# Negotiating Rent



## canuck2010 (Jan 13, 2010)

Hi,

First post here, nice board, very informative.

I am helping a friend move to Egypt, she is currently negotiating her contract and is trying to find a place to live for March 1 (not much time!)

Anyway, she was in Cairo last week and found several nice apartments in Maadi degla area (her office will be in New Maadi), met several landlords, and they all seemed to be quite accommodating. I am just curious as to how much leverage the renter has at the moment. It seems like there is a large supply of apartments and that the renter has room to negotiate quite a bit.

Her budget is around $2000USD per month and she will be renting for 1-2 years (long contract). She saw one apartment that was $2500 and the owner said they liked her and would accept $2000 which to me seems like quite a big 'discount'. So what is the deal? Is there a huge over supply of apartments with unrealistic rents? Or are renters expected to chop off 30% when they negotiate?

Any other tips on renting in Cairo would be appreciated.

Thanks!


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Hi and welcome to the forum

Yes always negotiate, $2000 is a great deal to pay here so any landlord should be happy to get it. Egyptian landlords like expats as tenants. Tell your friend to make sure that she in not liable for repairs etc?

Maiden


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## cairo (Sep 6, 2009)

Good Luck to your friend 
negotiations always happen
and i think if she has a local friend he can do a better jon in negotiations


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## cairo (Sep 6, 2009)

its not a rule i had a flat that i rent in mohandiseen i put a price that i expect and i dont decrease 1 LE
however some land lords put higher prices than they expect in order to reach what they want after negotiations
Also 4 how long matters alot to land lord he can decrease the rent in order to ensure a longer period


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## Beatle (Aug 14, 2009)

canuck2010 said:


> Hi,
> 
> First post here, nice board, very informative.
> 
> ...



I agree with MS that $2000 is a lot for a flat. If she is taking out a long term rent, then she should be in a stronger bargaining position as well. The last two occasions I rented, I was on a wealthy street in Mohandiseen and paid $375 for a room in a flat sharing with two others (and the others obviously paid the same amount). It was a decent apt but we only rented by the month as we weren't sure how long we would all stay for, so the price reflected that.

I am not sure whether this is an over supply of apartments - my experience is that in the summer it can be really difficult to rent a decent flat due to the number of Gulf Arabs who stay in Cairo. At this time of year, it should be easier for those looking to rent. 

I agree with Cairo in that if you/your friend knows any Egyptians, it usually helps to take them with you to negotiate.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Yes gulf Arabs always push the rent up in the summer but Ramadan will be early in September and that will reflect on gulf tourists, and of course next summer August so there will be a great drop in gulf visitors and I would remind this to any landlord that I am trying to negotiate with. I know a chap that rents a flat for 10 months of the year and goes off to Spain for the summer as his landlady says she can get so much more rent from arabs in these two months.. wonder what she will do for the next five years!


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## Beatle (Aug 14, 2009)

MaidenScotland said:


> Yes gulf Arabs always push the rent up in the summer but Ramadan will be early in September and that will reflect on gulf tourists, and of course next summer August so there will be a great drop in gulf visitors and I would remind this to any landlord that I am trying to negotiate with. I know a chap that rents a flat for 10 months of the year and goes off to Spain for the summer as his landlady says she can get so much more rent from arabs in these two months.. wonder what she will do for the next five years!


I have never understood why the Gulf Arabs head to Cairo anyway during the summer. I understand that it's hotter in the Gulf but the pollution in Cairo during August is horrendous! Do the Gulf Arabs not head over to Cairo during Ramadan?


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

They come here because it is cooler and not all of them can get visas to the west.
Yes they do head here for Ramadan but you wont find as many of them here when Ramadan is in the summer months, the days are too long for them and too many muslims around to make cheating awkward 
I was talking to a FB guy at one of the big hotels(september) and he told me that the hotel had only got 60% occupancy because they had priced themself out of the market as far as arabs goes, he told me that for $5 more a night they could stay in their Paris hotel plus they are not being ripped off from the minute they land at the airport (the f&b guy is egyptian) and that things will only get worse in the next few years,


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## starchief (Dec 4, 2009)

We were once told by someone who worked as a broker to tell your agent exactly what you want and the price you can afford. It doesn't matter as to the rent advertised, as they are very much a ballpark figure. They just want it off their hands asap for any reasonable price.


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