One of the main concerns in the relocation process is "what kind of home can I expect?" Sallmanns Residential, a Hong Kong-based company that offers extensive support and assistance to corporate and individual clients during relocation, provides an overview of the process.

Hong Kong offers a huge variety of types, sizes and amenities in housing, and as in so many aspects of life, the critical factor that governs choice is budget. This means that the first thing that needs to be established is exactly what allowances and reimbursements are included in the financial package offered by the employer for your new position.

In the past, the vast majority of expats arrived in Hong Kong with a basic salary plus an abundance of additional items paid for separately by the company. These could include rent, school fees, annual air fares, utility costs, medical care and repatriation costs. Senior personnel would also have a car and driver provided.

Nowadays, many companies prefer to include these allowances in an all-in "umbrella" package, thus saving administrative costs and leaving employees to make their own arrangements. Increasingly, they also ask employees to take out a personal lease, thus reducing the workload for the human resources department. However, it is still accepted practice to receive a one-off additional relocation allowance to cover the cost of removals, fees, deposits, fitting-out and so forth.

Newcomers to Hong Kong are not advised to buy property on arrival. It is usually assumed that your stay here will be for a limited number of years and the financial advantages of purchasing can take several years to become viable. Also, it's tough choosing a home here. The thought that it's only a rental, and that you can move easily in a couple of years if you get it wrong, is indeed a comfort.

In due course, if you stay long enough and market conditions suit, you may think about buying your own home, or even a smaller investment property to let out, but on first arriving, play safe and rent until you understand Hong Kong thoroughly.

One of the prime reasons for the high cost of sale and rental property in Hong Kong is a simple matter of supply and demand. There is a vast number of people wanting to live on a severely restricted area of land. On Hong Kong Island the natural shoreline provides only a narrow strip of relatively flat land, which leads to soaring, steep hills. And while there has been a huge amount of reclamation of coastal bays, this is chiefly for mass housing projects and therefore does little to relieve expat housing problems!

So please be prepared to live in smaller homes, with little or no outdoor space. This may seem like a significant lifestyle change, but rest assured that thousands of families before you have made the adjustment, and gone on to live here most happily for many, many years!

And there are significant compensations. You may have a truly stunning sea view instead of a front yard, and you'll meet extraordinary people from many walks of life, all with stories to tell. You'll travel to exotic and wonderful places, and your children will learn so much more about life than a school can ever teach them.

Temporary accommodation
Take your time looking for suitable housing - your belongings may well take several weeks to be shipped anyway - and there are so many factors to consider. Options for temporary accommodation are:

Hotel accommodation
Hotel standards are very high in Hong Kong. Many hotels offer long-stay packages with special weekly or monthly rates and extras such as discounted laundry, free use of facilities and some meals.
Serviced apartments
Families often prefer to take serviced accommodation, which usually provides a separate sitting area and small kitchen and can be more homely than a hotel for a period of a month or so. Our serviced apartment guide has several apartments listed in it, with enquiry forms and websites for dozens of apartments in Hong Kong.

You need to consider the distance from school, work and shops, and what amenities or recreational facilities are offered. Reservations should be made as far in advance as possible, especially if you are coming in the peak tourist and conference months of April to May and October to November.

Leave flats/short-term furnished apartments
Some expatriates are required to leave Hong Kong for lengthy periods, but do not want to pack up their homes. They may sub-let their flats (usually not allowed under the terms of a tenancy agreement!) which provide a more comfortable and spacious alternative to a hotel or serviced apartment.

Sallmanns Residential is a dedicated personal service company offering extensive support and assistance to corporate and individual clients in their relocation to Hong Kong. For more information see http://www.sallmannsres.com/about/index.html

Sallmanns Residential provides services for

• The corporate executive who needs to be functioning in his role within the company as quickly as possible. 
• The executive's wife and children who have to face new challenges in their lives in adjusting to the new environment.
• The human resources department which deals with the details of the relocation.