“I want to rent a room that is very big, with queen size bed, big table, big wardrobe and book shelves to put all my things. Attached bathroom is also a MUST so that I don’t have to share with others. There must be a clean kitchen with all the cooking equipment so I can cook as much as I want. Most importantly, the place must be just next to my college, with lots of restaurants, convenient store, LRT and MRT nearby.

My budget is only RM400/month. “

After many years of renting room, this type of request is very common from students, parents and working professionals. They are not wrong. We all love to buy a Ferrari Sport Car with Proton Saga (our Malaysia national car) price. But in reality, it is close to impossible to find such rooms. Here are a few scenarios:

Scenario #1: New Condominium with Beautiful Rooms

Since it is a new property, the landlords bought it at a much higher rate compare to the old houses. Since they have to serve the loan and pay management fees, they have no choice but to charge higher rental.

Scenario #2: Cheap Room Rental Terrace Houses and Apartment

Since the landlord bought the house and furniture 7-10 years ago, their monthly loan payments are cheaper. They don’t mind charging lower rental rate. This way they don’t have to buy new furnitures too. Another reason is that not many people like to stay at old buildings, so they will use lower price to attract tenants.

Scenario #3: Houses Next to Colleges, Offices, Happening Places, Train Station

Since these houses are built next to the convenient places, property developer will use it as an excuse to sell these houses more expensive. If not, the market will push the price higher which will cause the landlord to pay higher loan. So, they have to charge higher rental too.

Scenario #4: Partition Rooms at Shops Next to Happening Places

They are convenient, cheaper and newer. These rooms have been quite popular since 15 years ago at SS15 Subang Jaya. Since building attached bathroom is very expensive, you need to share bathroom and kitchen with others. Some people don’t like the idea of staying above shops, that is why it is cheaper.

So, how to choose the best room?

Simple.

Choose between Low Price, Quality and Convenience.

Which one is more important for you? If you have low budget, you have to sacrifice a bit on convenience and quality. Choose a shop hostel or rooms above shops that are near train stations. If you have a car, stay at terrace houses that are further but you have space to park your car.

If you want quality such as nice rooms, facilities, next to train station, look for condominiums and increase your budget a bit higher. If you have higher budget, rent a studio unit.

If you want to stay near to college/university or shops, increase your budget a little and stay at houses nearby. If not, choose a shop hostel or rooms above shops.