Spacious | Finding a place in Taipei

The smaller expat community of Taipei means little sources of rental information for foreigners looking for a place in Taipei. Finding a place in Taipei can be cumbersome but also relatively easy. Finding a place through realtor agents may cost you an extra month of rent paid as commission. The suggested method is to walk around little alley communities in Taipei to look for flyers and bulletin boards near parks or to search online listings that could put you in direct contact with the landlords. Few vocabs should be learnt to be on top of the housing deal or win a good bargain.

Zu (租) is the Chinese word for to-let or rent. A flyer or a poster with this word should be a clue that you are searching for.

Gong Yu (公寓) is the Chinese word for apartment which means a one bedroom place. A GongYu could also come with a kitchen.

Ding Lou Jia Gai (頂樓加蓋) is a rooftop addition on-top of the an apartment building and is typically cheaper could also be illegal.

Ya Fang (雅房) is a shared dormitory complex that may require the toilet and kitchen to be shared.

Fang Zu (房租) is the monthly rent fee paid by the tenant.

Ya Jin (押金) is a deposit amount paid by the tenant.

Ding Jin (定金) is a down payment paid by the tenant before the contact to lock-in a deal.

The best option is to consult a local friend in search for better deals; however, in lack of such connections, one could also use online house listing portal such as Spacious to understand the expected market prices.