Renting apartment in Penang?

[hermespan]

Please move to appropriate sub-forum. Apple app does not show suitable section.

I have lived in Chiang Mai and Phnom Penh and am going to try Georgetown or vicinity soon.

I found PNH moderate value, CNX good value but I am headed to PEN because I more comfortable there for many reasons.

My concern is finding and renting a local's working class standard 1-bedroom apartment - practical matters of lease, deposit, visa requirements, cost, security and amenities. I don't know how it will compare.

I am not in the millionaire's club so I won't be getting a retirement visa but instead sojourning there as an experiment. Mostly it's just a place to stash my many bags, to write and hang my hat. I will stay there only 6 months a year and I will be on perpetual tourist visas (apparently Malaysian Immigration doesn't care if you stay a million years as long as you leave every 3 months for five minutes.)

Most Penang rental ads are for the jet set fancy condos. Hey, I'm a budget. I am looking for very secure (bar gate), quiet, places away from audio advertising mosques are.

Comparing apples with apples (class, type, duration) are rentals the same, more or less than Chiang Mai, Phnom Penh, Pattaya etc?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[theoldgit]

Moved to SE Asia Forum.

[MrWorldwide]

It will be interesting to compare notes with you in ~6 months time, assuming Malaysia is to your liking. Given that I havent even stepped onto the plane yet, I'll leave it to soihok and others to advise you, but I suspect that you will find prices very similar to Pattaya - even BKK at the higher end. Interesting times for both of us.

[stuurman]

To get an idea of rents try http://www.propertyguru.com.my/

I live in Penang and think cost of living is substantial higher then in Thailand, about 20-30% I would say. That figure will go up next year when VAT on all goods is introduced.

I'm actually thinking of moving to Thailand, not because of that but because tensions between the Muslim Malay and the rest of country are getting higher.

When I arrived here 5 years ago I found Malaysia a moderate Muslim country, that is getting less and less. Most of it is politically driven by the ruling party who tries to be the defender of Muslim rights.

Because Penang is mainly Chinese and ruled by the opposition it's an easy target for the Malay populist right wing fractions, for example just a few weeks a go a church was firebombed.

Apart from the political/ethnic tension there is also a steep raise in crime. This added up makes Malaysia no longer the country where I want to live.

[MrWorldwide]

Once again, the grass is always greener - perhaps we'll all end up in Cambo.

[hermespan]

Do lanords care about one's visa status? I mean, if you have only a three month visa (having arrived by air) or a one month (having arrived by land or sea, do this cause any difficulty getting an apartment? I would think 'money talks', that if you jay three months at a time this would allay any fears that you might disappear, but I do not one the rental situation compared to Cambidua. It us also different here in Phnom Penh because getting a. 6-month or year visa is easy.

Where doess one get up to date chit chat online about living in Malaysia anyway? There is no subforum here and the few Malaysia blogs and forums I have found are family-oriented ("My husband works for a multi-national oil company. Where do I find a 4-bedroom condo with a pool, a private Christian school for my kids, and American TV dinners and a spa?" Discussions that really don't suit my bachelor life interests and budget.)

[stuurman]

Officially you can't rent without a proper visa but given the fact there is an oversupply of rental apartments (especially in the high end market) I doubt landlords will let go of a tenant if they found one.
Have you had a look at http://www.my2home.info ? This forum was set up to answer mm2h visa related questions but lots of other info can be found as well.

The Malaysia section on the British Expat forum can also be a good source to gather information http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=11c3ec659980ce04b816891f77952a14&f=148

Edited March 29, 2014 by stuurman

[MrWorldwide]

@stuurman, purely FYI, we aren't permitted to post links to other forums or blogs. FWIW, I suspect that hermespan will find that the majority of regulars on the Brit Expats forum only have good things to say about M'Sia, esp after they've been granted MM2H status. It's a total contrast to my Indo forum, where the regulars - incl many Indonesian and Indo-born-but-raised-elsewhere members - routinely wade into discussions about corruption and other issues with little or no restraint. The thought of living in Jakarta or Surabaya (or anywhere near Kuta ..) does nothing for me, but it's an eye-opener nonetheless.

End of the day, the only way to really test the waters is to get wet.

[stuurman]

@stuurman, purely FYI, we aren't permitted to post links to other forums or blogs.

Just trying to help and answer a question, feel free to report my post to the mods if you think it's not complying with forum rules.