Harbourfront/view Serviced Apartment Questions

[Mitsubachi18]

Hi all! New to the board.

I'm moving to HK this June and was talking to people at Harbourfront about getting an apartment. It seems like every time someone different talks to them, they are given a different rate.

I'll only be making 18k/month, so it is important that I get a fairly good rate.

I was wondering if anyone has been able to negotiable down the price of these apartments or if anyone has some advice (I know almost no one gets the advertised special rates of 9k)

At this point I'm not sure if it would be better to play the--I'm a young, American girl who is graduating college so I have no savings yet card …. or to try to have a native Hong Konger try to negotiate for me


Any advice would be much appreciated!

[Fatelvis]

I doubt they would negotiate with anyone, but asking a local to help you is worth a go. Their stance seems to be "take it or leave it".

A lot of people seem to think the management at HF and HV are unreasonable but this kind of attitude is common all over Hong Kong and probably a lot of large urban cities where space is a premium.

You're right about the rates being above the advertised starting rate. There's probably one or two places at that price and the rest higher. I had a place on the 18th floor, city facing for 14900. So perhaps it's possible to get something on a lower floor for 12? It's still a large part of your monthly salary.

[Maracas Bay]

I've heard it's pretty expensive there too. But then again, that's a fact of life in HKG. How long will you be staying in HK? Can you commit to a 1-year rental agreement? Might be better to rent a semi-furnished studio instead of a serviced apt since your budget is quite small. Serviced apts tend to be pretty pricey but there are loads of studios for rent which should be fine for a single gal. Where is your office located?

[Mitsubachi18]

Thanks for the answers so far guys!

I'm only planning on staying one year (possibly extending it to two if I really like it!)
which is why I don't want to spend money shipping anything over, even bedding and towels start to weigh a lot which is why I wanted to get something serviced--I wouldn't pay extra for maid service and whatnot.

I have looked at a few studios and 1 bedrooms, but most are about the same price as HF's 2 bedrooms haha. A lot of the studios I've found don't have full kitchens, or they have a "kitchen" but it's a microwave and a mini fridge. I plan to do most the cooking to help cut costs (and will be having family over a lot cooking as well).

My fiance is moving with me, so he'll be splitting the cost of the rent. However--he has not found a job yet in HK, so we're trying to find someplace low incase I need to cover the rent until then (which hopefully won't take too long to find a job once we arrive!)

In actuality my half of the rent would be about 7-8k out of the 18k I'll be making.

[Mitsubachi18]

Also-- I don't have an exact location yet, but it's going to be somewhere around NP or Fortress Hill that I'll be working.

[Zenon]

With your budget I'd forget serviced apartments all together. I'd look at something on Lama Island.

[saigel]

Hi all! New to the board.

I'm moving to HK this June and was talking to Réseau des produits de Mécanisme la chine- Plateforme d'affaire avec la Chine-Saigel France,Pièces de voiture,Produits de soin de voiture,Moteur d'auto,Pneus de moto,Transmissions de moto,Alarme de voiture,Filtrer,essuie-glace,Bobineuse,Film machine at Harbourfront about getting an apartment. It seems like every time someone different talks to them, they are given a different rate.

I'll only be making 18k/month, so it is important that I get a fairly good rate.

I was wondering if anyone has been able to negotiable down the price of these apartments or if anyone has some advice (I know almost no one gets the advertised special rates of 9k)

At this point I'm not sure if it would be better to Réseau des produits de la chine- Plateforme d'affaire avec la Chine-Saigel France,Pièces de voiture,Produits de soin de voiture,Moteur d'auto,Pneus de moto,Transmissions de moto,Alarme de voiture,Filtrer,essuie-glace,Bobineuse,Film machine de souffla the--I'm a young, American girl who is graduating college so I have no savings yet card …. or to try to have a native Hong Konger try to negotiate for me


Any advice would be much appreciated!

You're right about the rates being above the advertised starting rate. There's probably one or two places at that price and the rest higher. I had a place on the 18th floor, city facing for 14900. So perhaps it's possible to get something on a lower floor for 12? It's still a large part of your monthly salary.

[Mitsubachi18]

With your budget I'd forget serviced apartments all together. I'd look at something on Lama Island.

Unfortunately Lamma is just too far/inconvenient. We'll be spending most of our time in the Tsuen Wan area when not at work.

[MandM!]

Why would you ship over furniture and bedding? Buy new when you arrive.

Good luck finding an apartment. The online prices are fake to lure you in and then they raise them. Doesnt really matter if you are local or not, but maybe locals are more used to asking for a cheaper price than a foreigner.

Why do you say you are working near Northpoint and hanging out in Tsuen Wan? Do you have friends here?

What work are you doing? 18k is severly underpaid, you should negotiate more salary. After you take out MPF and travel fees, well you only have enough to eat instant noodles.

[cyw]

Considering your salary, be aware that whatever price HF or HV may set for the first 6 months rental agreement, they are well known for increasing the rent for the second 6 months, if you don't want to move to another place. Could be worthwhile thinking of other areas closer to the Tsuen Wan area.