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16-08-2005, 02:24 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Wan Chai
Posts: 17
| |  1st Time Expats Moving to HK in Oct
Hello everyone
I am new to this site and indeed the whole forum concept so please bear with me!
My husband and I are moving out to HK in the beginning of Oct and are torn between taking out a lease in a place called Pacific Veiws Tai Tam or living in serviced apartments whilst we look for longer.
The reason I am reluctant to go straight to an apartment is because I have been advised that most HK leases are for 2 years with no break clause unless they are diplomatic break clauses whereby you are leaving the country or your job, and I do not want to be stuck with a place that I feel trapped in for 2 years after only 3 days of looking on a quick trip!
Can someone please tell me if this is really the case??
Thank you very much for your time
Emma | |
16-08-2005, 02:32 PM
|  | Resident Peacekeeper | | Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Pokfulam Age: 40
Posts: 10,763
| | | Yep, getting a serviced apartment for a couple of weeks or more while you look around and figure out where you want to live is probably the best choice. | |
16-08-2005, 02:35 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 462
| | | EmmaB (baby spice?)
Most leases are for 2 years but it depends on what you can negotiate. You may be able to negotiate a break clause after 1 year. However, I agree with KIA - best get a serviced apartment first - get to know HK - get to know what you are looking for and then take it from there. | |
16-08-2005, 02:44 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Wan Chai
Posts: 17
| | | unfortunately I have a few more years and a few less £££ than Baby spice - we just share initials !
Thanks for this, it was what my instinct was telling me but I was worried about letting an aprtment we both liked go, that first timers instinct that often traps you into a wrong decision but is difficult to resist!
Emma | |
16-08-2005, 03:36 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Sham Tseng Age: 33
Posts: 614
| | | Lara C
Hi
I too have just recently made the move to Hk and been faced with the whole 'find somewhere to live' drama and would highly reccommend the serviced apartment option at least for a short time so you have somewhere to go when you arrive and are not too pressured into accepting the first place that you see to live. I used moveandstay.com as a good starting point (its more of an introduction than booking service). We stayed at and would reccommend Hanlun Habitats however I believe serviced apartments are in very short supply at the moment so you should look into making a booking now.
Good luck with the move
lara | |
16-08-2005, 04:14 PM
|  | Favorite Admin | | Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 1,640
| | | Pacific View is a really nice family complex. Do you have any kids?
Rani | |
16-08-2005, 04:20 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: HK Island Age: 29
Posts: 343
| | | Hi Emma,
I'd go the serviced apartment first for a look around. HK has so many different areas to live, its well worth spending some time in all of them before you decide to settle down in one of them.
Any particular reason you're looking at Tai Tam? As an expat it would be an interesting place to live - unless you have specific reasons for living there I'd rather live somewhere else.
Its a nice enough area, but:
** its mainly all HUGE apartment blocks. not much else in the way of bars or restaurants in that area (even foodbyweb doesn't deliver much out that way). I went there once for a look around and got kind of depressed. So many apartments, so few facilities, all packed into such a small area.
** not that there's anything wrong with it, but its very local - you wont' find too many expats out that way.
** good 40 minutes to Central, and either way you have to change trains. Same goes to TST, which is still half an hour away. This is a loooong travel time by HK standards.
On the up side, its close to Sai Kung and the New Territories countryside. Kowloon Tong / Pacific Place aren't too far away either for shopping.
Most places offer either one or two year lease. Even with two year lease you're really only tied in for one year. It has a break clause after that so you can leave with two months notice if you wish.
My advice would be to go into a serviced apartment first and have a look around. Go out to Tai Tam a few times, including trying to get there in the afternoon peak, so you can work out if its really for you.  | |
16-08-2005, 05:15 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 6,387
| | | I'm highly confused by the above post...
Pacific View, Tai Tam isn't served by trains so I don't understand the comment about changing trains to get to Central - you either get a bus or a taxi from Tai Tam to Central. TST is further away, and Pacific View is absolutely nowhere near Sai Kung or Kowloon Tong. Pacific Place is at least 20 mins in a taxi. It is also about as dense with expats as anywhere in HK. | |
16-08-2005, 05:18 PM
| | Resident Peacekeeper | | Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Pokfulam Age: 40
Posts: 10,763
| | | Blame it on alcohol or the lack of ... | |
16-08-2005, 05:29 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: HK Island Age: 29
Posts: 343
| | Quote: |
Originally Posted by KnowItAll Blame it on alcohol or the lack of ... | yeah lack of... is it STILL only Tuesday?
sorry, ignore everything i wrote. long day and I was thinking of Lam Tin instead of Tai Tam. easy mistake to make, right?
and for the record, i dunno the first thing about Tai Tam... | | Tools | Search | | | | | Rate This Thread | | | All times are GMT +8. The time now is 08:48 AM. | |
