Moved Into a Philippine Rental With No Utilities or Missing Items: What to Do

Move-in day: record everything before you move in

The short answer: if you sign the lease, collect the keys and open the door to find no water or power, no internet, missing furniture or a unit that does not match what you were shown, record the condition in full before you bring your belongings in, and notify the landlord or agent in writing the same day. That record is your strongest evidence later, whether you are negotiating rent, repairs or the return of your deposit.

Why before moving in. Once your things are inside, the unit's condition gets mixed up with your own use. If the landlord later says you caused the damage, or that everything was fine when you arrived, it becomes hard to show otherwise. An empty unit photographs most clearly.

Decide whether you can live there tonight. No water, no power, a broken lock, obvious leaks or electrical faults affect basic habitability and safety; do not force yourself to stay, and book a hotel for the night. Missing furniture, stained walls or internet not yet installed are things you can live with for now while you ask the landlord in writing to fix them by a set date.

Do not sign "accepted in good condition" on the spot. Some landlords or building administrators hand you a move-in acceptance form. Check every item first, write the problems on the form, or attach photos and note "see attached". Do not sign a page saying everything is fine just to get the keys faster.

For traps to avoid before signing, such as an agent who vanishes after collecting money or a listing that is not real, see common rental traps in the Philippines and when an agent vanishes after you pay a reservation fee. This guide covers what to do after you have signed and found the unit is not ready on move-in day.

How to record it: one checklist and one set of photos

Your record does not need a special format, but it should be complete, dated and easy to match against the lease.

Go room by room. Start at the front door. Take a wide shot of each room, then details: walls, ceilings, floors, doors and windows, air conditioners, the water heater, toilet and taps, kitchen equipment and appliances. Turn on taps, lights and air conditioning and record what does not work, ideally on video so the failure is visible.

Compare with the lease and what you were shown. If the lease or an annex lists furniture and appliances, check each one and list anything missing, broken or different from what was promised. Gather any photos or videos from the viewing and the listing images the agent sent, so you can show how the unit differs.

Write a move-in checklist. A simple table with item, condition and photo number works, for example "Master bedroom aircon: not cooling, photo 12". Make two copies and ask the landlord or building administration to acknowledge receipt. If they are not present, send it by email or chat and keep proof that it was sent.

Note the meter readings. Photograph the electricity and water meters with their readings and account numbers, so there is no dispute later about usage before you moved in. Make clear in your notice that any unpaid bills left by a previous tenant are not yours. Back the photos up to cloud storage or email them to yourself the same day, so the record survives a lost or broken phone.

Whether you rented furnished or unfurnished affects what you can ask for; see furnished or unfurnished rentals.

No water, power or internet: landlord problem or account problem?

"No water and no power" can have different causes, and each cause has a different person responsible. Find out which it is, then chase the right party.

Cut off for unpaid bills. If a previous tenant or the landlord left bills unpaid and the supplier disconnected the service, it is the landlord's job to settle the arrears and get supply restored. You can ask building management or the supplier to confirm whether the account was disconnected for non-payment; the usual disconnection and reconnection process is covered in what to do when your utilities are cut off.

No account, or a closed account. In new units or ones left empty for a long time, the utility accounts may have been closed and need reopening in the owner's name or as the supplier requires. That usually needs the owner's documents, so the landlord has to act; as a tenant you generally cannot do it alone.

Building-wide faults. Problems with the whole building's supply, tripped main breakers or water pumps are for building management. Wiring and plumbing inside the unit are normally the landlord's responsibility under the lease; before calling your own tradesperson, read whether to go through building management or hire your own repairer.

Internet. Broadband usually has to be applied for and installed separately, and many landlords do not handle it. If the lease or listing said internet was included, it is a promised amenity and you can ask for it; if not, apply yourself. See choosing and installing broadband in the Philippines.

Move-in paperwork. Condo buildings usually need a move-in permit and a booked service lift, and guards will stop movers without them; see condo move-in permits and gate passes.

Notify the landlord in writing: the problems and a deadline

Once the record is done, notify the landlord or agent in writing that same day. What you said out loud does not count; what you wrote does.

What to include. Your move-in date; the problems you found, referring to the checklist and photo numbers; how they differ from the lease or the viewing; what you want done; and the date by which you want it done. Keep it calm and specific.

Set a reasonable deadline. For water and power, which affect whether you can live there, ask for prompt restoration. For missing furniture or repairs, give a timeframe the landlord can realistically meet. A clear deadline gives you grounds for your next step if nothing happens.

Raise the interim arrangements too. If you had to stay in a hotel because you could not move in, or went several days without water or power, say so in the notice and ask how rent for that period and your hotel costs will be handled. Whether you are compensated depends on the lease and on negotiation, but raise it early and in writing.

If you rented through an agent. Copy the agent in and ask them to coordinate. Sorting out handover problems is usually part of what the agent is paid for; for typical commission arrangements, see whether you pay a broker's fee when renting.

Keep every exchange. Screenshot emails, chats and replies, and when the landlord sends someone to fix things, note the date and what was done. If a repair is only partial, say so in writing the same day rather than waiting until the end of the month.

If the landlord stalls: rent reduction, repair-and-deduct, or ending the lease

If the deadline passes and nothing is fixed, there are several directions you can negotiate. What you can actually do depends on the lease, so ask a lawyer about your case before taking a firm step.

Negotiate a rent reduction. If amenities are missing or partly unusable, ask for a reduction in proportion to the impact, or for the start date of the lease to be pushed back. Put any agreement in a written addendum or confirmation.

Repair first, deduct later. For some problems you can have a tradesperson fix them and deduct the cost from rent, but only with the landlord's prior written consent, and keep the quote, the receipt and before-and-after photos. Deducting rent without consent can be treated as unpaid rent and put you on the back foot. For more on this, see what a tenant can do when the landlord will not repair.

Ending the lease and recovering the deposit. If the problems are serious enough that the unit cannot be lived in and the landlord will not act, you can consider asking to end the lease and for the return of your deposit and advance rent. Put the request in writing with your reasons and try to settle it by agreement. If the landlord refuses, do not simply stop paying rent or keep the keys; go to mediation first.

Mediation. In the Philippines, rental disputes between parties in the same city usually go first to community-level mediation; see how barangay mediation works. Bring the lease, the move-in checklist, photos and your written exchanges.

Consult a licensed lawyer about your situation, especially if the deposit is large, the lease is long, or the landlord is threatening to evict you.

What to keep doing, and how Yixing can help

Once the problems are sorted, a few habits will protect you when you move out.

Keep the move-in checklist. Hold on to it for the whole tenancy. At move-out, compare the unit against the same checklist; normal wear and anything that was already wrong when you arrived should not be charged to you. Store a copy outside the unit as well, for example in your email, in case of a dispute after you have handed back the keys.

Put every repair request in writing. For any issue during the tenancy, notify in writing and keep the record. Whether your deposit comes back smoothly often depends on the trail you leave over the whole lease.

If this is your first home in the Philippines. If you are dealing with other arrival problems the same week, such as a short-stay booking that fell through, see when a short-stay booking is fake or not as listed.

Yixing International Travel is a licensed Philippine company (SEC No. CS202009551; Bureau of Immigration accreditation No. CA-202624381-1) that helps Chinese residents and newcomers with settling in, rental communication, documents and visas. We can help you check the unit item by item, draft the written notice to your landlord, accompany you in discussions with the landlord or building management, and attend community mediation with you if needed. Where a legal judgment is needed, we refer you to a licensed lawyer. See our settling-in support.

We do not promise outcomes. Rent reductions and deposit refunds depend on the lease, negotiation and the result of mediation.

For your specific situation, consult a licensed lawyer; this article is not legal advice.