Da Nang OiTP. Đà Nẵng

Before you rent an apartment in Da Nang

A checklist for expats and nomads: what to decide, what to ask, and what to get in writing. It holds questions, not answers — where the answer is a legal rule, the item links to the guide that sources it.

Print it, or tick the boxes in your head at the viewing.

Before you view anything

Decide what you need first, so a nice balcony doesn’t make the choice for you.

  • Write down your budget as one all-in monthly figure: rent plus electricity, water, internet, cleaning and building fees.
  • Pick the area by your daily routine — work, gym, school, the beach — not by photos. Walk or ride the route at the hour you would actually do it.
  • Decide how long you want to commit for, and whether you need the option to leave early.
  • Know which visa or residence card you’re on and when it runs out, so the lease doesn’t outlast your right to stay. Temporary residence cards in Da Nang →
  • Ask for a video call walk-through before you travel across town for a viewing.
  • Check that the person showing the place is the owner, or can show written permission from the owner to rent it out.

At the viewing

Most arguments later are about bills, noise and water. Ask now, and write the answers down.

  • Electricity: does the unit have its own meter on an EVN bill in the owner’s name, or does the landlord charge a per-unit price they set? Get the answer in writing.
  • Ask to see a recent EVN bill for the unit, and photograph the meter reading on move-in day.
  • Water: metered, or a flat charge per person? Who pays if usage looks wrong?
  • Internet: which provider, what’s included in the rent, and who calls the provider when it goes down.
  • Run the taps and shower. Check hot water, water pressure, and whether the drains smell.
  • Rainy season: ask whether the street or the ground floor has flooded before. Look for water marks on walls and door frames.
  • Check the aircon in every room, and ask who pays for servicing it.
  • Noise: look for karaoke cafés, bars, construction sites, a market or a school nearby. Come back once in the evening.
  • Open cupboards and look under sinks for mould, damp or insects.
  • Ask how rubbish collection works and where it goes.
  • Check the lock on the main door, and ask who else holds a key.
  • Take photos and video of every room, with the existing damage, before you agree to anything.

The contract

If it isn’t in the contract, assume it wasn’t agreed.

  • Ask for a bilingual contract — Vietnamese and English side by side — and ask which language counts if they differ.
  • Write the deposit amount into the contract, plus exactly when and how it is returned, and what can be deducted from it.
  • Write down how rent is paid (cash or bank transfer), on which day, and whether you get a receipt. Opening a bank account as a foreigner →
  • Write down how electricity, water and internet are charged — the same answers you got at the viewing.
  • Agree what happens if you leave early, and what happens if the landlord sells the place or wants it back.
  • Agree who pays for repairs, and how quickly the landlord should respond.
  • Ask who will handle your temporary residence declaration, and ask them to put it in the contract. Who files temporary residence registration →
  • Attach the move-in photos and an inventory of furniture and appliances, signed by both sides.
  • Keep a signed copy for yourself — paper and a photo on your phone.

After you sign

The first week sets the pattern. Do these before you unpack.

  • Check that your temporary residence has actually been declared, and keep proof if you get any. Temporary residence registration: the rules →
  • If you’re applying for a temporary residence card, check what your new address means for the application. Temporary residence cards in Da Nang →
  • Photograph the electricity and water meters again, with the date visible.
  • Save the landlord’s contact and a backup contact for repairs.
  • Keep every rent receipt or transfer record until the deposit is back in your hands.