Boarding houses make a fortune for the Betawi people
Boarding houses make a fortune for the Betawi people
By Imran Rusli
JAKARTA (JP): Room and board. Just the space dedicated to it in the city's classified ads gives the two words a familiar ring. The Pos Kota daily, for example, runs an average of 40 ads a day.
Running a boarding house is the favorite income earner of Jakarta's indigenous Betawi because it doesn't require any special skills. No need to master English or computers.
It's a simple business. All you need is an empty space to partition into rooms and a monthly income of as high as Rp 15 million (US$6,666) is possible. That is equivalent to the salary of an executive working at a reputed private company. Is it surprising then that nearly all landlords make the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca?
The main customers are students, office workers and people who cannot afford the down payment on a house.
"The room and board business has flourished here since the opening of the National University," said Ucok, who own 14 rooms in Jatipadang, Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta.
The university opened a new campus in the area in 1980.
The same is true for locations near the University of Indonesia and Gunadarma Computer School in Pondok Cina, Depok. In West Jakarta, rooms can be found near the Trisakti and Tarumanegara universities in Tomang. In fact, practically every corner of the capital is a perfect site for the business, from the expensive rooms in Menteng and Kebayoran Baru to hovels near East Jakarta factories.
Reasons
Boarding houses mainly cater to people whose family homes are too far away from their work or school. They much prefer to rent a room than battle traffic.
Dina, a student at the Institute of Social and Political Sciences, prefers to stay near campus with her college friends. Her parents live in Rawamangun, East Jakarta. They own a car and, if she wanted to, she could commute to and from the institute every day.
"I like to be in the neighborhood of the university. Here I can be with my friends any time. It's easier to discuss lessons or arrange a program," she said.
Mia, a student of the University of Indonesia, shares her view.
"It's much more practical. It's near school. This way, I maintain my health and keep my mind fresh. My energy and emotions aren't zapped by long distance trips," Mia said.
"Boarding costs are usually less than the cost of traveling from home to school. Not to mention the fatigue that comes from daily commuting. Going home is usually reserved for Saturdays and Sundays," commented Dewi, a student at Gunadharma Computer School. She is boarding with 8 friends in a big house 200 meters away from their campus.
Inneke and Donna, two employees of a foreign airline office in Chase Plaza in South Jakarta, share a room for practical reasons.
"We don't mind although the rent is now Rp 400,000 a month. We split the rent which includes the telephone, laundry, ironing, the use of the disc antennae and privacy bills," said Inneke.
Hendro, who works for a private bank and is renting a room in Duren Tiga, South Jakarta, has a more specific reason for boarding.
"Rooming makes me independent and mature. It teaches me to organize my life and cope with every day problems," he insisted.
The bachelor has many friends in Jakarta, even a rich brother.
"I cannot stay with them. There are too many formalities and rules. I really can't stand that," he said, letting slip the real reason.
The monthly boarding rate depends on the location, type of building and facilities.
A clapboard house near a foul sewer that has some electricity, a well, an open lavatory for 10 families, a collective kitchen, and is far from any main road, is available for Rp 30,000 a month per person. On the other hand, if a boarding house is close to office blocks, a university, main roads, or business and shopping centers, the rent will be over Rp 80,000 a month per person.
A 2 by 1.5 meter room with plywood walls, a toilet, a telephone and a general sitting room, goes for Rp 150,000 a month per person in Bendungan Hilir.
"It's hard to stand up in the room," complained Dwiki, who works for Bank Central Asia.
"My rates are high because the rooms, measuring 4 by 4 meters, have ceramic floors; are spacious, air-conditioned, each has a bed, wardrobe, private entrance, a bathroom furnished with a bath tub and hot, cold running water. The toilet and kitchen are indoors with their own private doors, a large parking lot, a terrace to receive visitors, not to mention the television with the disc antenna, laundry, ironing and meals. At Rp 800,000 per month, I think it's quite reasonable," Mrs. Anna, a landlady in Kemang, touted.
Student lodgings are generally priced at Rp 80,000 per month. In Pondok Cina, this means a furnished room, with a bed without mattress, a table, a chair and wardrobe. For the same price in Jati Padang, you get a totally empty room and restricted use of electricity and water.
"Water is on between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., and again from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Electricity goes off at 6 a.m. and is on again at 6 p.m. At 9:30 p.m. the gate closes. Not even a ghost is allowed to visit after that hour," said Santi, a student of National University and a boarder on Jalan Ketapang in South Jakarta.
Sex
Living in a boarding house isn't always fun. "You'll be unlucky if you get a landlady who is fussy about water, electricity, music or visitors. It makes you feel as if you have never paid. They seem to forget that we pay our rent," said Dina.
"I was once scolded by my landlady because my mother arrived from the village and stayed with me for more than three days. She said that this had increased the electricity bill and that we were running out of water. I got very angry. She could have said it in a better way if she had wanted more money instead of in abusive words. After all, it was my mother!" said Yanti, who boards in Karang Pola, Pasar Minggu.
Some young girls prefer staying away from home because of their promiscuous lifestyles.
In Jatipadang, for instance, some boarders become glamor girls once the sun goes down. Their clothes and embellishments obviously run into the millions of rupiah, the stuff on display in expensive department stores. The girls carry cellular phones and frequently change rich partners who fetch them in cars that cost hundreds of millions of rupiah. The next day they are plain students again.
"Some of them still receive money from their villages. I know that the amount wouldn't cover half the price of a miniskirt, the popular attire of these girls when they relax at home," said Ucok shaking his head.
Many house owners state in their ads that they will only accept "good people". Nurmi, who runs a house in Jatipadang, makes his boards sign a contract.
"If I don't do it this way, I might land in trouble," said Nurmi, who charges Rp 80,000 a month for each of his 24 rooms.
The agreement states that male visitors are not allowed in the rooms and that visiting time ends at 9 p.m.