Top 9 things to note when signing an apartment rental contract in Hanoi

An apartment rental agreement is one of the indispensable procedures when you want to establish a rental agreement in Vietnam. When you are a foreigner living in Hanoi, there will be many terms in the apartment rental contract you need to pay attention to.

Therefore, to avoid unwanted consequences, you need to carefully read the terms below before signing an apartment rental contract in Vietnam!

You need to carefully review the apartment rental contract to ensure your rights

Language 

Apartment rental contracts for foreigners in Vietnam are available in two main languages, English and Vietnamese. Because you are responsible for what you sign, make sure the contract is written in languages ​​you understand. On the other hand, if anything arises during the process of renting an apartment in Hanoi, the landlord or the government will base on the Vietnamese contract to handle it. Therefore, you need to make sure that the apartment rental contract of both the English and Vietnamese versions must have the same content. Fortunately, you can use Google Translate to check the contract content in Vietnamese with quite a high accuracy. However, if you feel that something is not clear, immediately contact consulting and apartment rental units in Hanoi such as Property Plus for more specific advice. 

Personal information

Currently, foreigners renting apartments in Vietnam often come from many different countries such as the UK, USA, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, etc. Therefore, the names and information of foreigners are often mistaken in the apartment rental contract because of the differences in language.

These mistakes can have serious consequences. Because these documents will be made in copies to submit to the local police and your country's consulate in Hanoi.

Personal information on the apartment rental contract must be 100% accurate

Therefore, you need to ensure that the personal information on the contract matches the passport. This will help you avoid legal troubles about renting a place in Hanoi when there is a correct adjustment on the apartment rental contract from the very beginning.

Term of apartment rental contract

The lease term on the contract is also one of those items that people often overlook. In particular, those who intend to rent long-term often do not consider much about the expiration time on the lease.

For example, you initially agreed to rent for 6 months but on the contract, it was stated 1 year. You think this mistake doesn't need to be corrected because you want to be stable for the long term. However, this may affect your benefits in the future.

Specifically, if you have an unexpected job and want to leave before the contract expires, you will lose a deposit. If the contract term is shorter than the original agreement, you may run into paperwork trouble in the area where you live without prior preparation.

House rent

When browsing news on apartment rental websites in Hanoi, you will see that the apartment rental price is in US dollars. This is a pricing method to help foreigners quickly calculate the cost in their familiar currency.

However, when signing an apartment rental contract in Vietnam, you should choose the option of paying rent in VND. Because paying rent in VND will help you avoid currency conversion fluctuations and keep the rent level fixed during the rental period.

Paying rent in VND will help you maintain a fixed monthly rent in Vietnam

Moreover, this is also the provision of Vietnamese law for the mandatory currency in types of apartment rental contracts in Hanoi and other cities. Therefore, whether you choose to pay the apartment rent in VND or USD, the contract must still state the rental price in VND.

Deposit 

As a rule of thumb anywhere, a refundable deposit is always required. Typically in Hanoi, the deposit that foreigners have to pay to rent an apartment is usually 1 month rent. In particular, after you have completed the apartment rental contract on time and there is no loss or damage during your stay, you will be refunded 100% of this deposit by the landlord. 

However, there will be a few terms related to the deposit such as having to notify the apartment 30 days in advance to receive a 100% deposit refund, etc. Therefore, you need to read these terms carefully before signing a contract or giving a proposal. Other arrangements are better suited to your circumstances. 

On the other hand, if you return the house before the end of the contract, you will lose this deposit entirely. However, for some landlords, you may be able to negotiate this further with them to avoid completely losing your deposit in an unexpected situation. 

Services and utilities included 

The most attractive feature of living in an apartment is the types of services and utilities that come with it. There are service items you need to pay extra fees to use or are included in the apartment rent. Therefore, you need to ensure that these benefits are mentioned in the scope of the apartment rental agreement in the most detail. 

Check out the list of included services when renting an apartment Specifically, below are some basic types of utilities that may be mentioned in the apartment rental contract. 

• Cleaning service (how many times/week) 

• Parking garage (How many cars for an apartment?) 

• Internet, TV Services (Free or Paid?) 

• Drinking water (How many bottles/month) 

• Swimming pool, gym,... (Is there an extra charge for use?) 

In addition, you should also consider the terms in the contract that allows guests to visit the house and use the apartment's public facilities. This will help you avoid inconveniences and conflicts later on with the management of the apartment's facilities. 

Utility bills

Compared to the electricity bill of separate houses, the electricity bill of apartments will have to pay 1.5 to 2.5 times higher. The reason for this difference is that apartment owners have to charge more for electricity used for common areas such as elevators, gyms, parking lots, lobby, etc. Usually, the electricity bills of apartments service will be charged about 3,500 VND to 5,000 VND/kWh. Therefore, you will have to pay about 1.3 million VND to 3 million VND/month (about 65$ to 130$/month) depending on the usage of the air conditioner.

Besides, the cost of living water is also something that you need to consider. For apartments, they include water in the rent. If you rent your own home, your landlord may charge you for water based on your usage. All of these things need to be mentioned in the lease so that you and the landlord can calculate all costs most transparently and transparently.

Payments

Most forms of house payment in Vietnam are in cash or by bank transfer. If you pay your rent in cash, it is important to get a confirmation of payment from the landlord to avoid conflicts when the landlord forgets to record your payment.

On the other hand, if you pay by bank transfer, make sure the bank account matches the name of the main account and the linked account listed on the rental agreement. This helps you avoid being taken advantage of by crooks to scam and lose money.

List of furniture

If you rent a furnished apartment, the landlord needs to have a list of the furniture listed in the tenancy of the condominium unit. Before signing the contract, you need to check whether the furniture is complete as listed on the contract or not.

Ensure all your rights before signing an apartment rental contract in Hanoi 

Do not hesitate to take photos and notify the homeowner of items that are defective or different from the description on the contract. This will prevent you from being held responsible or deducted from your deposit for damage or loss through no fault of your own. Hopefully, through the above sharing, you have obtained the necessary information for the process of negotiating an apartment rental contract in Hanoi to achieve the most benefits! 

If you need more advice on issues related to renting apartments in Hanoi, please contact Property Plus for 24/7 support right away!