Orbi Residence in Batumi

Orbi Residence is a residential tower by the developer Orbi Group at 2 Kobaladze Street, in the Khimshiashvili area in the south of Batumi. The building was completed in summer 2015. The developer's descriptions give it 27 floors, some catalogues say 28: the difference usually comes from whether the technical floor is counted. On the ground floor there is a lobby with a round-the-clock reception and underground parking, and according to the developer, a pool with a spa area.

Orbi Residence: a tower on Kobaladze Street

This is a single tower without a podium shared by several blocks, and running it is simpler than in the large Orbi complexes on the seafront. The apartments were sold in black frame. Since then most owners have renovated them themselves, and the resale market has untouched concrete apartments, apartments renovated for letting and apartments made for living side by side.

Apartments and a hotel in one building

Some apartments in the tower operate as hotel rooms: on booking sites the building appears both under a hotel name and in private owners' listings. For a buyer this means that hotel guests, tenants and owners share one entrance, and the building rules take all three groups into account. Before purchase we find out whether the specific apartment is part of the hotel stock, what obligations it has to the operator and whether it can leave that arrangement.

If the apartment is for yourself, we look at quiet at night, noise from the lift shaft and ventilation, and the view. If it is for letting, the layout, the condition of the furniture and how guest check-in through the reception works matter more. More about purchase formats is on the page about apartments in Batumi.

The area and the way to the sea

The tower stands inside the block, not on the first line. The beach is a few minutes' walk away: the developer speaks of 50 metres, booking sites of 150–200 metres, and the second figure is usually closer to the truth because the sites count the route along the streets. Around it are the high-rise buildings of the Khimshiashvili Street area, shops, cafés and bus stops. The airport is less than three kilometres away and the Old Town about three, which is easier by taxi or bus.

What matters for an owner in Orbi Residence

The building is about ten years old, and for lifts, pumps and the roof that is the age of the first major repairs. Before a deal we ask the management company what has been replaced in the lifts, pumps and roof and what is planned, because major works in the building are paid for by the owners. We also check the apartment: windows, sills, the joints at the balcony. On the upper floors wind and driving rain find weak spots faster than below.

An apartment in black frame can be renovated in a few months if the work is agreed with the building in advance. How such a renovation goes is described on the page about black frame renovation, and getting the apartment let is described on the page about managed daily letting.