mumbai short term - how & where?

flowerchild

Hi All,

I am moving to Mumbai prob. late August/September , with my husband and 2 small kids for 2-3 months only.

We want to stay in a lower pollution area for the kids. We already know Bandra W. a bit from previous travels – at least some of it seems leafy and unpolluted so we thought it might be a good bet BUT a lot of what it has to offer (nightlife, swanky restaurants) doesn’t appeal. I don’t know if we can justify the mega rents for what we won’t use. The other area we are considering is Breach Candy but haven’t found any short term accomm. there.

The only short term flats we have found via the internet are serviced apartments. Is it difficult to find something short-term through a broker? Magic bricks etc seems to be about long-term rental. Another problem is doing this from a distance.

Also, I need to arrange to have our mail redirected to India but might have to do this before I know our permanent address. Is there anything like a private mailbox service available that we could use before we get settled?

Any info would really help.

aviram

Hi,

Please tell us why you are in Bombay...I mean if it is work..then where would you be working so that we can accordingly suggest some areas. Short term will always be tough to find...on magicbricks...when you see ads...look for the ones that are posted by brokers and contact them and explain your requirement. They may be able to find some good short term accomodation. Negotiate for around 1 months rent as brokerage (as its short term)...just remember brokerage and all other terms ARE negotiable. Tell me if u need any specific help. I am in Bombay...so I can extend a warm welcome. Hope to see you soon.

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flowerchild

Thanks Aviram. My husband works from home so we are not tied to a specific location which makes things more complicated in some ways. We had the opportunity to live in Mumbai now and since we love it decided to go for it.

aviram

You can look out for Andheri West, Santacruz West, Malad West, Goregaon East (Dindoshi) and potential areas. Not the priciest...when compared to south bombay or even Bandra. Plus all of these mentioned have access to good shopping and recreation areas (malls). Also, what is the amount you can afford too shell out per month as rent...say for a 2 Bedroom flat.

gaurav1441

You may also consider Hiranandani Powai.

HDBoy

Hiranandhani in Powai is nice. It is a sprawling complex with a lot of amneties, and it is expensive.

HDBoy

flowerchild

I think the absolute max would be 2 lakh for a 2 BHK. I'll look into the areas you mention. Am I right that Hirandani is more a separate township? It looks very luxurious but perhaps not quite what we are after. I guess malls are where the amenities are now - I have been coming to Bombay all my life and didn't want to be completely cut off from the buzz of street life. Conflicting goals with kids perhaps.

Raghu.Kumar

Hi Flower Child,

You can easily get a two bedroom ( even 3 bed) for less than 2 lakhs at Hiranandani Gardens. However the issue would be the short term lease. However you can check directly with the Hiranandani office ( Promoters ) if they have any apartment that they could offer. They manage lot of apartments for their NRI clients and you just could be lucky to get one.

For them also, if they are able to make a few lakhs out of a locked apartment I am sure they would welcome it.

Please check out my posts in moving to mumbai, where I have posted youtube videos and contact details in response to a post by Mumbai mum and I hope it would be useful in some way.

Regards, Raghu

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aviram

Okay...assuming you are saying 2 lakhs a month [or even 3 months] (thats huge...pls clarify if you mean 2 lakhs for 3 months)...you can stay anywhere in Bombay! In Hiranandani...you can rent a good 2 BHK for about 25k (add 5-7 k for furnished flats) per month....or a little higher depending on the building. The cost will increase since you are a foreigner and also due to the short term nature of your requirement. I will still suggest Andheri W or Santacruz W as options over Hiranandani...Hiranandani isn't really Bombay...and apart from the complex itself..there is nothing to do nearby. Buildings with Spas and swimming pools etc will obviously cost more...

ashukkb

Why dont you choose Navi Mumbai (Palm beach road nerul and Kharghar)

Nerul Palmbeach road is great to stay, NRI Coloney at Palmbeach road... can be a nice place to stay.

Kharghar is the most planned area in Mumbai recently. Here Mountain view is great and nothing in term of polution, very wide road, not corwdy... and you can get good accomodation in cheap rates.

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aviram

Yes you can consider this area too...only thing is it to very far from the real BOmbay...the rents here are much lower too...but per say the area is great and so are the apartments. Look at Nerul area in particular.

dusterio

I would say it's very very complicated to find a short-term rental opportunity in Mumbai. Most landlords want at least 11+ month contract. Nobody would be interested in short-term...

The only solution is checking expat forums/websites - sometimes foreigners are going abroad for a couple of months and renting out their flats. IMHO

flowerchild

Thanks guys. This is already a big help.

Perhaps we have set the budget too high as we hadn't envisaged living in a complex/estate.

Do you think it would be easier if we are actually in Mumbai rather than trying to do it from a distance? One of us could go to Mumbai in advance and look "on the ground" so to speak. I find the idea of taking an apt without seeing it daunting - from personal experience things are not always what you expect in India. Also I have found the people I've contacted respond better to your voice than an email (often ignored)...

britindel09

If you are coming with kids I would suggest Hiranandani which is close to the airport but is a whole area built by some NRI and somewhat better than other places. It is safer and convienant. Everything you need will be there, good schools, shops, places to eat, plus much much cleaner than the rest of mumbai, also affordable.

I would stay there if I had to stay in Mumbai which for living is the pits, but for eating out brilliant. Nothing more to say about Mumbai really, shopping , well after the initial blitz in India on the shops , you get a bit bored with the shops so no point really. anywhere is the same.
With kids you need to be very careful here, especially Mumbai, which is why when we had to do the same thing I chose Bangalore, that was back in 2000 to 2004 and teh first time we lived in INdia as well so an interesting experience for all.

best of luck

britindel09

all landlords here want 11 mths rentals but outside of Bangalore it's not an issue as in Bangalore they also want 11mths deposite.

Elsewhere you pay the 2mths deposite and one months upfront, and have a cancellation window of two months or one month. Don't get frightened by not being able to get a short term contract, just don't tell them it will be a short term thing for a few months. I am sure when the time comes to go, having been in INdia for some time you will become creative in finding some excuse, worst case dont pay him for the last two months.

For what they ask you get little so stand your ground.