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)