YANGON apartment dwellers seem to be celebrating October – a traditional time to move house – by staying put, vehicle-hire companies say.

Normally this is a busy time of year for light truck rentals, since landlord-tenant contracts expire and people move house. But the vehicle rental market is slow, industry professionals say.

“Car rentals for house moving are down this season, though the rates have not risen. We’re concentrating more on the tourism business,” said Ma Swe Swe Thein, manager of Sone Thit Sar car rental service.

Customers can either rent directly from the owner, hiring labour to help with the move, or go through a car hire company.

“When car owners contact us, we find customers for them, and charge 10 percent of the total as a service fee,” said Ma Swe Swe Thein. The customer would pay between K15,000 and K40,000 depending on the type of vehicle hired and the distance moved. It is also customary to hire four of five labourers to carry the furniture and effects, at a cost of K5000 each.

“Most customers would choose a 14-foot (4 metre) Canter or a 10-feet (3 metre) Dyna light truck,” said Ma Cho of Aung Khine Khnat car rental services.
She said that she did not expect hire fees to rise this year.

U Myint Zaw, who moved house from North Dagon to Tarmwe township, said he hired a 14-foot Canter direct from these owner, along with four labourers, paying K25,000 for the vehicle and K5000 for each worker.

“My new apartment is on the eighth floor. The workers took all our belongings up without breaking them and the price was reasonable,” he said.