Monday, January 7, 2008

Renting in Cairo

The only other time that I have ever lived in a rented house in my life, is when my husband and I were living in Saudi Arabia. And that really spoiled us-the best of appliances, good furniture and above all hassle-free maintenance, just a phone call away! But renting an apartment in Cairo is a different ball game -as we realized within a couple of days of moving into our apartment in Mohandissen. We must have told ourselves countless number of times–“Wish we had checked on this before” or “Wish we had insisted that the landlord take care of this before we move in”! Here are a few tips so that you don’t have to utter these words!

Bathrooms- The plumbing scene in Cairo is really bad, the pipes are very old and most of the work has been done in a very haphazard way. Flush the toilets, make sure there is no leakage and the WC tank fills up after the flush. It is important to check the water pressure, especially if you are renting an apartment in a high-rise building. Showering with only a trickle of water coming through is definitely not enjoyable. During the winters, Cairo gets really cold-you will need hot water in the bathrooms, so check that the heater actually works.

Kitchen -Fill up the kitchen sink with water and make sure that the water drains out. Or be prepared for the following scenario-you are in the midst of washing a sinkful of dirty dishes and the water just refuses to drain out, it is late evening and you can’t get hold of any plumber or the landlord/landlady (you will want to pack your bags and run away:-)) . Again make sure that the sink has hot water.

Appliances-Check whether all the appliances are provided. Most of the apartments here come equipped with a refrigerator, cooking range, washing machine and in most cases a dishwasher. If you want any additional appliances or you want any of them changed, the right tim to ask for it is before you sign the lease papers. I have not seen a microwave provided with any house. You might want to confirm that the washing machine is fully automatic and the dishwasher actually works! Air conditioners and heaters-make sure they are in working condition, you will need them.

Cupboards -Make sure that the doors of the cupboard close securely-Cairo is very dusty. Also, if you are planning on hiring domestic help, it is advisable that some of your cupboards have locks.

Telephone: Pick up the instrument and check for a dial tone, maybe even dial a number to ensure that the phone actually works. If you intend using the internet at home, a working phone is essential.

Fittings and fixtures-Wires hanging out of sockets is a common sight in most of the apartments in Cairo-they can look ugly as well as be dangerous. Insist that they be taken care of. Check the electrical outlets-you can plug in the charger of your mobile phone to check whether the sockets are working. Most of the apartments here have huge chandeliers. Switch on all the lights to make sure that all the bulbs are working.

Parking space-Concrete, concrete all around and not a place to park! To get a parking space in Cairo is virtually impossible-the two lane streets here resemble a one-way street because of the cars that are packed on either side! If you are going to self-drive your car, then you may want to ensure that the apartment comes with a designated parking space. Or you could be wasting a lot of time driving around, looking for a parking space; if you are lucky enough to get one, then it may be a considerable distance from your house and also not safe.

If you are particular about cleanliness, please insist that the house, especially the bathrooms and the kitchens be cleaned completely to your satisfaction, before you move in. The cooking range and the oven need to be inspected carefully; it could take you ages to get rid of the grease or just insist on a new one!

There is no such thing as "later" in Cairo....whatever you need to take care of...you need to do it before signing on the dotted line!

2 comments:

Canadian in Egypt said...

Well well - sounds like personal experience and great post. I have tried to warn of such things in my posts, and your post is ceative and excellent of more persoanl things that i missed. But have yet to do the NOISE factor which is endemic in Cairo as Egyptians love NOISE - so it seems. I will post soon on other criteria to watch out for when renting. In mean time readers can see other issues to be aware of in my previous post. Not sure how to make a link.

I am adding you as blogger I follow on mine.

Any way her is link http://sphinx-egyptexpat.blogspot.com/search/label/property%20rental

Sanks said...

Hey Darell, thanks a ton for your positive comments on the post. Most of it is personal experience....had a tough time initially . Will definitiely check out your post.