A survey by Lao Dong Newspaper reporters shows that many rented rooms have small areas and limited amenities but are still offered for rent at high prices, far exceeding their actual usable value.
For example, a room of about 8m2 on Yen Hoa street (Cau Giay ward, Hanoi) is only equipped with a folding chair, without basic amenities, but is being offered for rent at 2 million VND/month. In addition to rent, tenants must pay an additional 200,000 VND fixed service fee per month and 4,000 VND/kWh electricity bill. Real-world observation shows that the room is quite cramped, the area is not enough to add a bed.
Mr. Duc (character name has been changed) - the landlord of the room, said that the previous tenants had lived here for about 5 years. According to him, right outside the room door, there is a small yard used for drying clothes and planting trees. When feeling that the space in the room is cramped, tenants can go to this area to sit.
Affordable boarding houses are increasingly scarce, while rent and arising fees put more financial pressure on many students.
Ngoc Anh - a student at a university in Hanoi, said that although she has gone to see many places, she realizes that many rooms have quality that is not commensurate with the money spent.
At a boarding house in the Cau Giay area, Ngoc Anh was introduced to a room with a very small area, only enough to fit a bed. The space is separated from the adjacent rooms by cardboard, tenants must share a toilet, but the landlord still offers a price of 1.6 million VND/month.
The closed rooms in the Cau Giay area that I researched almost all cost from 3.5 million VND/month. If you add electricity, water and service fees, the cost for two people can be up to about 5 million VND/month. For students, this is a fairly large expense," Ngoc Anh shared.
According to surveys, the price of rented rooms and mini-apartments around universities in Thanh Xuan, Cau Giay, Dong Da areas is still maintained at a high level. Rooms with air conditioning and basic furniture are being rented at prices from 3.5 - 6 million VND/month.
According to a landlord, from July to September every year, when students enroll and return to Hanoi, the demand for renting rooms increases, so cheap rented rooms will become even scarcer. In addition, many landlords have invested in upgrading facilities, so rents are unlikely to decrease.
Experts recommend that, at a time when the demand for finding accommodation is high, besides the price factor, parents and students when renting accommodation also need to pay attention to the convenience of travel, the security situation in the area and especially the conditions to ensure fire prevention and fighting safety.
