Renting an apartment in Batumi after relocation: the first weeks, the lease and daily life

Renting an apartment in Batumi after relocation usually happens in two steps. First an apartment for a few weeks, to live in the city and see which district suits you. Then a lease for a year or until summer, in the place you have chosen. We help you through both steps so that you do not sign a year's lease for an apartment you have only seen in photos.

Renting an apartment in Batumi after relocation: where to start

For the first two to four weeks it is convenient to rent an apartment by the night or by the month in a district you are considering. In that time you can see whether it is noisy in the evenings, where the market and the pharmacy are, and how to get to the school or the coworking space. Meanwhile we look at long-term apartments.

If you have not arrived yet, we carry out viewings for you on a video call and check the owner against the Public Registry extract. But a year's lease is better signed after you have been to the apartment yourself, or at least to the district. How long-term renting works is explained on our page about long-term rentals.

A district that suits your life

If you work from home, you need quiet during the day and decent internet. Families with children need a school or nursery nearby, and we check the language of instruction for the specific address. Without a car the centre, the Old Town, Heroes Alley and Boni-Gorodok are more convenient: everything is close and transport runs often.

The high-rises by the sea are beautiful in summer, but in winter many of them are almost empty, and in summer the neighbouring apartments are let by the night. For living all year round this is worth considering in advance. In the Airport district the buildings are newer and rents are usually lower, but the centre and the sea are further away.

Before viewings it is worth walking around the district in the evening and at a weekend: where to walk with a child, whether there is a gym, a market, a pharmacy and a bus stop nearby. It takes an hour, and choosing a district for a year is worth that hour.

Internet and a place to work

At the viewing we test the internet speed right in the apartment, ask which provider is connected and whether another one can be installed. Mobile internet as a backup is also worth checking right in the apartment.

It is better to see the workplace in advance: a desk, a chair, sockets nearby, daylight from the window, a separate room if there are two of you and both are on calls. If there is no desk, agree with the owner to buy one before signing and record it in the inventory.

Documents, a bank account and money

A lease requires a passport. A lease with a foreigner is often drawn up in two languages, which suits both sides. It is better to pay the rent by bank transfer: that way you keep proof of every payment. If the owner offers a lease only in Georgian, ask for a translation or a bilingual version: it is not worth signing a text you cannot read.

A bank account in Georgia can be opened without a residence permit, a work visa or a local address: you need a passport, a clear source of funds and a carefully completed application form. How to do it and why banks sometimes refuse is explained on our page about opening a bank account.

A lease for people who have moved

Plans after a move change more often than it seems, so the most important clause of the lease is leaving early: how many days' notice to give the owner and what happens to the deposit then. If you have a pet, it must be explicitly allowed in the lease, otherwise the owner may keep the deposit for marks on the furniture.

Renting an apartment does not give a right to a residence permit. A residence permit through property is obtained by buying housing worth more than 150 000 dollars according to an accredited valuer's report; more on our page about a residence permit through buying property.

Everyday life: what to ask the owner for

Long-term apartments in Batumi are most often let furnished, but for living small things are often missing: an oven, a clothes airer, proper kitchenware, a dehumidifier, a heater in the bedroom. We make a list before signing and discuss with the owner what they will buy themselves and what you will buy and take with you when you leave.

Winter in Batumi is damp, and many newcomers meet their first winter with mould in a wardrobe. At the viewing we look at the corners and wardrobes against outside walls, and ask about heating in every room and last winter's bills.

Rent or buy

After the first year many people decide whether to stay in Batumi and start thinking about buying. Renting gives you time to choose a district and understand what apartment you need, while buying gives you your own address and the possibility of a residence permit. A comparison of the two routes is on our page buy or rent. Support with a residence permit through property starts from 840 ₾, excluding the state fee.

How much help with renting after a move costs

Finding a rental apartment for a tenant costs 90–120 % of one month's rent: a search to suit your life, viewings including by video call, checking the owner and help with the lease. A lease with a handover report and inventory starts from 240 ₾, a consultation with a property lawyer of up to an hour from 155 ₾.

The final price is set after we review the task and agree the scope of work. You pay the deposit and the rent to the owner, and they are not part of our fee.