Originally, we were supposed to stay in our current place until the end of May. That gave us some time to plan, pack, and move slowly. But things changed quickly. We found a new rental apartment just a street away, and the current landlady agreed to return our May rent if we moved earlier. So, on April 10th, we signed the new rental contract and started moving right away.
We’re actually pretty fast at moving, and we’ll probably finish even before April ends. The current landlady didn’t rush us and even said it’s fine if we don’t finish in April and need to extend a little. That was nice… at first.
Then she asked if she could show the apartment to potential buyers. Honestly, I didn’t like the idea at all. Who puts a house up for sale while it’s still being rented, and without a clear time limit for the tenant? Taiwan really doesn’t protect tenants at all. It feels like we can be kicked out anytime, even if we always pay rent on time, never cause trouble, never get complaints, and keep the place spotless. And I mean spotless, even the visitors comment on how clean it is.
After we started moving, she asked again about letting people come to view the house. This time, though, she offered to return our April rent as well. I guess she’s really desperate to sell. Is it because house prices are dropping fast? As a salesperson, she probably knows it best. I recently saw data showing an average price drop of 6.6%, with the biggest drops in Tainan and Kaohsiung - over 10%! Sounds amazing, but still, I don’t think these houses are worth the money at all.
Our new place is freshly built, nobody’s lived in it before, and the community is still pretty empty. Sounds good, right? But new places come with their own problems. You’d think a new apartment would be perfect, but within days of signing the contract, we already found issues.
The landlords told us that the light under the kitchen cabinet wasn’t working and that someone would come fix it. Okay, no problem. But the workers said the wiring might be broken and the entire cabinet would have to be taken down to fix it, which takes time. Fine, I said I could live without that light.
But when I went to check things myself, I noticed a socket was hanging out, with exposed wires. The landlord said it was “just missing screws” and would be an easy fix. That’s when I started to wonder: is the socket even working?
I tested it - no electricity at all.
Turns out, it’s on the same line as the broken light. So no, it’s not an easy fix. And that’s the only socket I could use for appliances like a mixer or blender.
Actually, there is another socket at the back of a cupboard next to it, but there is a sink between the working area and the wardrobe, so I’m not willing to use an extension cord and risk putting myself in danger by using water and electricity side by side. When I’m using appliances like a blender or mixer, I also need water, for example to clean things, so it doesn’t make sense to set it up like that.
If I don’t use electricity in the kitchen, I’d have to prepare things in the living room, which is possible, but it comes with another problem: things could splash when I mix, and if the walls get dirty, we’ll be charged for that, which was mentioned in the rental. And honestly, all of this is happening because the house doesn’t function properly and the landlord rented it out without even checking if everything works!
Now I have to test all the sockets in the whole apartment to make sure the electricity actually works. Just one more headache.
To be honest, I’ve been in a bad mood for over a month now, and this just adds to it. Buildings in Taiwan are low quality, but sold for insane prices. The cost doesn’t match the quality at all. Low CP value. The longer I live here, the more I feel like not just the housing, but so many other things in Taiwan are frustrating. Also people aren't as great and friendly as many may think.
And yet, the government keeps spending money to promote tourism and attract foreigners to move here. Sure, for travel it might be fine (except the hotel prices... during holidays, they don’t just double, some rise by 900%. I’m not even joking... a few accommodations were fined recently for scamming people over the holidays!)
It often feels like money is the only thing people care about here. I don’t know… I used to really like living in Taiwan. But now? I’m just tired.
We already paid the deposit and first month’s rent for the new place, so it’s not easy to just walk away and find somewhere else. And time is tight, there’s simply no way we could find a new apartment and move everything again in such a short period. It really hits you how unstable life can be if you don’t own a home in Taiwan.
And speaking of owning a home - recently, the government raised the mortgage interest rates. So if you borrow money now, you’ll have to pay back even more. But why does it feel like people who’ve never owned a home are the ones being punished the most? It’s like the system is designed to protect investors who keep buying multiple properties, not first-time buyers or people who just want a stable place to live.
Honestly, the rules shouldn’t be the same for everyone. If someone already owns three or more properties (and yes, we’ve met plenty of people like that), are they really struggling financially? I doubt it. It doesn’t feel like prices will crash hard anytime soon. Even if they drop a bit, the already questionable quality of housing here will only get worse.
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