advise you against doing this for a number of reasons, apart from the obvious one which is fraud potential.

They are that photos are not always of the unit for rent so you really may not know what you are renting. Also the bad aspects of the unit have not been shown in the advert.

Understanding the layout of where the unit is located is also important such as is there high noise in the neighbourhood plus pollution from roads and possibly cess pits or even low flying aircraft.  Even down to are the main rooms West-facing i.e. they will get unbearably hot in the afternoon and not cool down in the evening. Some units are incredibly dark - so lights are used to give another impression. Being overlooked is another issue, plus are the grounds well-kept and is the pool actually clean and maintained (right now - not when the photos were taken years ago).

On paper residences can seem quite different than in reality, as you are looking for all the good points and ignoring (or not shown the bad ones).

If you want to potentially waste one month's rent, by reserving blind, that is your final choice.

Do be careful to understand if the location is safe after dark (i.e. from 7.30-7.30).

So I would  not rush into this as you have a whole month to find the perfect residence.

I have rented for many years and can honestly say about 90% of the  units I thought would be perfect on paper were far from it in reality.

If you know the unit is rare and in a building where vacancies rarely occur, then it may just be a good idea. But usually after arriving, the lay of the land is much clearer and other obvious choices appear. Also you can't really be bargaining a good rental by just reserving. There is usually so much vacant stock everywhere prices can be knocked down or missing equipment can be requested e.g. old fridge is broken and needs replacing.

Check too on www.ibilik.my to see if the building may be subject to overcrowding and security issues. This would be obvious if there are a lot of flat shares available.

Thank you so much! You pint out very good reasons.

The agent told me the unit number. And it shall be check from management, right? Am I sound naive? 😆

I agreed to what you said, but I have one pressure, I need pet allow apartment. And my partner and I love the unit.

Any suggestions to avoid what you mentioned above? Send someone to check? Or any possibility?

Thank you

First step would be to check with the Management office at the condominium whether pets/dogs are actualy allowed. It's one thing the agent or owner saying so, and the other the actual situation. If the condo is in Selangor State the rule is basically NO PETS. If in DBKL/KL then the management committee can decide. A tenant can be asked to leave if pets are not allowed or cause any disturbance. So its important to have the blessing of the Condo management office before signing a deal. Also put a break clause in the rental agreement so you can give notice (otherwise the contract is valid for the given period e.g. 1 yr, 2 yrs. etc.)

Sending someone to view the unit and building on your behalf sounds an excellent idea. If the agent is reputable they should not have any problem showing.

However, most people get it completely wrong before arrival, how the different parts of KL suburbs are connected and the large distances between places. So do check that too. A few KMs journey can actually take an hour.

If you want to share the building name privately and confidentially by message please do so.

But still do remember, you don't actually know the photos are really the unit you are thinking of reserving. There can be a "lost in translation" element. But the visit and their photos/condition report can put your mind at rest.