Renting In Baguio - About Baguio And The Search

[earthdome]

Baguio

 

Baguio is located in north central Luzon about an 8 hour bus ride north of Manila and is about 50km from the beach on the west coast of Luzon.

 

Baguio is known as the City of Pines because of all the pine trees that can grow at elevation in the mountains here.

 

Baguio is a mountain city at about 5000 feet (1500m) elevation with a moderate climate year round. Typically it will be 5-10C cooler in Baguio than in the lowlands on the coast. Weather except for the rainy season typically starts with a bright sunny morning, clouding up during the day, with a chance of light rain or a shower in the afternoon or early evening. Then clearing again overnight. During the rainy season from June - September Baguio gets a great deal of rain. The record for rainfall in 24 hours in Baguio is 45 inches! In Baguio you don't need aircon or heat though some nights you may want an extra blanket. The water is very cold so a water heater for the shower is a must have.

 

Baguio is growing and now has a population around 300,000. It is a tourist destination and an education center with six universities with many foreign students, mostly from South Korea.

 

Baguio has a number of hospitals and the Notre Dame de Chartres hospital is known for having the best cardiac care in Luzon outside of Manila, including open heart surgery.

 

The Search

 

Housing in Baguio is mostly targeted toward transient visitors (tourists) and foreign students. I found it a challenge to locate the type of housing I needed which was safe, secure and quality in a location I liked. I spent almost 3 weeks searching over 2 months until I found the apartment that was right for me.

 

At first I used classified ads on Sulit and the local weekly newspaper the Midland Courier. I really wasn't having much luck finding what I wanted using either. Then I started walking and driving through desirable areas looking for "For Rent" signs. I didn't find many signs and the ones I did find were not something I would rent. When I saw a condo building I would walk up and ask if there were any units for rent. Not much luck.

 

I learned that one very important thing to consider when renting in Baguio is water. Many advertisements mention something about their water supply. If there is only city water, don't even consider renting it since during the day the city water has very low pressure, basically meaning you have no water. The viable options seem to be having a large water tank that is filled either by a deep well or filled on a schedule some nights from the city when water pressure is higher.

Some places only get water from water delivery trucks. I needed a delivery once and it cost 250php for 250 gallons. Another option I saw in an apartment down in a valley was a tank filled from rain water.

 

The popular expat hangout in Baguio is the Red Lion Pub. I had been stopping by there once in a while but had not made any connections which resulted in good leads for apartments. When I was to the point I had found an apartment that would barely meet my requirements and I had to rent soon so I would not have to pay for another month in my apartment in La Union, I stopped one more time at the Red Lion Pub and hit pay dirt.

 

Funny thing is I had walked all afternoon in an area of Baguio I liked looking for apartments. At the end of my walk that day I had seen a nice new building in a nice area that looked like it had apartments, but there were no "For Rent" signs.

Being tired from a long day I just grabbed a taxi back to the hotel. Later I went to the Red Lion Pub one last time to see if I could get some good leads on an apartment. Turns out I met an expat who had just rented a studio apartment in that last building I looked at. Not only that, but the daughter of the family who manages the building was there at the pub!

 

Next morning I took a look and the following day put down a deposit. I had found the apartment that was as close to perfect for me as I was going to find.

[OnMyWay]

Yes, a water tank is a good idea in Baguio and also a good pressure regulator, because Abby's brother told me the city water can go off and come back on too strong for house pipes.  He learned the hard way!

 

They are finishing up a new building on the lot next door to their home, and they will have some units for rent.  I think two 1 br and two 2 br.  After they finish that building they are going to build a huge cement water tank on the top of the hill to gather rain water, and they should never have any water problems.

[terrymate]

Blimey earthdome!

It seems like you have done what I am facing, meaning the search for a place to rent.

I would be so grateful if you or anyone could point me to anywhere around that would be suitable for a single man (any no. of bedrooms considered).

Been to the Red Lion myself a few times (I quite like the pub). Haven't really spoken to anyone yet because I am a new boy.

So if you see a bald English London guy whom the staff are calling Terry, come up and say hello!

I really am up for a reasonable rental place to live in.

 

Thanks

 

Terry

[Old55]

Good luck in your search Terry. It seems that real estate and rentals can be an adventure in Philippines. Do you have a special Filipina that could aid you? If so don't show your face unless necessary it could save you.

[Lou49]

Baguio

 

Baguio is located in north central Luzon about an 8 hour bus ride north of Manila and is about 50km from the beach on the west coast of Luzon.

 

Baguio is known as the City of Pines because of all the pine trees that can grow at elevation in the mountains here.

 

Baguio is a mountain city at about 5000 feet (1500m) elevation with a moderate climate year round. Typically it will be 5-10C cooler in Baguio than in the lowlands on the coast. Weather except for the rainy season typically starts with a bright sunny morning, clouding up during the day, with a chance of light rain or a shower in the afternoon or early evening. Then clearing again overnight. During the rainy season from June - September Baguio gets a great deal of rain. The record for rainfall in 24 hours in Baguio is 45 inches! In Baguio you don't need aircon or heat though some nights you may want an extra blanket. The water is very cold so a water heater for the shower is a must have.

 

Baguio is growing and now has a population around 300,000. It is a tourist destination and an education center with six universities with many foreign students, mostly from South Korea.

 

Baguio has a number of hospitals and the Notre Dame de Chartres hospital is known for having the best cardiac care in Luzon outside of Manila, including open heart surgery.

 

The Search

 

Housing in Baguio is mostly targeted toward transient visitors (tourists) and foreign students. I found it a challenge to locate the type of housing I needed which was safe, secure and quality in a location I liked. I spent almost 3 weeks searching over 2 months until I found the apartment that was right for me.

 

At first I used classified ads on Sulit and the local weekly newspaper the Midland Courier. I really wasn't having much luck finding what I wanted using either. Then I started walking and driving through desirable areas looking for "For Rent" signs. I didn't find many signs and the ones I did find were not something I would rent. When I saw a condo building I would walk up and ask if there were any units for rent. Not much luck.

 If you don,t mind my asking.....how much is the rent and utilities ?

I learned that one very important thing to consider when renting in Baguio is water. Many advertisements mention something about their water supply. If there is only city water, don't even consider renting it since during the day the city water has very low pressure, basically meaning you have no water. The viable options seem to be having a large water tank that is filled either by a deep well or filled on a schedule some nights from the city when water pressure is higher.

Some places only get water from water delivery trucks. I needed a delivery once and it cost 250php for 250 gallons. Another option I saw in an apartment down in a valley was a tank filled from rain water.

 

The popular expat hangout in Baguio is the Red Lion Pub. I had been stopping by there once in a while but had not made any connections which resulted in good leads for apartments. When I was to the point I had found an apartment that would barely meet my requirements and I had to rent soon so I would not have to pay for another month in my apartment in La Union, I stopped one more time at the Red Lion Pub and hit pay dirt.

 

Funny thing is I had walked all afternoon in an area of Baguio I liked looking for apartments. At the end of my walk that day I had seen a nice new building in a nice area that looked like it had apartments, but there were no "For Rent" signs.

Being tired from a long day I just grabbed a taxi back to the hotel. Later I went to the Red Lion Pub one last time to see if I could get some good leads on an apartment. Turns out I met an expat who had just rented a studio apartment in that last building I looked at. Not only that, but the daughter of the family who manages the building was there at the pub!

 

Next morning I took a look and the following day put down a deposit. I had found the apartment that was as close to perfect for me as I was going to find.

[Lou49]

If you don't mind my asking......how much is the rent and utilities ?

[earthdome]

Studio is 10k/month, 2 BR is 15k/month.

Elec is running around 900p/month (No need for aircon in Baguio).

Water for sinks/shower/toilet about 360p/month.

Sky Cable TV Basic 280p.

Bayan Telecom 1.5mbs DSL 1400p/month.

 

For my studio the total is approximately 13k/month for rent and utilities.