Room in Budapest

Feel sort of bad that no one has answered your post yet.
In all reality it is probably going to be a bit hard to find a person with extra space to let out for months without charging you a fair amount of money.
Maybe it's better if you look into some sort of cheap B&B for a few months, maybe they will give you a monthly rate.
One reason it might be hard to find a room is the laws in Hungary are hard to enforce at times to remove a person out of your property.
Squatters rights etc.
No one wants to get themselves into a court case.
Most times when a person rents a apt. out they must pay up front  for several months in advance, forget think it's 3 months plus the first months rent.
You might just be better off getting your own place.
There are many rental agents in town that will help you find a flat.
Not everyone is willing to hand their keys out to a stranger either. Too much hassle to change the locks later on.
Sadly it's hard to trust people these days.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

One reason it might be hard to find a room is the laws in Hungary are hard to enforce at times to remove a person out of your property.
Squatters rights etc.
No one wants to get themselves into a court case.

I have found that "roommates" are rather uncommon in Hungary. Never understood why. That may be the reason.

My husband often finds the oddest posts on some Hungarian sites.
Someone had a room mate who refused to move out and the owner can't get into their own apt.
Something about them doing a sub lease with someone else.
The craziest stuff happens here.
Sometimes I think owning property here is dangerous unless you watch it 24/7.
Suppose using a security co. is a good idea at times but even so, who knows what "tricks" can pop up.
My husbands elderly uncle who never married or had children had his flat pretty much in one nieces name along with his own name.
She and her mom were/are "tricksters" in my mind.( Not going to hash it out but I'll never attend either of their funerals... just saying they got rot)
She didn't live in the 5th district with her uncle but went to school in Budapest while she lived in Erd.
She and her mom would often pick up lunch boxes to go for him from the Pilvox restaurant and do his laundry as he was in his mid 80's.
She talked him into putting her name on his flat because it was easier for her to go to school or something.
He died, she took over the flat because on paper it said she lived there in the apt.
Pretty darn good profit for her for just doing a few pieces of laundry and picking up a few boxes of food, oh, did I mention he paid for her lunch too.Who says there is no such thing as a free meal!
Of course my MIL could of fought it in court if she wanted to because she was really his closest relation.
My MIL was very ungreedy and let her niece have the flat.
Now worth a pretty penny as her rental property.
If you can't trust family then who can you trust?
Do I come off as angry for any reason? Bunch of users and losers in my humble opinion.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

If you can't trust family then who can you trust?.

My wife has similar ... maybe worse... accounts of family relations. Where they maybe did worse to their family than an enemy would.

This seems to be a Hungarian cultural tragedy. They value relations highly. Yet relations are the ones that seem to screw them the most. And they can't seem to really reject such cancerous members, because they are "relations". It is all very circular, and helps breed such predatory behavior.

I think this was so sadly and elegantly described in Zsigmond Móricz's book "Relations", which is a fitting title.

Well, i must agree, although this is only one tale from the "crypt".
Even my husband would agree my family was "bonkers" but at least we  never held back when we had an issue with any family member.
It was a full blown fight and then the I'm sorry later, no secret hate or I'll get even stuff.
Would rather go for the big blow up in your face then the stabbing in the back later.
Looked at the link you shared, interesting.
I do think many people who came from poverty do tend to love to talk about how well they are ow, what they have, what their future plans are etc. All in a vain attempt to empress people.
At least I find that to be true with many Europeans, not so much with Americans who really couldn't care less what anyone else has or has done, we are mentally more independent I believe then other cultures.
A person can start out on the bottom and find themselves on the top and no one really is jealous, it only  makes a fire burn under your lazy bottom to do as well as the next guy, or not.
Americans aren't all that impressed by titles, wealth or connections.
Hard for those outside the US culture to believe but we really could give a hoot.
We usually call a spade a spade and let the chips fall where they may. Guess it could be off putting to those who don't get it.
The US culture  is more like, " if that bum could do it, why not me? " Seems in Hungary people would rather attack others then do for themselves.
I agree though, my husband was actually talking about contacting his brothers grandson to look at our flat next time we go on,holiday! I was livid , his father our nephew was a terrible house guest in NM for 2 months and even had the dang nerve to steal our Mont Blanc pen and replace it with some cheapo copy! WTF? Why do we need a repeat of BS?
No way no how!

Thank you for your answers.

After getting some more information about moving there and getting residency permit, I needed to change all plans as I will need a long term rental agreement in order to get the residency in the first 30 days. So bow, I will look for a place to stay for like 10-15 days and I will be searching for an apartment in that while.

Please advise anything that you can suggest for this situation. Every information is so crucial.

A new friend stayed in the 8th district at a Hostel, she shared a room with one other lady.
Cost was approx. $90. a day each even for a shared room but overall it seemed safe and the staff was OK.
It did however smell to high heaven of some sort of spray, disinfectant  I suppose. Only smelled that in the past in second hand stores.
The smell was so strong that she and her rommie each got headaches.I went into the room and yes, no way could I stay in a hostel if that's how they spray the rooms. Just a disgusting smell.
It was the Good Mo hostel in the 8th.
My cousin and his Thai  wife came to Budapest twice, first time was my rec. of the Elite Hotel , nice clean rooms with shower, nice open air court for having a drink and a breakfast for about 5 Euros.
2 years back the room rates were around $70. a night , much nicer and more private then a hostel. His next visit they were moved from one hotel to another by his package deal. Stayed at the Green Hotel. a bit out of the way, didn't actually see the inside of that room myself.
Many hostels in the city but I have never stayed in one myself, my new friend did mention she could hardly get any sleep because people were coming in at all hours and were loud.
I know the longer you sign a lease for a flat the longer you can apply to stay in Hungary at immigration.

bittabi wrote:

I will look for a place to stay for like 10-15 days and I will be searching for an apartment in that while.

Either look into renting a room at a Pension hotel or try at AirBnB.

A Pension will typically cost you about 30 to 40 Euro a night. AirBnB rental prices and quality vary widely:

https://www.airbnb.com/s/homes?refineme … g=IoJIct-Y

70 or 90 usd per night is a huge amount of money for me. You may have heard about turkish liras situation against usd for the last couple of months and I will be spending that before I get my first salary. It sounds like that will be tough the first days. I will be facing the kind of problems you shared and I will be trying to settle at the work place. you know it is always difficult to get used to a new job especially the first days.

I knew that was going to be difficult. but I guess this is going to be more than I thought.

klsallee wrote:

Either look into renting a room at a Pension hotel or try at AirBnB.

A Pension will typically cost you about 30 to 40 Euro a night. AirBnB rental prices and quality vary widely:

https://www.airbnb.com/s/homes?refineme … g=IoJIct-Y

I will search these options. I have 1,5 months before I move and I guess I will find something until then.

Thanks a lot guys. You are so kind.

Perhaps you job place can offer a few good leads on a place to stay temp.?

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Perhaps you job place can offer a few good leads on a place to stay temp.?

I hope so, but they didnt seem like doing such a thing so far.

bittabi wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Perhaps you job place can offer a few good leads on a place to stay temp.?

I hope so, but they didnt seem like doing such a thing so far.

Sort of typical behavior for Hungary. You may have to push them for some info etc.
When my friend was using that hostel room it was still "high season" here. Prices for rooms should hopefully drop a bit in the fall.
I really was surprised when I asked her how much her share of the room was, she was sharing with another teacher from the US. She said the room rates were $90. each, $180. for a smelly shared hostel room in the 8th district?
Seemed very high priced to me but then again the agency she is working for was picking up the tab, maybe the hostel over charged because they could get away with it since it was a co. write off?
No idea, good luck.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I really was surprised when I asked her how much her share of the room was, she was sharing with another teacher from the US. She said the room rates were $90. each, $180. for a smelly shared hostel room in the 8th district?
Seemed very high priced to me but then again the agency she is working for was picking up the tab, maybe the hostel over charged because they could get away with it since it was a co. write off?

It was of course over priced. One can even find double occupancy rooms at the Astoria Hotel in the city center for less. Looks like a complete scam to me. Fleecing the foreigners. What a shock to find that in Hungary.... not.

Would not be surprised, if this lodging was suggested or arranged from her work place, if someone where she worked "knew someone" at the hostel and was getting a kickback.

Had to be a scam of sorts, like I said I saw the room, nothing special although there was a small fridge and stove inside, no tv set or comfy furniture inside, just very basic stuff.
Had a view of the yard of the next house, laundry hanging and all... No A/C either.
I have seen here and there hostel room signs around Budapest that say starting from 29 Euros but who knows, those may be the rooms that are "occupied" in other words never available.
My cousin stayed 2 summers back in July, mid season at the hotel Elite close to us and I believe it was around $70 a night, clean and comfy rooms, small but nice enough for the price. They also have a bar inside the hotel, a plus to my mind.
One reason I do not enjoy traveling much is hotels.
In 1986 we booked a room in Paris, France for 3 nights, I told them it was for 3 people, 2 adults and one 12 year old. The room was nice, had a nice private bath which I had asked for in advance but the bed was a double size with no extra cot for our son, The 3 of us had to bunk together, I asked at the front desk for a rolling extra bed and they just shook their heads like they had no clue what I wanted, That's Paris, that's why I'll never go back there again.
My niece works a a manager for a fortune 500 co. She has to visit the Vegas offices and books rooms at some of the best hotels in Vegas, just because the co. picks up the tab.
Most of those rooms go for over $400 a night or more, she always asks for a Strip View so that adds to the cost.
That's the only way to do it, let someone else pick up the room tab.
When I remember our European holiday of 1986, I can recall after leaving by car from those 3 days in Paris and heading out to Hungary.
We had to stop at a motel in Germany about 11 pm, we just got too tried to drive on.
Just wanted to rest for about 6 to 7 hours and then drive on to Hungary without stopping.
At the motel in some small town the manager was super grouchy , we had woke him up, 11 pm in Germany must be like 3 am anywhere else.He should of been glad anyone was stopping in that no where place to check out a room.
He would not allow the 3 of us to share a motel room, he made us check out 2 rooms because our son was considered an adult.
Difference in France or Germany culture wise it seems, In France pre teens can sleep with their parents and in Germany they can't even be in the same room with them.
Of course they all were just messing with us and trying to make money for nothing.

A friend recently stayed in a hotel....

Seems like a fair rate but not exactly sure what some of the fees were for.What is pre -payment fees anyways? Sounds weird.
My mistake, in 1986, my boy was actually about 10 /12 years old.
Still he was "tall" for his age.
In Germany they forced us to get 2 motel rooms even after my husband told the jerk that he would sleep in the car if he had that crazy rule about only 2 people per room. The dude wouldn't hear of it, 2 rooms or nothing. Forget how much it cost but the number $160. for 2 rooms seems to stick in my mind.
I know my husband was really mad at the guy but could see how tired my son and i were so he paid.
If he were alone he would never be scammed like that, he'd sleep on a bench before paying just for himself.
In the long run, I can't talk my husband into visiting other countries, he never forgot the "welcome" mat they they put out for us in the past.
Too bad , their loss, can actually see more on U tube in detail then walking around and getting ripped off first hand.

The post was, saying he knew prices were cheap, but the only coat hanger he had in the room was a child's one. The only reason why he posted the bill. I have spared you the pic of the clothes hanger.

hey people i have another question now.
I am trying to find out which districts should i look for an apartment. I would like to ask where would you rent an apartment if you had your office in 9th district?
An apartment with 1 bedroom plus 1 living room would be just fine. The rates seem to be around 150k + common costs and utilities.
A lady who lived there for 5 years told me I should not stay in 8. district. This is the only information I had so far.
So, what do you think? A circle around my office with 25-30 mins of transportation will be ok for me. I am used to spending much longer on my way to office and back to my house in Istanbul
What do you suggest ??

Some areas of the 8th are actually nice, they are around the Museum area though and probably not cheap to rent.
All depends on what area of the 8th one lives in, some are Ok and new buildings are being built as we write. Other areas are scary to walk in even in the day time.
You can get just about anywhere in Budapest in 25 -30 mins with public transportation so don't feel limited to rent in the 9th only.

thats a very good information. so i can look anywhere on that side of city except the unsafe streets. 20-30 mins of transportation is the shortest way I go for years and of course in traffic rush. I am so happy that I will not be driving in Budapest.

You job may even provide you with a monthly bus pass. Some jobs do that.
It is under 10,000 a month for a city wide transportation pass.
Most districts have their better areas inside their small areas. Every district has better and not so great areas, maybe a few are all basically good like the 5th.
Inner circle areas, areas above the blvds or below , all different with a different feel even within each district.
It is probably best to see with your own eyes before signing any sort of lease.
Most flats are what you're looking for, one BD and a larger living room.
Hungarian style is that the living room of some flats have convertible   couches that double as a bed at night.
Some smaller flats have a loft that is used for sleeping .
These older flats are often in very strange configurations .
Most even larger flats have all been chopped up to make more apts.
Sometimes you may walk right into a sleeping area or into the bathroom area before seeing a hallway or living room.
Finding a flat with a nice lay out can be a bit hard in some older buildings.
Before we bought our flat we saw a good dozen or so flats first.
Some were in better shape then what we bought but we liked our floorpan better then the others.
That's just the HU way, people do not usually entertaine allot in the flats, hench all the cafes where people meet up.

I just saw this reply and this is so interesting to have this kind of information about a place's living styles and people's choices.

I will try to see as many as I can before I rent one. my wife has a kind of asthma problem so I should be very careful. and we have a pet dog. People told me that Budapest is the best city to live with a dog but I was shocked when I filtered the results with pet allowed apartments. It is like 10% which allows pets in the apartment.

I saw some places in 13. district, that place seems like silent and green. but with google shows the route around 50 mins to 9. district with m3 train. I'm confused

Seems like most pet owners also own their flats if only 10%  of rentals allow pets.
I know, we had to actually move to another Island because no where we searched in Honolulu allowed a big 108 lb. Doberman as a pet.Most flats in the US are only rented out to people with pets less then 45 lbs. in size.
We did find a place but had to rent a entire house on another Island!
In New Mexico we also had a hard time renting with him, another big house was needed.
In Vegas they have many apts buildings that take in larger dogs but they aren't cheap at all.
As he aged we had to find a townhouse in a large building with no stairs, his jumping days were gone after back surgery.

I think the 13th district is nce, has all of cute little areas but not sure why your info said 50 mins. away from the 9th. The green areas in the 13th rent for higher then other areas of the 13th.  Closer to the river costs more too.Again, every district has their "better" areas aside from every district being slightly different in vibes etc.
Some areas in the 6th and 7th are known as "Jewish " areas but I don't see it , maybe it is just certain streets.
Where my husband grew up in the 5th he pointed out the old line that was up in WW11 to section off his area from just across a major blvd in the 6th where they forced the Jewish people to stay. Now that area of the 6th is very pricey and nice near the Temple.
Seems a bit off, I can walk from the 13th to the 9th in 50 mins.
Have to keep looking, I admit I wouldn't personally rent my place to anyone with a pet or a smoker or with children unless they gave a large deposit, well never would rent to a smoker, can never get that smell out of the walls and ceilings etc.
We bought our flat from people who had a large long haired dog, I swear after 12 years once in awhile I still find a stray dog hair in my kitchen.I am not messy, wash the floor every night.
Good luck.
Asthma is serious, I know my sister passed from a attack of it.
In the winter the fog in the air can tend to trap in smog in the city, the air is heavy sometimes and some people burn in wood stoves and that also makes the air heavier at least it smells heavy.
Many smokers in the city as well, just a heads up on that.
My next door neighbor is a chain smoker and I still can't figure out why sometimes I smell smoke in my bathroom coming from their apt. Other times I don't smell a thing, he smokes non stop so I'm at a loss about the smell.
So do not wish to alarm you in any way but smog can be an issue in Budapest, often my husband will refuse to take a walk on days when it is overcast and the smog is low, the air smells bad so not a good sign.
There may be areas up in the 2nd district in the green areas, less people live on Buda side and the air seems a bit better over that way.
My SIL lives in the 10th district  that might be a good area not far from your job and not bad.

The 13th district starts near the Westend shopping center which is right in the city center area but goes out pretty far, so maybe 50 mins travel time is for real if you live at the far end of the 13th.
There are allot of apts in the 13th though.
The smog can be bad at times in the city .
I think some parts of the 14th are nice too, close to the city park.
It's hard with a pet and health concerns too.
Need to find a good agent that knows the city well and can find something to suit your needs.