After surfing residential Facebook groups for apartments in the city’s center looking for daily or hourly houses, we quickly received responses to our inquiries with details of different kinds of apartments with prices, location and area. Many owners supply all the necessary furniture for those who are in need, as well.
Prices rated in USD
In such places with apartments for rent as Vinhomes Central Parks, Saigon Pearl (Binh Thanh District), Novoland (District 4), etc., we receive many price offers in USD. For example, the price of an apartment with one bedroom is at 45 USD/day, 2 bedrooms, 55-60 USD/day, three bedrooms at 80 USD/day. The rental price of an apartment with one bedroom in District 3 is around 35-45 USD/day.
With a shared room apartment, the price is at about 25 USD/day. The hourly rental fee is cheaper but still not less than 20 USD/2 hours. In District 2, rental prices of hi-end apartment areas, such as Masteri Thao Dien, Thao Dien Pearl, are lower than those in Binh Thanh District.
An apartment in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City for short-term rent
According to Hoang My, sales staff of a re-renting apartment company in the city’s center, after acquiring an apartment at reasonable price, the company re-decorates the apartment and leases it depending on the customer’s demand. Monthly occupancy rate accounts for 60-70 percent of apartments, the rest is for short-term lease, for daily or even hourly.
Not subject to current regulations
According to Le Hoang Chau, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association, people using apartments for short-term, even for hourly rental, is a form of conflict somewhere between homestay and hotel service. Though new, it is quite popular in recent time. At present, the Housing and the Real Estate Laws haven’t had regulations regarding the issue.
Chau said it violates the Housing Law of leasing a normal apartment for hotel service purposes. Apart from this, it will not ensure social order and security for residents in the area if an apartment is used as a hotel. “The association will ask management agencies to issue appropriate guidelines,” Chau said.
Facts have shown that many people rent a daily apartment to use drugs or gamble, in turn annoying the nearby residents and having to be dealt with by police.
In another perspective, Phan Cong Chanh, a real estate expert said there is huge demand to fill up space by apartment owners. They invest while short-term tenants are in high demand, therefore expecting to increase their income. "The problem is that when renting by day or by the hour, there will be outside guests living in the residential area, including foreigners. In this form of business, they must be registered and declared with the local authorities by the landlords. If there is any problem, the landlord has to take responsibility. In fact, house sharing websites charge fees from the landlords for this reason but they do not pay taxes for the estate," Chanh acknowledged.
