coldhearted scientist وداد

I have not gotten enough done these past two weeks, or enjoyed myself much, but I have learned something, perhaps, about vacation rentals; you really need guarantees and you must ask many apparently anally retentive questions because if not, you will lose. It is odd but the worst renter I ever had was someone I really thought I could trust, and the worst rental deal I ever made (this one) was from someone I also thought trustworthy. Therefore I have learned: apparent coolness does not a good business person make.

I have rented a pink house in Monte Serrat, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. I have the whole house, at the old price of $700 per month. I was somewhat disturbed when, soon before I left and months after I had sent my deposit, the owner contacted me saying he had divided the house into two apartments, and asking whether I might rather have one of these rather than the whole house. The fact that he was so late in informing me of the new situation made me wonder what else might be in store for me. It turned out I was right to be concerned. It surprised me because of who this person apparently is, but then again perhaps it should not.

In 1985 I rented another pink house in the Rio Vermelho district of this same town from a professor at the Federal University of Bahia, and had a similar experience. At home I have two colleagues who are also landlords, and I am told they are this kind of landlord. Perhaps it is a type. I posted the following review to one of the vacation rental sites upon which the house is advertised, out of concern for the next adventurer. Out of courtesy I will also say these things to the landlord, but I fear he is not interested; I suspect he is only interested in renting the place again.

It has been exhausting living here and I would have done well not to accept the place — although during my window of opportunity for that I was still too jet lagged and culture shocked to know how I felt for sure.

REVIEW OF HOUSE

The studio is as advertised, and the view is even more beautiful than it appears to be in photographs. However the other photographs, very well taken, do not reflect the actual state of repair the house is in. I was without electricity in almost half of the house for 12 days, which meant no light in the bathroom and no hot water; toilets do not always flush well. Water pours through the roof of the upstairs kitchen when it rains. Access by car is difficult. The stairway to the back door is very long and I think dangerous; also, people throw garbage into it. Brazilian cell phone reception is not entirely reliable in this neighborhood, either, which I wish I had realized.

My local friends were scandalized at the state this property is in, and at the cost-to-value ratio. Some foreign visitors might romanticize the problems there are, but I think most would be less patient than I. People should also realize that, now that the owner is dividing the house into two apartments and charging $700 for each, it will longer be inexpensive in comparison to the average temporary/furnished rental in this town. There there are even some luxury rentals available, in more convenient neighborhoods with similar views to this one, for the price now being asked here.

I am a seasoned South American traveler and renter, I speak Portuguese, and I have been coming to this city for 25 years. Even so I was not entirely prepared for what I found with this property. People renting here, especially if they are coming in from an international flight and/or if they have not been to Salvador before, could really use some more information about the situation than the owner seems to have, so they can plan.

ADDITIONAL THINGS TO PLAN FOR IF YOU RENT THIS HOUSE:

1. “Utilities” are included in the rent but this, it turns out, does not include the tank of drinking water or the butane tank for the stove. Since stores are not open Sundays and holidays, arrival must be planned for a day and an hour when these things can be obtained (up to 10PM for butane delivery, but you must have a working telephone to order that).

2. People who will be in the house at New Years’ or Carnaval must also understand that there will be loudspeakers right under the windows, and music will be very loud very late at night for several days in a row.

3. Bus service is also slightly less frequent and slightly slower than the owner realizes, and taxis are no longer inexpensive in this city. Therefore, the cost of transportation to and fro must be taken into account when one rents here.

4. There are fewer restaurants, and distance to good supermarkets is greater, in and from this neighborhood than I had fully realized. This, too, is something people really need to understand. If not, they will find too much of their vacation time consumed in housework and errands, and/or they may find themselves bearing hidden costs such as cab fares.

5. I strongly recommend negotiating with the owner for access to the telephone (a land line), since cell phone reception, particularly for prepaid cell phones, is unreliable in this neighborhood. You can pre-pay land lines at certain chain stores including, apparently, INSINUANTE and LOJAS AMERICANAS. That way you will be able to call out. This is for purposes of local calls, by the way: my U.S. cell phone did work, and I am supposing that if one had a satellite telephone, that would work. My interest was to make and receive local calls. This turned out to be very difficult on the Brazilian cell phone I bought for that purpose. That is why I am saying to negotiate for the land line.

ENDING ON A POSITIVE NOTE

The house has very great potential, and renting here could be a good experience if the house and its furnishings were in (much) better shape. The owner clearly has excellent taste, and there is a good library. The Internet service is very good. The sound of the waves lapping, and the sight of the boats bobbing on the bay, are both quite wonderful.

It is a fact that this neighborhood is somewhat problematic. I am not talking about the inhabitants but about issues such as sewers, drainage, and garbage. Since these things cannot be controlled, the house itself should be in very good shape and very hygienic if bourgeois rents are to be charged, and amenities such as telephones should be provided. Air conditioning would also be desirable, so that windows overlooking sewer lines can be closed.

I do not want to harm the owner’s business, but I also really would not want anyone else to walk into the impractical situation I did.

Axé.