Online Housing Search: Hotel & Monthly Rentals [SE Asia]

Housing
By Gems Of Travel
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In This Post

You can find an apartment either online or offline.  This post discusses finding one online.

For offline searching, see post -> “OFFLINE Rental Housing Search SE Asia: Method + Strategy“.

CONs

  • Cost : Online listings are more expensive – OFFLINE search results are cheaper.  As mentioned in another post, Airbnb’s absolute lowest monthly price filter is set to $150.  Of course, listings are always above the lowest price, which is much more expensive than a similar place that you can find offline.  This cost does come at a convenience, though.
  • Site Unseen : You are committing to a place/area without having seen it in person.  Not always a bad thing, but…  Having a sense for the area, where it is located, what is around (shops, eateries), and layout of the building you will stay within is a good thing to have.  Southeast Asia can be less formal than America, Europe, and UK.  And because of this, online listings don’t always match your expectations, especially if you are new to Southeast Asia.  Western expectations can certainly be met in Southeast Asia – luxury apartments with Western amneties are plenty.  But, until you see a place in person you can never be sure exactly what you will get.
  • False Listings (potentially) : This includes listings that are 1) misleading and/or with pictures that do not match the rental and 2) re-post listings by agents used as click-bait to get you to see other rentals.

Tip

To reduce the downside risks, employ strategies as posted in post, “Rentals | Hotels: Get the BEST Room & Location (w/ Flexibility)“.

PROs

  • Easy & Convenient : Online search and booking is a a lot less effort.
  • Expectations : Online listings provide an idea of what is available and what to expect in a rental – furnishings, prices, and amenities.
  • Location : Online listings also provide locations.  You can use these locations as general target areas, where other similar rentals may be nearby.

Websites For Online Search By Country

All countries in Southeast Asia

Airbnb
Booking.com
Agoda.com
Facebook marketplace ?
Facebook groups ?

Tip

Booking websites (booking.com, agoda.com) allow you to (1) pay in cash/card at arrival or (2) pay upfront. 

Paying at arrival gives you flexibility for your travels, and also reduces the risk of fraudulent credit card charges.

Withdrawing cash at a secure ATM and paying with cash at arrival eliminates risk of getting fraudulent charges on your cards.  Canceling a credit card and having a new one sent to Southeast Asia is a pain.  *Spoil alert* It’s happened to us… more than once!

Country specific websites:

Cambodia 🇰🇭 -> Khmer24.com

Thailand 🇹🇭 -> (1) Hongpak.in.th/en (💥our top choice website), (2) Hipflat, (3) Renthub, (4) DDproperty

Laos 🇱🇦 -> n/a – no websites, sorry 😕

Vietnam 🇻🇳 -> Hoozing

Malaysia 🇲🇾 -> Mudah.my

Note

In Malaysia 🇲🇾, you will see postings such as “Indian tenant only”, “Chinese tenant only”, or “Muslim tenant only”.  Be prepared for that.

Airbnb In Southeast Asia PROs and CONs

PROs

  • Simplicity, for the most part.
  • Less effort to find & book.
  • Reviews – has a mostly trustable review system, but can be questionable at times.
  • Airbnb support (if you even need it).

CONs

  • Expensive compared to local prices : It is much more expensive that local prices.  Airbnb limits the minimum price to $150 / month, which raises the monthly cost drastically… A $70 / month room quickly turns into $180 / month room.
  • Hosts monetize the little things : The price is more expensive than local prices, but to take it further the host monetizes things like using the washing machine.  It feels like being “nickle-and-dimed”, squeezing us for more money.
  • Not being straight forward and hiding costs within the fine details : This is where the host notes within the Airbnb listing that you need to pay electric separately, based on your usage.
  • Questionable or fake reviews : This is where the owner has their friends stay there and review the place positively.
  • Fake Listings : This is more common than it should be, and we’ve read reviews for the property by travelers who got burned by the host.  If there are no reviews or the latest review is very old, then chances are that this is a fraudulent listing.  The host accepts your money, but does not respond to you at check-in time, leaving you on the street.  You are in front of the property, but no-one is there and seems empty.  Not sure how Airbnb allows this to happen, but it does happen.  In this case, you should be entitled to a refund.

Warning

Airbnb:  It is common in some listings to see that the landlord will charge you a water fee and electricity fee for monthly Airbnb bookings, separate from the payment made via Airbnb. The payment is made directly to the landlord – outside of Airbnb – based on you usage of these utilities.

A notice for this is found somewhere on the listing, and it catches many Westerners off-guard as we are not accustom to this practice. 

*WARNING* some Airbnb hosts will try to extort you and claim that you must pay for electric, separate from the booking cost.  If there is no mention of this on the Airbnb listing, then DO NOT PAY THESE bad-behaving hosts!  Do not put up with this behavior.

Communicate only through Airbnb about these extra costs, and file an issue with Airbnb customer support to inform them about the host’s claims to pay for electricity separately.

Also, the Airbnb host may be forceful about having you pay 1 month’s worth of a deposit.  Again, not acceptable!  The word “extort” here is used, because it is a bully tactic to squeezy you of money.  It’s not right.

Unfortunately, due to culture difference, many Westerners cave to this practice throughout the entire tourist industry, often times due to erroneous threats and fear tactics.  Thus, the locals become more bold and aggressive in regards to their business practices.  Keep in mind that the local police may not help you, however Tourist Police will help and have been formally setup in Thailand and Cambodia.  Keeping record of the incident is recommended.  And, you should consult & inform Airbnb and/or your travel insurance if you have it.

This is strictly a problem on Airbnb.

Other Online Search Methods

People talk online.  Message boards, chat forums, and Facebook groups are places where people provide names of the accommodation where they stayed.  It takes some digging to get the information, but it certainly is worth reaching out online for recommendations.

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