[kyojee]

Hi all, I would be relocating with my husband to Hong Kong in a few weeks. The company would be providing more than a month of accommodation for us, whilst we do some apartment hunting. Am contemplating looking for an apartment myself, without an agent, reasons being I have had 2 terrible experiences with my previous agents (twice bitten, thrice shy I guess ) and I feel I have ample time this time round to look around and possibly save some fees.

One thing I've noticed from the websites I've came across is that most apartments are marketed by agents and not by owners themselves. I guess I would still be represented by the landlord's agent if I rent any of these apartments? Appreciate any advice or experiences from folks who rented as independent tenants. Thanks in advance...

[Oldtimer]

Before an Agent shows you a flat , he/she will ask you to sign a form.
One of the clauses is that you agree to pay the agents commission.
So I do not see how you can avoid paying.

[blueagles]

when I first rented my flat, it was through an agent. when i renewed my lease, i dealt directly with the owner. the agent who helped me though was honest and very helpful.

there are some owners directly advertising their own flats here and in another forum. so you can deal directly with them.

the advantage of dealing with an agent is that they can show you a lot of flats compared to direct owner listings.

[beachball]

Originally Posted by kyojee

I guess I would still be represented by the landlord's agent if I rent any of these apartments?

Err no, the landlord's agent will still be representing only the landlord and at best helping you with some admin/logistics. Even your own agent cannot be assumed to be working for your interests most of the time, so I certainly would not trust the landlord's...

[kyojee]

Thank you so much for everyone's kind input. It's true that agents are able to show you to more apartments, and definitely true some agents do not work for your interests (I personally had bad experiences.) I'll give a go at working with landlords directly for 2 weeks, and if I can't find something suitable, I'll be looking around for someone I feel I can work with... Time, fortunately is on our side, so we don't need to rush things. Apartment hunting is funny somehow, you could take weeks, and sometimes, you get lucky and am able to find something in a day!