Get what you paid for in your apartment

Get what you paid for in your apartment

There are rich pickings to be scooped up at present as
apartment prices plummet.

Expatriates and locals are turning to the comfort and
convenience of apartment living, which offers the added selling
point of security following the past year's numerous unrests.

Yet the old adage of "buyer beware" is still good to keep in
mind.

Most apartment owners run above-board operations and fulfill
their promises to tenants. But the few bad apples can spoil
apartment residents' dreams and turn them away from the idea of
living with their "head in the clouds".

As with all purchases, prospective buyers' best defense is to
check out the wares for themselves.

SPOT CHECK: Contact the marketing manager or apartment owner
to visit the apartment for yourself. Be attuned to their
attitude; are they helpful, show concern for your questions and
appear cooperative?

Pepper them with a few choice queries. What is the surrounding
area like? Has the area been a hot spot for trouble? What are the
neighbors like? Watch their reactions -- you may expect them to
gloss over the truth but sometimes they will give away telltale
details.

"I asked the apartment owner about what his neighbors were
like, and he was refreshingly honest," says John, an expatriate
who went apartment hunting earlier this year. "He told me that
there had been trouble with the neighbors' kids running and
playing in the hallway, but it was sorted out with the building
management."

He said the apartment owner scored points with him because he
was prepared to tell the truth.

"He didn't just fob me off by telling me that everything was
hunky-dory, and I felt that would bode well for our relationship
later on down the line."

SECURITY: A major concern of Jakartans today after all the
unrest and an upsurge of crime in the capital amid the economic
crisis. Of course, each of us has our own personal security
quotient.

Investigate the security system. Are there security guards in
the parking lots? Do they note the occupants of the vehicles when
they enter? Are regular patrols made of the grounds and parking
lots?

Evaluate the opportunities for illegal access. Are guests and
delivery people required to register? Can nontenants gain access
to the elevators without prior screening?

Some apartment complexes have sophisticated security systems,
including cameras and sensor cards restricting access to
facilities to residents and employees only. Ask the marketing
agent to show you how they work; they should be happy to do so if
the gadgets are in working order.

But even the most state-of-the-art technical gadgets can be
subject to the vagaries of human behavior.

"It sounds ridiculous, but I know of at least one apartment
where as long as you look like you should be in the building, the
security guards will open the door for you, even though it is
supposed to be through a card-screening system," John adds. "They
don't even bother calling up to find out if you are a real guest
of one of the tenants."

Inspect your apartment for safety-lock windows (also important
if you have young children), alarms and secure doors. Is there a
door peephold so you can screen visitors? Is a chain lock
provided?

Not all apartment security systems are created equal. Some of
the most recently built upmarket apartments offer video screening
of guests and a phone line designated for reports of security
disturbances.

It is also advisable to survey the surrounding area. Questions
to ask yourself and others familiar with the capital include the
area's crime rate and its access to major thoroughfares and toll
roads in the event of trouble.

Without harping on gloom and doom too much, you could ask the
management if it has any contingency plan in the event of renewed
unrest. What did it do during the May riots and was the building
affected in any way (ask other tenants, too). Prevention, after
all, is better than picking up the shattered pieces afterward.

SAFETY: Examine carefully all the safety aspects of the
building and its compound.

Are there fire escapes, fire alarms and a sprinkler system?
Are fire extinguishers readily available in the stairwells and
corridors (be sure to check the make, their date of issue and
expiration)?

Does the security team know what to do in an emergency? If you
can speak Indonesian well enough, ask them directly what they
would do if a fire started in the building. Do they have regular
drills on fire evacuation? How would they inform residents in the
event of a fire or other emergency?

Back to the issue of children. Child proof the grounds to find
out if they are secure for your kids. Pay particular attention to
areas like the swimming pool, stairwells and corridors.

AMENITIES: Promises need to be kept on both sides of the
tenant-apartment management relationship.

You are forking out good money for your apartment, and the
management is obligated to keep its end of the bargain.

The sweet-talking marketing agent may promise the earth but
reality requires him or her to cough up with the goods.

"I wasn't very impressed with one marketing agent who took me
around to a couple of apartments, found out my budget and said
she would call a few days later," John says. "She finally did,
but a week had already passed and I had already lost interest. It
seemed she was interested in bigger fish."

Read the fine print of the contract. Guaranteed a microwave
but none in sight when you inspect your new apartment? Get down
to the nitty-gritty and make the manager set a date for when it
will be installed, with the understanding that its continuing
absence may lead to changes in your own commitments. Playing
hardball may be the best approach to getting what you paid for.

Be on the alert for signs of wear and tear. Are there cracks
in the walls or ceiling, or permanent marks on counters and
woodwork? Is the furniture what you expected? If the furniture is
the worse for wear but the management will not replace it, make
photographic records of it to ensure that you are not deemed
responsible when your contract is up.

Toilet talk is not something most of us enjoy, but we need to
take stock of the bathroom facilities. Ask what type of sewage
system is used. It sounds gross, but some of the older systems
lead to a backing up of the system, inevitably giving off
decidedly unpleasant odors. If need be, talk to a resident or
plumber beforehand to find out which type of system is best to
prevent a shock to your senses.

A pesky problem in Jakarta is pests. Ask about the problem of
termites and whether the management conducts regular fumigations?
Will you be unwittingly sharing your new home with rodents? Find
out what the management does to prevent the problem, including
the efficiency of its garbage disposal system. Are there regular
garbage pickups and separate treatments of organic and solid
waste?

A pool and fitness facilities part of the advertised package?
Check whether these are more than just a divot in the ground and
a darkened room with a couple of rusting barbells.

If too many of the promises seem to be hot air, and dates for
their eventual realization appear iffy, it could be time for you
to head in another direction. Your money and your peace of mind
are too precious to waste on an apartment which leaves you
feeling -- and living -- down in the dumps. (Bruce Emond)