| A Place
in the Sun: Renting a Flat in Cairo |
| Cairo is
unlike any other city in the world. Cairo redefines ones perception
of the very words “city” and “Metropolis and “Downtown”. Although there
have been settlements on the site that present day Cairo inhabits since
the Egyptian Predynastic period (before 3100 B.C.E) modern Cairo was born
out of the series of Muslim settlements along the Nile starting in AD 642
and culminating in the Fatimid construction of a new imperial city. The
Foundation stone of Al Qahira was laid in AD 969 within walls that never
contained the city that was born around it. Before the city’s completion
shops and cafes were already being set up along the walls.Today Cairo has
an estimated population somewhere between 12 and 16 million. The
flux accounts for daytime population as opposed to the population at night.
That many people come into the city in one day.
When searching
for a flat in Cairo one has the tendency to lower their standards because
of the intimidating aspect of further looking. |
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Despite the
crowds and the confusion and the possible language barrier, it is actually
easier to find a place to live in Cairo than in many other far less crowded
places in the world. Avoid hassles with a few ideas of what it takes to
find and procure a comfortable place to live in Cairo.
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First consider
your desired location. Most maps of Cairo are sadly inadequate for this
purpose so I recommend spending a few days just walking around. If you
get lost ask someone for directions back to your hotel or to a familiar
landmark. |
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| It’s easy
to get lost Cairo but it’s also easy to get unlost. Doing this will help
orient you to the unique flow and rhythm of the streets of Cairo, which
will, no doubt come as somewhat of a shock to the first time visitor. When
apartment-hunting keep in mind distances to places you wish to be near.
Walking distance seems to get longer in Cairo and, after a few months in
country, places that you would have considered far when you arrived will
be on your daily walk route. Taxicabs tend to stick to the large thoroughfares
so it might be a good idea to keep this in mind as well because the farther
away from a main street you choose to live the farther away from convenient
taxi service you will be.
Also, there
are many new Metro stations and lines being added to the already extensive,
surprisingly modern, metro system in Cairo and living near a station, like
living off a main street, may raise the cost of the flat a few degrees
but will have unimaginable benefits during your stay in Cairo. |
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| Safety is
another thing to consider when exploring the area of Cairo in which you
want to live. There are very few places in Cairo where your personal
safety is ever an issue. Violent crime and aggravated assault rates
are laughably low for such a huge city and as a foreigner you can pretty
much expect to get the good treatment from almost everyone you meet. You’re
biggest threat of violence comes from Militant Islamist Extremists and
the occasional lone psycho with a Kolishnikov and a hand grenade so there
are some areas of Cairo in which I would advise the expat not to seek residence.
Cairo may seem like one large city but in reality it is composed of several
districts and quarters sometimes even only a few streets make up a complete
village full of local politics, figures and characters. Use common
sense. If an area seems particularly isolated from the main streets
or makes you feel at all unsafe then it probably is. Or if the area
seems full of foreigners, perhaps a colony of Americans like in Maadi or
Zamalek, there may be a slightly higher threat to your safety. In
the 1997 Embassy bombings in Africa the bombs were detonated NEAR the embassies,
in one case a nearby building was collapsed onto the U.S. Mission.
As the Bedouin say: "Trust in God but tie your camel."
The Egyptian
bowab is like a superintendent, doorman, security guard and concierge all
in one. |
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| Almost every
building in Cairo has at least one bowab and he (or she) manages the affairs
of the building for the landlords that own the actual flats. A bowab can
be helpful in locating a flat once you decide on a specific area. Simply
walk back around the area in the mid afternoon and look for older men sitting
in front of or in the lobby of apartment buildings. Greet them (“masa
el khier”) and ask them politely if there are any empty apartments available
in the building. ("La’u samaht…Fi sha’a fadia hena?") Then if there
is and he is inclined to help you rent it he will show it to you and you’re
well on your way to getting your new flat.
Sometimes a
bowab will seem less than enthusiastic and you will go away with an abrupt
and negative response.Other times, however, they may become your zealous
advocate, championing your cause to other bowabs and even a simzar.(A kind
of uber Bowab who knows all the empty places.A leasing agent of sorts.) |
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| If this happens,
don’t panic. Know that once the deal is made he is likely to try
and convince you that you now owe him a fee for his services. He
may even get the simzar and the buildings actual bowab, or the landlord
to try and convince you of this. Give him whatever you feel is fair
or nothing at all. I have been assured by sources in the know that
this “standard fee” only applies to foreigners and cannot be prosecuted
by law if you choose to give him nothing. Be careful, however, not
to offend someone that could very well be some one of influence on your
new street. Be fair but remember that a little grease helps the machine
move smoothly. The simzar will most probably have a list of many available
flats in your price range that may match as much of your criteria as possible
or he may tell you to come back in a few days. People tend to vacate flats
at the start and end of the month and also in June and August because of
all the students. Those are the best times to seek a flat or a simzar
with a fat book fat with listings. Be prepared to do a lot of walking and
the better part of a day just making your initial inquiries.
Cairo, indeed
all of Egypt, runs on a timetable quite different from what westerners
are accustomed. You may be asked to return in a few hours only to be told
to come back in the morning. Be patient. If it is your first time
living in Cairo Patience is a quality that you will need to acquire anyway.
It will make your enculturation process much easier to bear.
Once you find
a flat that fits your needs the simzar and the buildings bowab will call
the owner of the flat. Sometimes they live in the same building other
times
you will have to wait or set an appointment to meet with them. Many
times it is not a good idea to travel with the large amounts of cash it
may take to rent a flat and one will find it better to make an appointment
to meet with the landlord at a later date. If this happens the bowab
will ask for a retaining fee. This can be as low as 50 pounds or
as high as a full months rent. Keep in mind before agreeing to anything
that this fee may not always be easily refundable and, although they will
hold the place, it may not go toward your rent. Make sure that this
is agreed upon before you pay out any cash. In any case you will
meet with the landlord to discuss the terms of the lease. This is
pretty much the same as in other places except that their reasons for deciding
on not renting to you are a little different. Some progressively minded
landlords will not mind an unmarried couple renting together while some
less so probably will. Use judgment. If the landlord is wearing
Reeboks and a metallic tee shirt you can be pretty sure you’re okay but
if she shows up in hegab (head covering) then play it cool.
The price of
the flat will be estimated on the condition, the location and the furniture.
Almost all flats come furnished and many landlords are helpful in bringing
anything that you might need or want before renting it. Keep in mind
that many western amenities are expensive and in some cases hard to come
by. In other words, if you’re paying for a little rat hole in Imbaba
don’t ask the landlord for a dishwasher. Likewise, if you are renting
a downtown office/loft, you can be pretty sure that if you need a few extra
chairs and a small bookshelf the landlord will be more accommodating.
Haggle.
This cannot be stressed enough. Just because you told the bowab and
the simzar and the kid that brought you the tea that you wanted to spend
around 1200 pounds doesn’t mean that you must pay 1200 LE. Point
out that the flat you are taking is not exactly what you want but you will
take it anyway. Point out a little crack in the wall or some watermarks
in the bathroom. In fact those are usually your best bets, toilets,
kitchens and the fact that they sometimes try and make a large one bedroom
into a small two bedroom. Point all this out to the landlord and
try and knock a few hundred off your rent.
When you agree
on a price keep in mind that the landlord must pay half the simzar fee.
He does not get paid for just looking. Pay only when you rent a place.
So discuss with the landlord what you must pay the simzar and how that
will be divided and also what to pay the bowab. You will have to
pay the bowab a monthly wage anyway, aside from your rent. This is
usually a low fee that is payable directly to the bowab around the first
of the month. It goes towards his continued politeness and services
throughout the month. Garbage pick up is another cost to keep in
mind. If it is not discussed with your bowab then soon after you move in
a man will knock on your door, sometimes, if you have one, on the back
door that leads to some external stairway. This is your Zebali, or
garbage man. Pay him well because if you offend him you will be knee
deep in your own garbage and remember that yes, they will probably go through
your trash so you may want to be careful of what you throw away.
Electricity
and gas are paid at odd intervals and they come to your door.They check
your meter and then charge you on the spot. This is usually not more
than a few pounds, cheaper than one would expect.The phone service is something
to be discussed with the landlord. This too is not an expensive service
but it is paid twice a year so depending on your lease you will have to
make arraignments with your landlord about when to pay it with the rent.
Ask your landlord when the billing periods are for the phone. Do not be
fooled into paying for the entire billing period if you move in the middle,
as it will probably include calls made by the previous tenant who, no doubt,
was already charged for it. Prorate and explain when the time comes.
If your flat
has large blue tanks of butane gas in the shower or the kitchen don’t worry.
It is a common feature of Egyptian living. As long as you are careful
it should be safe.The bowab will explain how to use them and if he does
not be sure to ask him. You will ask him for replacements when those
run out.They should cost less than five pounds.
Extra Tips:
1) Forget
about looking for a flat on a Friday. It is the day of prayer and
nothing will get done. Better yet skip the whole weekend.
It’s always harder to do such business on the weekends in Cairo.
2) Sometimes
a Bowab will help you rent the flat without the aid of a simzar.
He is cutting the simzar out of the deal and you must be aware that there
may be other rival simzars in the same area so step carefully as you shop
around but don’t let politics stop you from getting the best deal on the
place you want.
3) So
what if the bowabs are clueless and the simzar tried to make you pay for
just looking? Well there are other people to ask. The streets
of Cairo are connected by a livewire of constant information so ask people
that are most likely to know about it. Coffee shop owners are a good
start, so are the people at a little neighborhood cleaners. Ask the
people that know the area. In these cases it is less likely that
you will be asked to pay a fee for their help but it is a good idea to
at least offer a respectable amount for their effort and information.
Whether they accept it is up to them.
4) How
should one gauge a fair price for a flat in Cairo? The same as anywhere
else in the world, location has a lot to do with the cost of the rent.
If your flat is in the back streets of Abbessya it will probably cost you
marginally less than if it’s along the bank of the Nile in Zamalek, or
the Zamalek branch of the Nile bank for that matter. As a rule
the closer to a main street you get the more the rent goes up. Also,
of course, the size. Figure on paying at least 500 le for your basic
800 sq. ft. flat. Add then the location and the building, figuring
about a hundred LE each. Now take into account amenities such as
washing machines, water pumps, or dish washers and your rent can go up
as much as another 250 Le. So for a medium sized two bedroom flat
in garden city with “deluxe features” (i.e. ceiling fan, agitating washing
machine and an elevator that works most of the time” expect to pay around
1200 LE a month.
Cairo is an
unpredictable city. It is a place where life moves both quickly and
slowly and one must find the rhythm quickly if one wishes to not only survive
but to live well. Once one finds a place to live one feels more at
ease. One has a base of operations from which to sally out against
the magnificent and ancient streets, which teem and seethe in ways alien
to the western mind. With this information however you should be
able to quickly and efficiently locate and rent a flat. Hiring a
maid to clean it is up to you.
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