What furnished tends to mean in practice
There is no official grading of furnished lodging in the private sector, so the contents of a unit reflect the individual household rather than a chain standard. At a minimum, expect a bed and bedding, seating, and a functioning bathroom; self-contained apartments usually add a kitchen with a fridge, a cooker and basic cookware, plus crockery and utensils. Many hosts also provide towels, an iron, a fan or air conditioning, and sometimes a television.\n\nWhat varies most between homes are the things an expat notices only after a week: the quality of the mattress, whether there is dependable hot water, storage and wardrobe space, workspace surfaces, and whether appliances are in good working order. Walk through the unit with the host and open everything — cupboards, taps, the fridge, the cooker — before you agree to stay, because that ten-minute inspection prevents most later friction.
Deposits, handover and the inventory
A security deposit is common for longer stays and is normally paid and returned in cash. Because there is rarely a formal escrow, the deposit's protection lies in a clear, shared record. Agree in writing — even a simple signed note or a photo set — what the deposit covers, the condition of the unit at handover, and what counts as fair wear versus damage.\n\nMake the handover itself deliberate. Photograph the apartment on arrival, note any existing marks or faults, confirm which keys open what, and establish how you reach the host if something breaks. Clarify who is responsible for repairs and how the cost of a genuine breakage is settled. A calm handover conversation, with both sides holding the same list, is the single best safeguard for an expat who wants the deposit back intact at the end.
How longer terms are framed
Fixed multi-year leases of the kind expats know from other countries are not the norm here. Instead, longer stays are usually rolling arrangements: an initial period agreed with the host, then extended by mutual agreement. This flexibility cuts both ways — it is easy to extend when things work, but there is little of the formal tenure protection a Western lease provides, so the relationship with the host matters more than any document.\n\nBefore committing to weeks or months, settle the terms that will govern daily life: how and when rent is paid, notice on either side, what happens if you leave early, and whether the rate changes for a longer commitment. Getting these points explicit at the outset, while goodwill is high, is far easier than renegotiating them mid-stay.