Things to consider finding a rental house in JB

Among the things I'm considering are the following:

1. Location.
But of course. It's already inconvenient living in JB and working/schooling in Singapore, I think we must try to keep the inconvenience as low as possible.  As such the location in JB should easily be accessible by the highway from 2nd Link and also accessible from Woodlands causeway.  Somewhere in the middle.  That gives us the Nusajaya area (Bukit Indah, Horizon Hill, Nusa Duta etc).

The Causeway Link bus must also pass that place - as a backup to our own transportation arrangement with the kids.  In case of emergency, they are still able to take the Causeway Link Bus to/from Jurong East MRT.

2. A bit bigger than our current house with spacious hall for better peace of mind.
Also with a small area for gardening. To compensate for the inconvenience and anxiety.

3. House is maintained.
We've gone to see a few houses for rental and have learnt quite a bit ourselves.  If we are going to rent out our place and get people to view, clean up the place first!  Every time I see the land area looking messy with unkempt grass growing to my knees, I'm already turned off. It doesn't matter if the owner says that he will have it cleaned up.. will mow the lawn etc.

And then the house is messy inside.  Children's school bag all over the place.  Used cloths on the bed.  I need not say more.

The best is if we can get a new house.  But that usually means that the area will not be fully populated.

4. Enough bathrooms for the kids to get ready every morning.
I imagine that every morning it'll be a mad dash, getting ready.  We NEED to have enough bathrooms so that 3-4 kids don't have to line up for the single bathroom.

5. Partially furnished.
The least is air-con, water heater, kitchen cabinet with stove, bedroom wardrobes and day/night curtains.  Because these things, are mostly permanent fixtures in the house, and we most likely will not be able to buy something that would also fit into the new house.

Some people prefer fully furnished - which would also include sofa set, dining table, fridge, washing machines and beds.

Oh yes, auto-gate is also a requirement for us.

6. Near shops, especially those mini-marts.
Ok, it may not be so near like only few doors away.  But also not so far that you need to drive a car 5-7 mins out. Something accessible by bicycle.

7. A nice and kind landlord.
We strongly believe tenant and landlord need to be on good terms always.  It'll be hell for both if there is animosity because of any unhappiness.  As such, to start with, rental agreements need to be mentioned and agreed clearly and both sides are happy about it.


That's all I can think of now.