Landlords posed a different problem in our search for an apartment. Apparently, some landlords in Taiwan do not report their rental income to the government and transactions are completed under the table.
This creates an issue for us because we need to use the apartment’s address on our Alien Resident Cards (ARCs). Public schools need to verify that the address on your child’s ARC falls within their service area, so this was a critical step.
But if an address is used on an ARC, this informs the government that the property is being rented out or has been sold. To avoid taxes, some landlords are unwilling to let you use their address for ARCs and school registration. You can avoid this issue if you agree to pay more (usually 10% extra) to cover the landlord’s taxes, but we wanted to avoid paying more if possible.
What surprised us though, was that landlords in Taiwan didn’t request paystubs or credit checks. This is common in the US and we were concerned this would be the case in Taiwan. Landlords do ask what our careers are, what we’re doing in Taiwan, and to see our “business cards” (we told them we don’t have any) but that was it. Rental contracts here require a 2-month security deposit which is pretty hefty, but as long as you can fork over the money you are qualified to rent.
Next up in our apartment hunting adventures: interesting apartment features!
Hongs Abroad 