Options to consider for apartments in Ciputra Hanoi to rent

Renters Beware, What you see may not be what you get! You get into the cute little golf cart and they race through the parking lot as you travel to the (model) apartment. The place looks great, the price is right and you think to yourself this is wonderful.

Not so fast my friend, you may not get what you have seen and what you have not seen. I was moving from another state back to where I was five months earlier. I was on the Internet and wow this place was wonderful. The pictures were great. Oh, a spa/jacuzzi for me to soak in. Two pools. Free coffee at the office anytime I want it. Gated community and so much more, and the rent was just fine. Not expensive and not cheap. Near where I lived before I left. I asked a friend, go rent it for me please. Done.

Now comes the truth. I get my keys from the new roommate who I find out later didn’t put my info on the lease. I will get to the office as soon as I can to pick up an application and get the paperwork in. Asked questions and had answers but she lied to get me to sign…only two years back on anything you answer. Ok, paperwork is in and we are now legal. Approved.

Now the apartment. I don’t know what this roommate was on but I can tell you he was blind or drunk when he rented this, first off the cabinets don’t match the doors. And the doors are all damaged around the edges like water damage. The bathroom cabinet is water damaged and falling apart. They put plaster on the walls to cover all the holes but it shrunk so now there are dents on all the walls. The carpet is new but not installed right so it looks funny, not stretched right? Paint over-spray everywhere, on the cabinets and mirrors in bathroom.

I check the spa at the pool area near the apartment and it is the same temperature as the pool. I go to the office and ask? Is the spa broken, oh yes and it will take time to fix because it is really expensive to fix but should be fixed in a month or so for sure. Well it’s March and this is Hanoi so I guess if it’s fixed by June thats fine. Front Gates to the community don’t work and anyone and everyone with a car or on foot can enter. Back gates are broken and holes are everywhere in the fences.

Now we have dumpsters everywhere. Then a few months later they take out the dumpsters and we get a compactor. One for 31 buildings, and it has a step? What about those who are handicapped and can’t get up it with a walker or wheelchair? A four foot lift to chuck it into the opening? Finally, I droped the offers and chose a professional Hanoi real estate agency and guest what, I easily found my Ciputra apartment exactly what I imagined before.