Rental nightmares in the Philippines

I would be interested in replies to Cheryl's post.

As I'm in the process of looking some place to move and don't want to be scammed or fall into the abyss. Last Sunday I visited three condo rentals. I was looking for something large, 3 bedrooms.

There is a very limited supply of three bedrooms, a few two bedrooms. The condos were too small, a cell in a county jail is bigger.

So I'm looking on FB Market Place for three bedroom apartments or houses. I'm wary of everything, what if the person who would be renting it to us is not the owner or real representative? What if the owner is renting while trying to find a buyer? How responsive will the owner be when problems arises?

Most require one months rent and two months security deposit. One wanted six months of post dated rental checks.

Most regulars know my living situation from my past posts. My wife who passed away was the rudder of the ship. When I wanted something done, she would tell her sons and it would be done. Now the ship has no rudder and is destine to crash on the rocks. I have two stepsons & a housekeeper living with me. Our house is bought and paid for.

The house has three floors, I occupy the whole third floor, about 60 sq meters. The stepsons & housekeeper have bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor. The stairs have become a major problem for me, for months I've had all our groceries ordered online from SnR and Lander's. I've only left the third floor once in three months, that was last Sunday to look at condos.

One stepson has stole money from me, he stole my wife's jewelry while she was hospitalized. We also had a physical confrontation and my right arm was injured. He has never worked.

The second stepson has been my go to person. He handled my renewals of my 13A, annual report & drivers license. He is now out of town weeks at a time and he speaks English. The housekeeper speaks no English. I am completely isolated, the only company I have is Youtube.

Now problems have developed on the third floor caused by all the rain and a leaky roof and windows in my bedroom.

Constant mopping of the water on the floor and mold on the ceiling and a bad odor from the mold.

I would have liked to move back to the states, but I have no place to move to and probably could not afford to do so.

My solution: Move

My sister-in law has agreed to move with me, she is an ex nurse who speaks English. She lives with her daughter and they do not get along. Each morning she goes to her sons place to babysit all day his two infant children as he works nights at a call center.

So to solve the problem I'm going to take his family with me, he also speaks English. This is a step up for them.

I have a wonderful third stepson who is a nurse, he relocated to the UK when I moved here and then he moved to Fairfax Virginia last November. I've hinted I would like to move in with him but the hints go unanswered.

https://www.hometogo.com.au

For me, if you, i'd buy a wheel-chair, arrange

your personal aides and nurse.  Then suitable

space for 6+ people / month+ for eg from here:

https://www.hometogo.com.au

sincere happy trails Bob

PalawOne said . . . .

https://www.hometogo.com.au
For me, if you, i'd buy a wheel-chair, arrange
your personal aides and nurse. Then suitable
space for 6+ people / month+ for eg from here:

https://www.hometogo.com.au

sincere happy trails

**************************

Somebody? On that happy trail must have kicked in the head by Trigger.

@Enzyte Bob

I have been mulling this over for the last few days to consider it from all angles. Firstly I am not the best person to give advice on renting in Manila. I’ve never rented there. There are many renting members on this Forum who can speak from first hand experience.

Just to clarify the situation. The property you are currently residing in is Freehold so no rent to pay. So its just local taxes and upkeep of the property the sound of which is going to need major capital expenditure on the roof.

On relocating to a new condo/house presumably most of the rental cost will fall on your shoulders? At present you have the entire top floor of the house with ensuite bathroom. Effectively the size of a hotel suite with your own privacy.

I would imagine a three bedroom condo would be cheaper albeit less spacious than a house. Its not clear as to whether your sister-in-law’s stepson would move in to the new property along with her and his two kids. Your sister in law would take the place of your house keeper.

The attendant noise level is something to allow for especially in a condo. Screaming kids all day long? Filipino kids like their parents are noisy creatures. Its built into their DNA. How noise tolerant are you?

Have you considered moving outside the Manila conurbation to somewhere like Iloilo, a midsized city with new condo developments springing up everywhere. Cheaper, more bang for your buck with far less pollution. Moving 1000 miles is not necessarily more of a hassle than across the city. Moreover Iloilo is the nursing capital of the Philippines with several nurses open to being carers. Excellent medical facilities to boot.

Food for thought.

@Lotus Eater

I take your food for thought seriously, many good points. The house is in my late wife's name so it belongs to her three adult sons. There is no mortgage, the son in the US pays the taxes. Currently I pay all the household expenses including food.

One is employed overseas in the states, the second son works long hours six days a week and with his job is out of town a week at a time, the third is a worthless bum.

The house has not been maintained for the last eight years since our arrival to the Philippines. It's going to take more than the roof, complete restoration of third floor. Sagging ceiling, excessive mold, window replacement.

Even if the third floor was pristine it does not suit me anymore, three flights of stairs is too much for me. Also I need housekeeper/caregiver who speaks English.  My sister-in-law babysits my nephews children (her grandchildren) although she is not living there. So it is a package deal.

Their are very few three bedroom condos, imagine three bedrooms in 40/45 meters?

The price range for a three bedroom house or apartment is 30K to 35K, my nephew is doing all the research, we visited the properties he made appointments for last Sunday. He & his wife works, so moving far from their employment is out of the question.

I don't know the income of my nephew & wife, but he has offered to contribute 10K a month. I'm not going to put all my eggs in one basket, so I'm leaving his income out of the equation.

Sorry to hear about your problem Bob, I knew you lived on the top floor from previous posts you have made but had no idea about the leaky roof and mould. The mould alone if very bad is reason to get out of there alone with all the health problems associated. I am glad that you have given your situation some serious thought and formulated a plan of action to move out. I am also glad to hear that your sister in law has agreed to accompany you and she being a registered nurse will be a major plus.

I can also understand why moving away from Manila may concern you having the excellent rated St Luke's Hospital nearby and good hospital facilities will have to feature into your thinking wherever you decide to move to and of course the noise levels, you want peace and  little noise.

When we get older the small things in life become more important, things we do not really appreciate while we are younger like sitting outside with a cup of coffee reading a newspaper and getting some fresh air. If I was in your position I would probably forget the condo idea and concentrate on looking for a 2 or 3 bed bungalow or a house where I can make adjustments if needed to have my bedroom downstairs and like you have now an en-suite bathroom if possible. I really just don't think you will be happy stuck on the 17th floor of a condo looking out of the window and knowing you may need help to get out for some fresh air. A nice view would be nice also and well maintained garden.

Last thing - You mentioned dropping hints about moving back to the States to stay with your step son, I would put the question to him directly if you are still considering that option.

Good luck Bob and I hope things work out for you.

Hi Bob,

Might consider looking into some of the Retirement home and/or Assisted Living facilities there in Manila. Some like the Raintree facilities are very nice. Everything is included from meals to daily assistance, excericise, activities etc, along with fellowship with others. Private and Semi private rooms. They even offer airport transfers. Don't know your financials but they listed a private room including everything for around 127K at one facility and 98K at another for assisted living, so the semi might be half that I’m guessing. There appear to be quite a few options I’m sure some Lower and others higher, but to not have to rely on those who may not want to and have some independence for me would be worth a look and crunch some numbers. Take some time and look up the RainTree website or similar options to consider. The facilities look descent from the few pics on there site.

Thanks for posting that vehicross, definitely food for thought and after a little look see far cheaper than Australia. When I consider our monthly costs here now of around P120K per month could one day be a worth  consideration even though the better half is cert 4 in aged care in Oz and looks after me pretty well, lots of slaps and help but in 10 years will we still be together? In 1/2 or 5 years will our live in worker still be with us? (every house should have one)

Seems there are options available that I wasn't aware of.

Cheers, Steve.

@vehicross100

Might consider looking into some of the Retirement home and/or Assisted Living facilities there in Manila

I suspect Bob would rather commit Harakiri than go into one of those care (or whatever label you slap on them) homes. Besides personal in home care is much cheaper in the Philippines than in the west.

Perhaps we should wait for Bobs 2 bobs worth given his personal situation? For many it could be an option to go into an aged care facility, My turn might come and only time will tell for each of us. OMO.

Cheers, Steve.

@Lotus Eater

Possibly true, not for everyone.

One thing I forgot to mention is they have different levels of care besides Assisted, so in case a person living there assisted ended up needing some higher level care, as Nursing Care, Rehabilitation/Physical therapy, or Mental/Memory conditions, etc, they could easily transition to a program catering to there needs allowing a person to stay put where they are without relocating or arranging any weekly/daily commuting etc, to avail those services. In Bob’s OP he seemed concerned about many issues concerning renting a Condo, and Rightly so. The above option would eliminate those concerns, Albeit probably bring up some new ones.

@Cheryl

Hello.

My experience is through my family. Daughter said she would be moving out on a particular day. Rent was paid up till then. Because they could not fit everything in, they came back 2 days later, locks changed P10k of belongings held

held , asked for belongings and bond money, rejected, landlord kept the lot. Wife {Filipina} said that is the way here, no recourse

Blatant theft in my book but they know you can do nothing about it while they pocket the money.

@Cheryl

What is the strangest or most surprising thing you have discovered in a rental property?

Most likely the person renting will have to pay for repairs and/or complete maintenance themself.

it’s quite uncommon for the owners of property to invest or perform maintenance upkeep. If the property is furnished unless it’s a newly built residence, the furniture and/or appliances are probably junk.

Have you ever had to leave a place because it felt unsafe or unlivable? I have left a residence before because termite infestation was rampant, causing major problems from the ceilings to floors.

Did you deal with pests, noisy neighbors, strange building rules, or difficult landlords?

Termites, cats, and rats on property. I use pest control now. I have lived here too long and built relationships with trusted people.

Noisy neighbors, but I wrote a letter to the HOA using the bylaws to have neighbors move or be placed in violation.

No difficult landlords, but caretakers that did not respond to problems. Most of the times the owners of the properties are outside of the Philippines and the caretaker takes advantage of the situation.

What warning signs should newcomers watch out for before renting in the Philippines? Always inspect the property…LOOK FOR TERMITE infestation and/or damage, especially electrical. Do not sign contracts with caretakers; request the owner of rental properties. Do not go through property management to rent unless you thoroughly inspect all over the property: bedrooms, comfort rooms, toilets, sinks, stairs, windows, doors, valves, under the sinks, inside tanks for the toilets; electrical outlets and panels, walk around the property; check the neighbors beside the property; if their property is clean and well maintained. Do not trust smiling faces or pleasantries from a person looking to rent a property. Many scammers out there. Due diligence is a must for potential renters. And it also depends on the location of the rental property. If in Manila and single, maybe a condominium will suffice. The same goes for living away from the metropolis.

It’s best to rent from an expat or talk to expats that have lived locally in specific areas or an area you desire to reside.

Here in Boracay (Oceanway) there are many condos for rent. Some units are so bad that the tenant went out the next day, others are really nice. There are older US expats living here. Some bought a unit  while others make long term rental contracts. After a certain age it makes more sense to rent than to buy. If a part time caretaker is needed, there are many girls here who would love to do it. For a 24 hours caretaker a monthly payment of 20k will do. The current price to rent a one bedroom apartment is 40k / month which includes the utilities but no internet. As the high season approaches the prices will go up to 60k.

Before any contract is signed an inspection of the condo should be done.

All the best

Andy from Boracay (10 years in the Philippines)

@Cheryl

I recently went through a "Condhotel" nightmare and I'm a seasoned veteran.  The Philippines is in bad shape, especially Cebu. Another brownout as a type in Ayala Business Park.

It's crazy how this is happening to me now.  I have a "friend" who found me a condo to rent for a month.

But then somehow they didn't know that I would have a car and need somewhere to park.  So when I get here they tell me it's 400 pesos per day to park.  And security directs me to a parking lot more than .5 km away from the building.  After my protest, they somehow managed to find me a spot in the building for 500 pesos.  Then the next day I got a spot in the building for 300 pesos per day for the remainder of my stay.

Then I get to the room.  I've been here almost a month now and the room has completely flooded 3 times.  The water is coming in through the sliding door to the outside where the balcony would be if there were a balcony.  You can see where they added some caulk of a different color along the seams, so they know about this problem.  The door actually rattles when the wind hits it.  IYou can see it moving a good 1/8 of an inch.  If you look a little closer there are also cracks that let the water in.  The kitchen cabinets are rotting along the bottom from this.  So it's been going on for quite some time.

I had typed out a lot more stuff about roaches and mold but somehow managed to delete it and I don't feel like typing it all out again.  So, if you're in Tagaytay don't even think about buying or renting at the SMDC Wind Residences.  There are structural issues.

There might be a few but in my experience every house/Condo I been in or visited here has at some point leaked. With all the directions the rain comes in during these storms it makes it difficult to keep out considering the way they build here. If it’s not coming from the ceilings then it comes through the windows or cracks etc.

seems locals just accept it as normal.

I may be repeating myself from previous posts.

Sept 8th would have been my 19th wedding anniversary, so my daughter in Tucson Arizona emailed me and asked how I was doing,

I decided to come clean with her about my living conditions. Soon I will be traveling back to the states and will be living with her, husband & grandson.

She has a four bedroom house, three bathrooms, a guest house & swimming pool. My grandson & girlfriend live in the guest house.

She contacted the US embassy in the Philippines, I guess to do a welfare check on me. The embassy has contacted me by email and wants to contact me by phone.

My daughter wants my travel to be safe, So she and her husband would  come to the Philippines to escort me back to the states. I really don't like the idea of them spending all that money.

So I broke the bad news to my sister-in-law and nephew that the plans have changed. I really feel bad for them, the plans we had would have improved their lives.

Also I had to break the news to our housekeeper who I was going to take with us.

My stepson does not plan on continuing her employment, so when I leave for the States I will give her 2 to 3 months severance pay. I really feel bad for her situation.

Things will be good for me but the disruption of the future lives of my sister-in-law, my nephew and his family and my housekeeper saddens me.

Many years ago visiting my daughter, drinking coffee outside and watching the sunrise over the mountains sure beats my view here.

We all move on Bob, sometimes many times, thing is that Filipino souls are extremely resilient and the change will make them move on also. Better or worse is up to them.

Hope it all works out for you and family back in the states and you continue a great life. I will suggest dumping the printer though and not having a go but 6 months ago we debated oil prices,,,,, still high and not 2 or 3 weeks.

Kick back with your new digs and stay in touch with the crew here. Take care mate.

Cheers, Steve.

@Enzyte Bob

FWIW, Considering all your posts you posted on your situation, my 2 Cents are your doing what is right and what needs to be done.

This solution sounds by far much better then all the other alternatives you were considering.

Glad it all worked out, enjoy the states and your family.