Renting a place: talking to the landlord
The monthly rate and the six-month rate differ by half, and that isn't an exaggeration. The first question isn't "how much" but "how much for six months": "berapa kalau enam bulan". The gap will make you ask again.
Then work out what's included. Water almost always is; electricity almost never — separate meter, and an AC running around the clock adds one and a half to two million a month. Learn the word "listrik" before you sign anything.
The deposit is "deposit" and is usually one month. Getting it back isn't always smooth, so photograph everything on the day you move in — that works better than any phrase.
On repairs: if it broke and it wasn't your doing, the owner fixes it, and you say so immediately rather than saving it up. "AC-nya rusak" — the AC is broken — gets understood in any accent.
Pronunciation below is written to be read out loud in English spelling. It isn't linguistically exact — it's meant to get you understood.
55 phrases
How much per month?
Berapa per bulan?
buh-RAH-pah puhr BOO-lahn?
Politer: Permisi, berapa per bulan? ·
Is water and electricity included?
Air dan listrik termasuk?
EHYER dahn LEES-treek tuhr-MAH-sook?
The key question when renting. Often not included.
Is a deposit required?
Perlu deposit?
puhr-LOO duh-POH-seet?
Can I see the room?
Boleh lihat kamarnya?
BOH-luh LEE-haht kah-MAHR-nyah?
Politer: Permisi, boleh lihat kamarnya? ·
The power went out
Listriknya mati
LEES-treek-nyah MAH-tee
There's no water
Airnya tidak ada
EHYER-nyah TEE-dahk AH-dah
Local: Airnya nggak ada ·
The AC isn't working
AC-nya rusak
ahch NYAH ROO-sahk
"AC" is pronounced "ah-seh", not "ay-see".
The roof is leaking
Atapnya bocor
ah-TAHP-nyah BOH-chohr
Can you fix this?
Bisa tolong diperbaiki?
BEE-sah TOH-lohng dee-puhr-BEHYE-kee?
Politer: Permisi, bisa tolong diperbaiki? ·
When does the trash get picked up?
Kapan sampah diambil?
KAH-pahn SAHM-pah dee-AHM-beel?
Politer: Permisi, kapan sampah diambil? ·
I'd like to extend my stay
Saya mau perpanjang sewa
SAH-yah MOHW puhr-PAHN-jahng SEH-wah
Do you have a cheaper room?
Ada kamar yang lebih murah?
AH-dah KAH-mahr yahng luh-BEE MOO-rahh?
Politer: Permisi, ada kamar yang lebih murah? ·
For how many days?
Untuk berapa hari?
OON-took buh-RAH-pah HAH-ree?
Can I book it for a month?
Bisa per bulan?
BEE-sah puhr BOO-lahn?
Politer: Permisi, bisa per bulan? ·
The lights aren't working
Lampunya mati
lahm-POON-yah MAH-tee
“Mati” means dead — that's how locals talk about broken appliances.
There's no water coming out
Airnya tidak keluar
EHYER-nyah TEE-dahk kuh-LOO-ahr
Local: Airnya nggak keluar ·
The AC is noisy
AC-nya berisik
ahch nyah buh-REE-seek
Can I get fresh towels?
Bisa ganti handuk?
BEE-sah GAHN-tee HAHN-dook?
Politer: Permisi, bisa ganti handuk? ·
How much is the deposit?
Berapa uang deposit?
buh-RAH-pah OO-ahng duh-POH-seet?
Politer: Permisi, berapa uang deposit? ·
What's included in the rent?
Apa saja yang termasuk dalam sewa?
AH-pah SAH-jah yahng tuhr-MAH-sook DAH-lahm SEH-wah?
Politer: Permisi, apa saja yang termasuk dalam sewa? ·
Local: Apa aja yang termasuk dalam sewa? ·
Are water, electricity, and wifi included?
Air, listrik, sama wifi udah termasuk belum?
EHYER, LEES-treek, SAH-mah WEE-fee OO-dah tuhr-MAH-sook buh-LOOM?
electricity is often separate
Is the pool cleaned regularly?
Kolamnya dibersihin rutin gak?
koh-LAHM-nyah dee-buhr-SEE-heen ROO-teen gahk?
Who cleans the pool and how often?
Siapa yang bersihin kolam, berapa kali seminggu?
see-AH-pah yahng buhr-SEE-heen KOH-lahm, buh-RAH-pah KAH-lee suh-MEENG-goo?
Can I see the villa before paying?
Boleh liat vila-nya dulu sebelum bayar?
BOH-luh LEE-aht VEE-lah nyah DOO-loo suh-buh-LOOM BAH-yahr?
Politer: Permisi, boleh liat vila-nya dulu sebelum bayar? ·
Is there a rental agreement?
Ada surat perjanjian sewa gak?
AH-dah SOO-raht puhr-jahn-JEE-ahn SEH-wah gahk?
Politer: Permisi, ada surat perjanjian sewa gak? ·
Can I rent for a month instead of a year?
Bisa sewa bulanan, gak harus tahunan?
BEE-sah SEH-wah boo-LAH-nahn, gahk HAH-roos tah-HOO-nahn?
Politer: Permisi, bisa sewa bulanan, gak harus tahunan? ·
Can I pay monthly?
Bisa bayar per bulan?
BEE-sah BAH-yahr puhr BOO-lahn?
Politer: Permisi, bisa bayar per bulan? ·
When's the next payment due?
Bayar selanjutnya kapan ya?
BAH-yahr suh-lahn-JOOT-nyah KAH-pahn yah?
Is electricity metered or a fixed rate?
Listrik pakai token atau flat?
LEES-treek PAH-kehye TOH-kuhn AH-tohw flaht?
Bali often uses a token system
Is the gas tank included in the rent?
Tabung gas-nya termasuk gak?
TAH-boong gahs nyah tuhr-MAH-sook gahk?
Is there AC in every room?
AC-nya ada di semua kamar gak?
ahch nyah AH-dah dee suh-MOO-ah KAH-mahr gahk?
Is there parking for a bike?
Ada parkir motor gak?
AH-dah PAHR-keer MOH-tohr gahk?
Politer: Permisi, ada parkir motor gak? ·
I'm moving out at the end of the month
Saya mau check out akhir bulan ini
SAH-yah mohw chhuhchk OH-oot AHK-heer BOO-lahn EE-nee
I'll be vacating the villa in a week
Saya bakal kosongin vila-nya minggu depan
SAH-yah BAH-kahl koh-SOHN-geen VEE-lah nyah MEENG-goo duh-PAHN
That crack was already there, I didn't cause it
Ini udah retak dari awal, bukan saya yang rusak
EE-nee OO-dah ruh-TAHK DAH-ree AH-wahl, BOO-kahn SAH-yah yahng ROO-sahk
Can I leave my things here for a couple of days after I move out?
Boleh nitip barang beberapa hari setelah saya pindah?
BOH-luh NEE-teep BAH-rahng buh-buh-RAH-pah HAH-ree suh-tuh-LAH SAH-yah PEEN-dahh?
Politer: Permisi, boleh nitip barang beberapa hari setelah saya pindah? ·
Where should I leave the keys?
Kuncinya ditaruh di mana?
koon-CHEEN-yah dee-TAH-roo dee MAH-nah?
There's no power anywhere in the house
Listriknya mati total
lees-TREEK-nyah MAH-tee TOH-tahl
The AC isn't cooling
AC-nya nggak dingin
ahch nyah nggahk DEEN-geen
AC is pronounced "ah-seh"
The lock's broken, I can't open the door
Kuncinya rusak, pintunya nggak bisa dibuka
koon-CHEEN-yah ROO-sahk, peen-TOON-yah nggahk BEE-sah dee-BOO-kah
The key's stuck in the lock
Kuncinya nyangkut di lubangnya
koon-CHEEN-yah NYAHNG-koot dee loo-BAHNG-nyah
The wifi's been down for two days now
Wifinya mati dari kemarin
wee-FEEN-yah MAH-tee DAH-ree kuh-MAH-reen
Can you send someone to fix it?
Bisa kirim orang buat perbaiki?
BEE-sah KEE-reem OH-rahng BOO-aht puhr-BEHYE-kee?
Politer: Permisi, bisa kirim orang buat perbaiki? ·
When will the repair guy come?
Tukangnya kapan datang?
too-KAHNG-nyah KAH-pahn DAH-tahng?
"tukang" means a general handyman
There's no hot water
Air panasnya nggak ada
EHYER pah-NAHS-nyah nggahk AH-dah
The water pressure is too weak
Airnya kecil banget
EHYER-nyah kuh-CHEEL BAHN-guht
Water's leaking onto the floor in the shower
Air di kamar mandi bocor ke lantai
EHYER dee KAH-mahr MAHN-dee BOH-chohr kuh LAHN-tehye
The outlet is sparking
Stopkontaknya keluar api
stohp-kohn-TAHK-nyah kuh-LOO-ahr AH-pee
important for safety, mention right away
The light switch doesn't work
Saklarnya nggak nyala
sahk-LAHR-nyah nggahk NYAH-lah
The door won't close properly
Pintunya nggak bisa nutup rapat
peen-TOON-yah nggahk BEE-sah noo-TOOP RAH-paht
Can you give me a spare key?
Ada kunci cadangan, nggak?
AH-dah KOON-chee chah-DAHN-gahn, nggahk?
Politer: Permisi, ada kunci cadangan, nggak? ·
Can this be fixed today?
Ini bisa diperbaiki hari ini, nggak?
EE-nee BEE-sah dee-puhr-BEHYE-kee HAH-ree EE-nee, nggahk?
How long will the repair take?
Perbaikannya butuh waktu berapa lama?
puhr-behye-KAHN-nyah BOO-too WAHK-too buh-RAH-pah LAH-mah?
Who pays for the repair — me or the owner?
Yang bayar perbaikan ini saya atau pemiliknya?
yahng BAH-yahr puhr-BEHYE-kahn EE-nee SAH-yah AH-tohw puh-mee-LEEK-nyah?
important money question
This is the third time this has broken
Ini udah ketiga kalinya rusak
EE-nee OO-dah kuh-TEE-gah kah-LEEN-yah ROO-sahk
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