Desperately Seeking Rental Accommodation

Just like many others on this island, I'm looking for a house or flat to rent in the north of Mahé.

My landlord is tearing the house down in the beginning of August so that he can build executive flats to rent out in Euros. There is hardly an owner on the island these days who is willing to rent out in Seychelles Rupees. This is largely thanks to the developers of Eden Island and some of the new luxury hotels who are more than happy to shell out their foreign exchange to accommodate their staff.

What, I wonder, will happen when these people finish building their own houses (as is planned)? The bubble is bound to burst then and all these renters will be stuck with their over-priced apartments and houses.

I put an ad on Seybay, our local online classifieds site and got a phone call from someone today who is renting out a 3-bedroom flat in Beau Vallon for Euros 1000. On the black market (which is how everbody calculates these days) that is SR 20'000. I could manage Euros 500 if pushed, but even that is a ridiculous amount.

Two years ago, you could get a nice 3-bedroom house in North Mahé for SR 6000 per month. That's bad enough considering that the average wage here is SR 3'500 a month. This is why most single people stay with their parents until well into their 30s.

Sleeping on the beach is dangerous these days, so I don't even have that option.

I live in hope of a miracle...