Renting an appartment in Kiev

[docetae]

I would like to get some feedback about the best way to rent an appartment in Kiev for 5 days during  march 2006.
I had a look at http://www.hotkievapartments.com/ , do you recommend  them ? I prefer to pay the "west" taxe and get no worries rather than  trying to save a few dollars on this.

Thanks

Doc

[Shadow]

Just a tip from a seasoned Googler.....

If you find an apartment you like google the street name and number if available. This will quickly lead you to a number of agencies all renting the same apartments

Then choose the one that you think offers best price/quality.

[andrewfi]

I prefer to pay the "west" taxe and get no worries rather than trying to save a few dollars on this.

I have never rented in Ukraine, but in several other countries. I tend to agree with you, but just make sure that you are paying for something and not just getting ripped off. There may well be a difference between 'local' services and those provided for foreigners and that difference often manifests itself in the ease with which one can do business.

If you are paying a premium, make sure that you get premium service, even if the same apartments are being rented out by a multitide of agents.

[Bruno]

I have never rented in Ukraine, but in several other countries. I tend to agree with you, but just make sure that you are paying for something and not just getting ripped off. There may well be a difference between 'local' services and those provided for foreigners and that difference often manifests itself in the ease with which one can do business.

I have always rent appartment with local "estate" office... usualy, price on the internet are the local one + 50%... with no change over the service...

Until now, now one time, i was riped by FSU local estate... Of course, the web site of so agency are in russian... a little translation work spare you several hundred $$$...

 

[andrewfi]

That's the point. In all the places I HAVE rented, there have been agencies who want to charge more money for no extra work and some who will give extra value for extra money. It is unreasonable to expect to get more service than offered to locals for the same price they pay, just as it is unreasonable to expect to pay more for an apartment simply for being a foreigner.

The reality is that most renters from the US, for example, NEED additional services from their agent and should expect to pay for them. The easiest way of doing so is simply to charge a higher rent for the place.

[Bruno]

The reality is that most renters from the US, for example, NEED additional services from their agent and should expect to pay for them.

Right Andrew.... i have forget that i am not a US men... usually, when i visit a country, i try to integrate and life like local ( almost )... i am not for the tourist ghetto...

PS : i have see the price of apparment on your site... they are enough low ( when compare to other site )... if you will attract US renters, maybe you need rise your price

[Jack]

Yo docetae we have about 15 flats in the center of the center, either on or within 8 minutes walk of Khershaytk or Independence Square. You want a flat away from the center can't help you. All flats are very nice ane will run from $60 to $90 a night at the time of year your looking at coming.

[andrewfi]

A little off topic, but...

Bruno ~ I am quite happy with our Tallinn apartments. Already, during the quietest time of the year we have had over 50% occupancy and now we have 75% for January and it looks like 75% for February already! There are not so many Americans here, most seem to arrive on cruise ships, stay five or six hours to really get to understand the place and return to the ship in time for dinner! We price to be cost effective for Finns and, frankly, given our costs, there is no need to charge more, unless one is offering hot and cold running totty at all hours - Not even for Americans!

[Lucky girl]

Hello! I just begin to  contact to peopel from this forum! I would like to give everybody who need  nice place to stay. Here is web www.kievapartment.com
There is very nice peopel who will help you.
Have a nice stay in Kiyv.

[smartcat]

To Lucky girl. Site you have recommended is really nice designed, congratulations! But the prices... are some high even for Kiev. Especially considering a trick how they advertise a $60 singlestudio in 1.5 km up the hill of Kreshatyk (which is high price itself). If you click on - you find that in reality it's $69 per 1 night on that site.  For this price you can find a luxury studio with wonderful view right on Maydan in Kiev. All the same with other prices for every flat.
I usually tell to clients what the initial price of a flat is and what a landlord can drop off as a discount, if a visitor stays for long time.

[Stirlitz]

Hey Docetae if you want an apartment for $50 to $80 within 7 minutes walk from Kreschatik contact me. I can also find an apt in the outskirts.   

[smartcat]

To Stirlitz. I agree with you, it's a right price. Even can be closer to Kreshatyk and cheaper, that landlords I know in person do offer. But you should mention that an author of the topic asked for lodging last year in winter, when he was in need.

[Stirlitz]

Frankly, I was more kidding than serious, referring a certain post above which I did not quote.

Really nice apartments in Kiev go @ $100 a night.

[smartcat]

All depends, what kind of apartments. The same finest 2bedrooms with jakussi, shower, laundrymashine, conditioners in every room, fancy design, leather sofas apartments can be rented for $130 or $170. Or, for instance, fine nice 1 bedroom for $65 - I know the landlord personally, she inherited this flat from her grandma... is advertised as $90 at one of the sites.   

[Louie]

Welcome aboard SmartCat! nice to see you here

[Admin]

As I looked back over the posts which Igor cited as being the source of the earlier tensions (in a different topic), a strange sense of deja vu descended upon me.

Maybe it is that I am feeling unwell today, I am not sure. What I *am* absolutely and positively certain about - is that I do NOT want to see another eruption like the previous one.

My assessment of the previous eruption goes something like this:

* Two competitors have different pricing structures (and presumably, business models)
* One competitor thinks the other is charging too much
* The other competitor is quick to point out that quality of service needs to be considered in a pricing debate
* Both arguments have merit

However . . . . and this is the important part:

* Neither argument belongs on the board.

RWD is not set-up as a venue for competitors to play out their price wars.

For those who want to advertise their wares - take it to the various facilities of the site which are established for that explicit purpose - but it is NOT the discussion forums.

If you want to compare your services/products to someone else's services and products - take that to the Reviews section. Post *your* services and/or products for review - and let the members review them as they see fit. It would be INAPPROPRIATE (not to mention unethical) to review a competitor's product or service - leave that to the members at large who have no vested interest other than to recommend or condemn a product/service they have direct knowledge of.

SOOOOOOO . . . . there shall be no further price squabbling in this topic. It is unseemly, unproductive and unprofessional.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to address them to the Mod squad (as follows):

* Me (Dan)
* Mod1
* Mod2
* Mod3
* Mod4

Someone will get back to you with a response.

- Dan

[Stirlitz]

RWD is not set-up as a venue for competitors to play out their price wars.

For those who want to advertise their wares - take it to the various facilities of the site which are established for that explicit purpose - but it is NOT the discussion forums.

SOOOOOOO . . . . there shall be no further price squabbling in this topic. It is unseemly, unproductive and unprofessional.

Ooooh!!! That should have been set years ago!

I am glad that my example given tongue-in-cheek in the previous post in this thread suddenly helped to realize what was wrong.

[smartcat]

To Dan. Thank you for comments, I hope that no much violence of rules happened in here. Accept sincere apologies, please. I guess neither Igor nor me had anything bad in our minds.
to Louie Thank you for nice welcome, I appreciate it.

[Admin]

Ooooh!!! That should have been set years ago!

I am glad that my example given tongue-in-cheek in the previous post in this thread suddenly helped to realize what was wrong.

Igor,

In point of fact there have ALWAYS been rules against promoting business in the discussion forums. It has rarely been a problem - but you have engaged in a couple of incidents in which it did, indeed, become a problem.

I seriously doubt that you say/write much "tongue-in-cheek" - but then again, we do not know one another - and you are recommended by someone whom I trust (DonAz), so I will chalk it up to our mutual lack of familiarity.

- Dan

[wiz]

Dan

Sorry not posting for sometime but Russia and Ukraine keep me busy with my meetings and also my sunshine holidays in Greece..........in search for the right woman!

Can I ask you if I can advertise here, my web site where I offer an apartment of European standards (1 bedroom, living room, Kitchen and batroom) 10 minutes walk from Maidan Sq, 2 minutes from Krechatic Av and not up the hill for the price of 40 - 50 dollars per night?

Looks that everybody does it......

 

[Admin]

Dan

Sorry not posting for sometime but Russia and Ukraine keep me busy with my meetings and also my sunshine holidays in Greece..........in search for the right woman!

Can I ask you if I can advertise here, my web site where I offer an apartment of European standards (1 bedroom, living room, Kitchen and batroom) 10 minutes walk from Maidan Sq, 2 minutes from Krechatic Av and not up the hill for the price of 40 - 50 dollars per night?

Looks that everybody does it......

 

Hi Wiz,

Welcome back.

As for advertising - here are the options available to you:

* You can post a banner advertisement in the TopSite area of the board.
* You can submit your product/service - with a description - to the Reviews area of the board.
* You can add your item to the Wiki section of the board. Even add photos of your apartment there, if you like.
* You can also place a post in the Products/Services Exchange Forum. It is the ONLY Forum in the Discussion Boards which are open to advertisements.

I think there are plenty of options available - and hopefully, they will help in you finding customers.

Look forward to your NEW Blog entries 

- Dan

PS - one other comment. If someone posts a question seeking a product or service, you are free to recommend others, if you do not have that product/service to offer - OR, you may post a link to any of the advertisements you have placed on the site. Please do NOT engage in a price discussion - you can conduct that through openly posting prices in your advertisements shown elsewhere - or through email or PM. Price wars do not belong on the open board - however, they are entirely appropriate in the Reviews section and elsewhere.

[Stirlitz]

I seriously doubt that you say/write much "tongue-in-cheek"

Dan,

Please look at this post again. You will see the tongue although out of (not in) cheek if literally (a smiley): 

As for ‘a couple of incidents’, I guess you count this thread and the one which is 1.5 years old because I cannot remember any other threads which would suit what you say, although I am not even sure they do.  ???

[Admin]

Dan,

Please look at this post again. You will see the tongue although out of (not in) cheek if literally (a smiley): 

As for ‘a couple of incidents’, I guess you count this thread and the one which is 1.5 years old because I cannot remember any other threads which would suit what you say, although I am not even sure they do.  ???

Igor,

I am no different than anyone else. I operate as much off of reactions, as I do from a more rational review of all the facts.

In your case, I believe I have always expressed my appreciation of what you offer - and I sincerely wish you to be successful in your endeavors. I also, at one time anyway, believed you to be somewhat inexperienced - and you are, most certainly, someone who likes to snipe at certain members and at certain types of posts.

Often, I feel like you are one who also likes to spar with me, at least.

And quite candidly, I grow weary of it after a time.

Anyway - let's just leave it that I wish you well, and I am glad you have returned to the board. Please make the valuable contributions that myself and others recognize in you - and please try to steer clear of those posts which aggravate and incite you. It is the same request I make of everyone.

Cheers,

- Dan

[Stirlitz]

Often… Come on. Dan, you speak as if we had been talking for years while we only exchanged a couple of posts and PMs in the past and now. I do not want to spar with you whatsoever. Actually, I was not even trying to this time, you are too suspicious.

If you like I will come clean and tell you why I made this post: a couple of days ago you-know-who posted to a thread at RWGuide. It was actually a trip report in which an apartment price was mentioned and I commented that it was a normal price for Odessa, and you are not likely to find cheaper unless you do not mind something of poor quality, based on my experience (I never miss a chance to ask a client how much he paid for his apartment so as to be in-the-know). He posted immediately after me saying that he could find cheaper quality apartments and of course his usual rant about cheap interpreters which was, unlike the apartment offer, completely unrelated to the thread. Well, the apartment offer was not actually related either, no one asked for that (a T/R, thing of the past), but the interpreter thing just made me raise my brows. Although it was an attempt to get me (1.5 years later he still wanted to spar with me and came to RWG with this purpose; I left RWD to avoid him and enjoyed RWG while he was banned from it), I did not post anything else in that thread and the moderators soon edited out this irrelevant post.

But when I saw this thread here and his post above I could not help mimicking off. Yes, I know I should have had more integrity and ignore him both there and here, you can even call it childish (and I did put a few smileys to manifest that I was kidding or at least sarcastic which you overlooked), but if I were serious all the time I would not probably look as young as I do now. How you concluded that I wanted to spar with you is a mystery for me. Please take it easy.

Anyway, I take your suggestion and am happy to leave it and will try not to make any jokes which could be misinterpreted. (Well, if you hire a cheap interpreter, they can actually turn out to be misinterpreters… see, I just can’t help kidding!!) 

[Son of Clyde]

I rented from Alexander Zubkov and from Pavel Poznyak in Kiev and both provided excellent apartments, never more than $60.00 a night. The one for $60.00 actually was a two bedroom flat. The apartments met or exceeded western standards. Please send me a pm if you want contact information.

Dan, in all fairness, maybe I instigated some of the the recent tensions with Stirlitz by trying to defend the qualifications of my interpreter.
People are free to use whomever they choose.

I apologize if I was out of line.