Walk up versus elevator building

Typically, how much less would you rent a flat for a flat if it didn't have an elevator in the building?


Do movers give you a much higher quote/harder time if it involves a walk up?

I'm on the 35th floor so no chance of walking up but yes movers cost more as do all kinds of deliveries and they usually by the floor. Ask Ikea what their rate is. The other thing is try doing it a few times on a day like today 32 degrees, raining and carrying your shopping and see how you go especially if you wear a suit and heels to work.

One removers I know of charges an additional 10-20% for stairs. And some stores won't delivery to places without a lift.


Then I lived in a walkup many years ago, it was because it was cheap ($3K). But when a dead rat remains on the stairs for days, when you have to carry up bags of shopping (and sometimes buckets of water) in the height of summer, and when you meet a stranger on the stairs who has wandered in off the street, walkups lose their "charm".


There are a number of smartly renovated flats in walkups and, as they are supposed to be "move in with a suitcase" places, the landlords charge a premium price (to cover the cost of renovation). For some people this is a good "bargain" and I have met some who boast about how "local" they are because they live in a walkup. But locals really prefer not to live in inconvenient walkups; these places tend to be for newly arrived expats with a housing allowance (IMO).

A dead rat and strangers in your building (and needing to carry up buckets of water) would be off putting whether a walkup or if you stayed at the Four Seasons. But we also know that in HK you often pay for what you get, seems $3k doesn't give you very much :)


You pay less for a walkup because you walk up. You pay more for deliveries, as they need to walk up. Some places charge a lot more, some don't. Never heard that a place will not deliver (this is HK the bastion of capitalism). What you pay for the flat depends on the renovations done. A simple comparison between various places will show. Take a look at the lease page on this site and you will soon see what people are charging you for different properties.


And yes a number of places have a few expats because they offer the amenities non-locals want (and will/can pay for). Just like mid-levels, south side, DB etc.


And while Claire is right that most locals prefer not to live in walkups, on average locals do live in the NT with various extended family members - I assume that is not your second alternative.