Ms. JIANG Yingyun, Iris
(Full-time Postgraduate MSc Finance)
Residence Location: Contended Living, Mong Kok
Rent: $5,100 including all utilities
The moment after I made up my mind to enter
university in Hong Kong, there is something that added
burden to my self-financed study – the soaring housing
prices. Because of this, I have started making
preparations two months before semester started, so
that I know what to expect in case the rental prices
continue to surge.
First of all, with no doubt, annual rental cost in coming
semesters is something that students care most about.
Many students tend to compare different apartments
by their rental prices and utility areas. However, due to
different room types in different locations and the ages
of the buildings, rental costs could vary A LOT.
Therefore, my advice is that before you rent or look for
an apartment, you could browse the websites of some
housing agencies. From those websites you can learn
the statistics for unit prices in previous months or the
price needed at the same period a year earlier (e.g. cost
/ square feet). In addition comparing to your own
budget, you can roughly calculate the approximate cost
needed for an apartment in an appropriate location at
a reasonable price. Hence, you can then avoid the
chance of meeting agencies that may increase your
rental cost for no reason. Also, note that Hong Kong
housings use square feet as units, which is different
from the square meter we are familiar with in China
(100 square feet = 9.290304 square meter). Moreover,
Hong Kong houses are usually unfurnished. Therefore,
when you plan
and calculate
your rental budget, remember to include the money
needed to purchase furniture. Some students might
prefer to rent a furnished flat. However, the rental
costs of such flats may go up to 500-1000 HKD. So it is
still recommended to purchase your own furniture
after you rent a vacant apartment.
Moving on, choosing a decent environment and
location to live in is also relatively important. It is best
to have your apartment no farther than three to four
MTR stations away from school. In this way, it would
be more convenient for you to travel to and from
campus, and also saves you the transportation fees.
However, if you want to choose a more remote location, it is best to have bus stations or MTR
stations near your flat.
When talking about finding a roommate, there are many different channels you could try to
seek for one. You can go online, such as bbs.gter.net, gangpiaoquan.com, 8now.com and
other forums available. You can even find one who shares the same major and study you have.
In this way, you and your roommate could help each other out on homework and assignments,
and other academic issues. Also, some graduate students will also make use of such forums
to sell their second-hand furniture. Most of them are low in price, which can also save you
loads of money.
Students who prefer off-campus accommodation usually seek advice from property agencies.
If you are one of them, I suggest you to prepare yourself by paying attention to housing news
and prices in Hong Kong, and search for more housing agency options. Then, around a month
before semester starts, you should visit Hong Kong once – with your roommate, or, by yourself.
Find a property agency in the district you want to live in, and look through all possible
apartment options within a day or two, and have the contract and deposit all set. This process
does not take much time since property agencies usually allow you to sign your contract
immediately after you make up your mind. You do not really need to spare a lot of time in
advance. One thing to add is that it is best to check all the water pipes, toilets, heaters and
etc. to see if there are any leakages or things that do not work properly.
About the place I am now staying at:
I noticed the information of my accommodation from
SRO’s off-campus accommodation messages. The
apartment I am living in now belongs to Contended
Living, a rental company specializing in student
accommodations. Their website shows clear photos of
different accommodating options. And since I was
working before school started, I never came to Hong
Kong in advance to check out the flats. Therefore, after
some decision-makings by merely looking at those
photos, I chose this accommodation in Mong Kok. It
consists of three bedrooms and one dining room, in
which I share the place with four other classmates.
Even though the rental cost is a bit higher than average,
I think it is worth it. The flat is newly renovated,
furnished, including Wi-Fi connections, water and
electricity bills – in a whole package. We also get to have housekeepers clean up the
apartment once every week. It is indeed a decent choice to me as the rental cost is still
somewhat within my budget. Mong Kok belongs to the downtown area in Hong Kong. Our
apartment is right next to the road, even though it is somewhat noisy at night, it is good to
have convenient transportation around, making my life in Hong Kong much easier.