Tips To Find A Family-Friendly Rental Home

Searching for the perfect home for your family is a super exciting experience, yet a challenging task.

What type of property? How do you select the best location? Should you choose a place close to your workplace or your children’s school? Indeed, there are a lot of things to consider when choosing a property that is right for you.

Here are some tips and considerations on how you can make it easier to choose the right home for you and your family:

Location, location, location is a common mantra, a tenant should always find a location which they are comfortable and familiar with if possible. Renting a property offers much more flexibility than if one were to purchase.  It gives you the ability to familiarise yourself with an area before you commit to buying a property there. 

If it is an area you are familiar with, there is little to decide. But if you want to move to a new area then you want to find a place that you grow into and not grow out of and renting is a perfect opportunity to help decide before making a longer term commitment.

Renters should always bear in mind the facilities in their area. For families, they should take into consideration the proximity of work, preschools, schools and tuition centres from the apartment or condo. Many parents wish to walk their children to their places of learning - you can use the map on Instahome’s search page to check how far the condo you are considering is from the main centres of your child’s learning.

Be sure the unit is right for you by taking a virtual tour

After searching properties you are interested in and finding that perfect unit, take time to check out the 3D virtual tour of the listing. This gives you the experience of being in the apartment itself and you are able to observe every inch of your future home. Once you are satisfied the place is right for you, schedule your appointment online and choose a time that’s convenient for you.

Instahome prides itself on being transparent with our renters. You can find the details of the tenancy agreement right here on the platform, such as if pets are allowed, how much deposit is required or if parking is included. 

If you have any additional questions it’s a good idea to write these down to bring with you when viewing the property, to clear your mind and keep your priorities in check. 

We have our own Instabuddy at each viewing that is a resident expert and will help answer any questions you may have.

This is the most basic question you need to ask yourself before anything else as each type of property vastly differs in price especially if you’re growing a large family in need of a bigger space.

What type of property can you afford or is within your budget? Is the area you are moving to an area you can afford?

If you are planning to move near the main city, the cost of a home can be significantly higher versus the ones located further out. 

Lastly, there are renters whom rely solely on their intuition when they are looking for the right space. Ask yourself the right questions to decide. Will you be happy living in the place? Does the atmosphere or vibes feel right? Can you imagine yourself already living there? If you answer with a resounding yes, chances are, this is the perfect match for you.

If you haven't already registered as a tenant, go ahead and sign up. If you have any questions, reach out to our Instabuddy home expert at support@instahome.com.

What type of property? How do you select the best location? Should you choose a place close to your workplace or your children’s school? Indeed, there are a lot of things to consider when choosing a property to rent that is right for you.

Tips To Find A Family-Friendly Rental Home | Instahome

This week we have a fantastic *offer we would like to share to our Instahome community. 

From now up until midnight 27th November 2020, any tenant that rents a place on Instahome can redeem RM300 in cash!

Step 1: Sign up as a tenant on Instahome.

Step 2: Email Instahome at support@instahome.com with the message: 

"Hi, I would like to claim my RM300 cash voucher!".

Our team will add your email to our Black Friday database and you may redeem your discount once you rent your next property through Instahome.

Step 3: Choose a place you love on our platform.

The Instahome team will discount RM300 from your first month's rent.

This cash voucher is valid until 31st March 2021.

*Offer may not be combined with any other sale, promotion, discount, code, coupon and/or offer.

From now up until midnight 27th November 2020, any tenant that signs up on Instahome can redeem RM300 in cash when they rent a home on our platform!

Instahome Launch, as featured in the Press

Instahome officially launched in October 2020 and has received an overwhelming response. Here are our features as seen around the web. 

"Instahome was founded in September this year to make the process of renting a home easier, with features such as 3D virtual tours, home visit scheduling, and online maintenance service requests. The company also personally visits and checks all of the properties listed on its website to ensure their legitimacy and to cut down on duplicate listings from different agents."

https://www.techinasia.com/after-iproperty-iflix-exits-patrick-grove-launches-proptech-venture-malaysia

"Catcha Group is back in property game with home rental service Instahome. 7-figure US$ funding from Catcha Group, cofounder Eric Tan & some early employees. Instahome checks all listed homes to eliminate fake, inaccurate, poor-quality listings."

https://www.digitalnewsasia.com/startups/catcha-group-back-property-game-home-rental-service-instahome

"Catcha Group mengumumkan penyertaan Instahome ke dalam keluarga besar mereka. Instahome adalah cara baru untuk menyewa rumah di Malaysia dengan tujuan mengubah pengalaman penyewaan rumah di rantau ini."

https://ohmedia.my/ohtidak/instahome-sertai-keluarga-catcha-group/

"In a recent survey of 200 renters in Klang Valley, conducted by Instahome, 60 per cent said the quality of listings on existing property websites is their biggest frustration."

https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/catcha-patrick-grove-213008/

"Catcha Group 投资新初创企业Instahome【租房新方案】，一站式线上租房平台让你告别繁琐的租房过程!"

"Instahome looks to leverage the use of design and technology to help renters dramatically improve home rental experience for tenants, agents and landlords"

https://www.marketing-interactive.com/catcha-group-backed-rental-platform-instahome-launches-with-7-figure-investment

"iProperty co-founder launches home rental platform Instahome in Malaysia with a "7-figure USD" funding from Catcha"

https://e27.co/iproperty-co-founder-launches-home-rental-platform-instahome-in-malaysia-with-a-7-figure-usd-funding-from-catcha-20201027/

"iProperty 联合创始人 Patrick Grove 推出马来西亚智能租房平台 Instahome。据 e27 报道，iProperty 和 Catcha 集团的联合创始人 Patrick Grove 联手连续创业者 Eric Tan 在马来西亚共同推出了一款智能租房平台 Instahome，初创资金由创始人与初创团队共同筹集完成。该平台为租户提供了 3D 实景看房、支付租金、寻找维修服务等现代化租赁功能，极大提升了租房的用户体验"

"There’s a new rental platform for the Malaysian market that was started by the CEO and Co-Founder and a former Chief of Staff of Catcha Group. Instahome was created to answer the problems surrounding the frustrating and outdated rental process in the Malaysian market."

https://www.onlinemarketplaces.com/articles/33074-instahome-launches-to-optimize-the-rental-sector-in-malaysia

"Berita baik buat semua penyewa rumah kerana proses pencarian rumah sewa anda bakal dipercepatkan dengan Instahome!"

https://dagangnews.com/instahome-permudah-proses-sewa-rumah

Instahome launched on 28th of October 2020, and was featured in the press. Click on the post to find out more!

Find media coverage of Instahome's launch.

Instahome Launch, as featured in the Press  📰

Get RM188 when your friend successfully rents a home from Instahome!

Looking to earn some extra money this CMCO? Look no further! Now, you only need 2 things: 

A friend who is looking for a place to rent

Simply PM us via our FB or IG inbox the name & contact of your friend (with their consent) who is looking for a place to rent, and get RM188 for every successful rental closed on our platform! 

Get RM188 cash when your friend successfully rents a home from Instahome!

Have a friend who is looking for a place to rent? Simply send his name and contact number through Instahome’s FB/IG inbox, and we will do the rest. 

Once your friend successfully rents a home from us, we will contact   you to transfer RM188 into your bank account - as easy as that!  

Need more information? Check out our FAQs below:

Referred friend successfully rents a property from Instahome within 90 days from the date of referral. 

Upon your friend’s successful rental, we will contact you within 7 days to enquire your bank details and then transfer RM188 to you within 14 working days. 

3. Is there any limit to the number of successful referral awards I can get?

No, you get RM188  for as many friends as you can possibly refer!

4. How long will it take for me to receive the RM188 after a successful rental?

Upon your friend’s successful rental, we will be in contact with you within 7 days to enquire your bank details and then transfer your reward in 14 working days. 

Referred friends must successfully rent a property through the Instahome platform within 90 days from the date of referral. 

For each qualified referral, Instahome will deposit the money into the referrer’s bank account within 14 days upon the provision of his/her bank details.

The referral program does not apply concurrently with other campaigns. 

The referral program does not apply to tenancy renewals.

The referral program does not apply to room rental? 

Referrer and referee must be different people.

Successful rental is defined as the date tenant moves into the property.

 

Have a friend who is looking for a place to rent? Simply send his name and contact number through Instahome’s FB/IG inbox, and we will do the rest!

Refer a friend to Instahome and get RM188

Refer a Friend to Instahome and Get RM188

Tenancy agreement? Stamp duty? Termination? All these big words! What do they mean? We know that reviewing and signing a tenancy agreement for the first time can be DIFFICULT so we prepared a SIMPLE guide just for you

Tenancy agreement is a contract that contains key terms of your tenancy throughout the tenancy period. It is to be signed between the landlord and tenant. There will be 2 copies of the agreement - one for the landlord and one for the tenant. The documents have to be stamped for it to be enforceable in the courts. (More on this later!)

WHY IS THERE A TENANCY AGREEMENT?

The tenancy agreement is super important since the landlord is entrusting his valuable property to you, and you are offering a fair sum of money to the landlord. It is used to set the rights and responsibilities between the landlord and tenant, and protect the interest of both parties in case there is a dispute.

The agreement is the most reliable point of reference for determining responsibilities of the parties involved. 

The tenancy agreement is to be signed when you (tenant) and your soon-to-be landlord have agreed on the specific terms. This could be weeks in advance or up to the day of move-in. All terms and conditions included in the agreement are immediately active after you and your landlord have signed it. 

In Malaysia, the tenancy agreement can cost between RM300-600. Most of the time, the fee is charged by the agency and used to cover the cost of having a professional law firm to draft and review the agreement. 

When you rent on Instahome, our digital tenancy agreement only costs RM299 and we have made sure that our lawyers have drafted the terms clearly so that anyone will be able to understand it.

The documents have to be stamped at Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negara (LHDN) for it to be enforceable in the courts. The stamp duty rate is different based on the duration of the tenancy:

(Insta Tip: RM2,400 is deducted because the first RM2,400 of rental income is exempted for stamp duty.)

To make it easy for you, we used our tenancy agreement stamp duty calculator to do the math for you!

Now that we have covered the basics, let’s dive in to learn what you should see on your tenancy agreement!

The Key Things to Review in a Tenancy Agreement

The most important thing is the exact address of the property you are renting. Make sure you are not renting someone else’s home…

Keywords to look for: Date of Commencement, Date of Expiry

The exact date when you can move-in and start staying in the unit, and also, the date which you will have to leave on. 

There are two types of payments you will have to make:

An initial payment including advance rental, security deposit and utility deposit, paid one time only. The security deposit and utility deposit is refundable.

Monthly rent that is to be paid every month until the end of the tenancy.

Advance rental: This is calculated on a prorated basis, from the day of move in to the end of your first month rent. For example, if you move in on the 15th of January, the advance rental shall be on 15th to 31st of January. This is not refundable as this constitutes your rent. For example, if the monthly rental fee is RM2000, the day rental fee would be RM66.67 (RM2000/30 days). If you’re moving in on the 21st of October, you would have to pay RM666.67 (RM66.67 x 10 days) of advance rental. 

Security deposit: Security deposit is a refundable deposit that is set by your landlord. It can be 1 month/2 months/3 months worth of rent. This deposit will be returned fully to you at the end of the tenancy agreement by the landlord. You will be able to receive a full refund if there are no damages done to the unit and there are no sums owing to the landlord or Instahome.

Utility deposit: Utility deposit is a refundable deposit, and it is commonly 0.5-1 month worth of rent. However if you default on the utility bill payments, the landlord has the right to deduct the cost from the utility bill deposit.

Keywords to look for: Break clause, Early Termination, Expat clause

What if you need to move out earlier than expected? What if you get a new job and relocate?

Usually, this would mean that you have to give a 2 month notice to the landlord, and lose your security deposit as a penalty for not fulfilling the tenancy agreement.

A list of furniture, fixtures, fittings or assets provided to you when you move-in. You need to return all these items in the same condition as before. 

The tenancy agreement should state clearly the responsibilities of the tenants and landlords. Generally, fair wear and tear is borne by you and structural defects are borne by your landlord. There are also tenancy agreements in Malaysia which do not detail out maintenance responsibilities, but classify responsibility according to a minimum damage amount instead. For example, “any damage repair that cost RM100 and below will be borne by the tenant.”

At Instahome, we worked with our lawyer to make sure responsibilities are stated as clearly as possible, so no one needs to worry about quarrelling over who to pay for your leaking aircond! 

Now you know the key things to be aware of before you sign a tenancy agreement! Want to know what’s unique about Instahome’s tenancy agreement? We make sure our tenancy agreement is written so that everyone can understand easily. Most importantly, it is 100% digital, so you can now review and sign in just two clicks on your mobile phone!

Tenancy agreement? Stamp duty? Termination? What do these terms really mean? Click on the blog post to learn more.

Everything you need to know about tenancy agreements when you rent a home. See the important terms inside a tenancy agreement. Learn how to calculate tenancy agreement stamping fee. Instahome uses a digital tenancy agreement.

Instahome's Tenancy Agreement guide.

Everything you need to know before signing a tenancy agreement

Blog

Tips To Find A Family-Friendly Rental Home

Black Friday Voucher Offer!

Instahome Launch, as featured in the Press

Refer a Friend to Instahome and Get RM188

Everything you need to know before signing a tenancy agreement