Vietnam apartment-viewing checklist (printable)

Print this page, fold it in half, and take it to every viewing. It covers the physical checks, the negotiation points, and the legal traps that catch most first-time expat renters in Vietnam.

Pre-viewing research

Before you leave home, spend ten minutes on background checks.

• Confirm the listed price against recent comparable listings on the same platform
• Check whether the unit is in a managed building or a private house — managed buildings often have fees on top of rent
• Ask for the landlord's name and verify it matches the pink book (land-use right certificate) if possible
• Confirm pet policy, guest policy, and cooking rules in writing before visiting
• Ask whether utilities are metered at the government rate or at a marked-up landlord rate — this is one of the biggest hidden costs in Vietnam

See the finding apartments HCMC guide for a breakdown of typical price ranges by district, and finding apartments Hanoi for the equivalent Hanoi neighbourhoods.

Walking the neighbourhood

• Walk the block at the time of day you would normally be home — traffic and noise vary dramatically by hour
• Check the nearest wet market, convenience store, and pharmacy — in most Vietnamese cities these are within a few hundred metres, but not always
• Note the distance to the nearest xe om (motorbike taxi) or Grab pick-up point
• Look for flooding marks on walls or kerbs — many low-lying streets in Ho Chi Minh City flood after heavy rain
• Check the alley width if the building is in a lane — emergency vehicle access matters, and some alleys are genuinely impassable for any vehicle

At the viewing — physical checks

• Count every window and confirm it opens — windowless bedrooms are common in budget builds
• Check wall tiles for cracks or damp patches, particularly on external-facing walls
• Open every cupboard and wardrobe — mould is common in humid coastal cities
• Test every light switch and socket
• Check that door locks and deadbolts function — ask for all sets of keys
• Look at the balcony drain if there is one — blocked drains cause water ingress

Plumbing and electrics

• Run every tap and check water pressure — low pressure at the top floor of older buildings is common
• Flush the toilet and confirm it refills
• Ask whether the water heater is electric or gas, and whether it is inside or outside the bathroom — indoor gas heaters without proper ventilation are a safety risk
• Check the electrical consumer unit (fusebox) — older buildings sometimes have undersized wiring that cannot support modern appliances
• Confirm the hot-water capacity — small tankless heaters may not cope with a full shower

Internet and aircon

• Ask which ISP cables are already in the building — VNPT and Viettel are the most reliable in most cities; switching providers sometimes requires new physical cabling
• Test mobile signal in the bedroom and bathroom — thick concrete buildings can kill 4G indoors
• Check how many aircon units are installed and which rooms they cover
• Ask the age of each aircon unit — units older than eight years are likely to need servicing soon and are less efficient
• Confirm whether aircon electricity is metered separately or billed as part of a flat monthly charge

Neighbours and noise

• Ask the landlord how many units are in the building and what mix of residents there is
• Listen for noise from upstairs — thin concrete slabs transmit footsteps and furniture scraping clearly
• Check whether there is a restaurant, karaoke venue, or temple within 50 metres — all three operate at high volume at hours that may surprise you
• Ask about rubbish collection — in most Vietnamese cities trucks collect daily, but the time varies by street and the smell can be significant

Lease clauses to negotiate

Most landlords in Vietnam use simple one-page leases. That is not necessarily reassuring. Push for the following clauses before signing.

• Fixed rent for the full lease term, or a capped annual increase (most cases are capped at 5-10 percent, but nothing is standard)
• A clear maintenance responsibility clause — who pays for what when an appliance breaks
• A re-entry notice clause — landlords should give at least 24 hours notice before entering
• An early-termination clause with a defined penalty (typically one month rent is common) rather than forfeiture of the full deposit
• A clause requiring the landlord to register you with the local police (see below)

Deposit conventions

• Standard deposit is one to two months rent for most unfurnished units; fully furnished units with new appliances sometimes ask for three months
• Confirm that the deposit is refundable in full minus documented damage — get this in the lease
• Take dated photos and video of every room, every appliance, and every wall before moving in and send copies to the landlord by messenger so there is a timestamp
• Ask how the deposit is held — most landlords hold it personally, not in escrow

Police-registration verification

This is the single most commonly missed step by new expat renters in Vietnam.

• Confirm that the landlord will register your temporary residence (tam tru) at the local ward police station — this is a legal requirement and the landlord bears the primary obligation
• Ask the landlord whether they have done this for previous tenants — if they have not, they may resist and you carry the legal exposure
• Include a clause in the lease stating that the landlord will complete registration within 5 days of move-in
• Follow up in person at the ward police station if registration has not been confirmed within two weeks

Failing to register is a common fine-point during visa renewals and can complicate your first 90 days checklist tasks considerably.

What to walk away from

Some situations are worth declining regardless of price.

• Any landlord who refuses to sign a written lease
• Any unit where the landlord cannot produce a document tying their name to the property
• Buildings with no functioning fire escape or fire extinguisher on each floor
• Units with visible active mould on walls or ceilings — remediation is difficult in humid climates
• Any landlord who insists on a utility surcharge above double the government rate — this is exploitative and common enough to avoid
• Leases with a clause allowing the landlord to terminate with less than 30 days notice without penalty

Related

• Finding apartments in Ho Chi Minh City
• Finding apartments in Hanoi
• First 90 days in Vietnam checklist