[ravradha]

Hi Congrats.

Mandaveli is one of the best surroundings to be in, in Chennai.

Pros:

Excellent neighborhood
Temple area
Excellent Schools
Access to local market
Access to Metro


Cons:

Costly, and hence the associated demerits

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

1. Best place to stay for a family (2 BHK, Apartment with car parking)

Mylapore, Mandaveli

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

2. Approx rentals and deposit rates
.

For a family of four 1000 Sq ft 2 BHK flat, will be 20K/month, 1 Lac adv

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

3. Any suggestions/pointers for house (someone has any reference)

Don't know any, but can try, please PM preferences to me. But first get school admission. That is the most difficult part.

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

4. Nearby Schools (preferably CBSE and kid will have tough time learning Tamil for state board)

Hey man, this should have been your first question. Try to get in Vidhya Mandir or PS Senior, in that order. You can't make a better investment for your children. But its late in the year, admissions would have closed by now. Try to put in all you have, to get in one of these.

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

5. I understand Electricity is better, any need to bring inverter?

Forget it.

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

6. Drinking and bathing Water during summer season, hope the area of living wont have problems for that.
.

No issues.

[tanwaramit]

Originally Posted by ravradha

Hi Congrats.

Mandaveli is one of the best surroundings to be in, in Chennai.


For a family of four 1000 Sq ft 2 BHK flat, will be 20K/month, 1 Lac adv

Don't know any, but can try, please PM preferences to me. But first get school admission. That is the most difficult part.

Hey man, this should have been your first question. Try to get in Vidhya Mandir or PS Senior, in that order. You can't make a better investment for your children. But its late in the year, admissions would have closed by now. Try to put in all you have, to get in one of these.

hyper-VTEC, Thanks for your input.

ravradha, thanks for reply against each point.

Also Thanks (for congrats )

Your inputs are quite helpful. The rental requirements are very basic
2BHK with 2 baths, apartment, security is good to have. not ground floor and need car parking inside the building compound. Do see if you can help. Due to heat, the top floors are also generally no no.

School admission would be transfer, would that be a problem getting admission now? I thought transfers are generally allowed this time of the year and a little later as well.

Is the municipal tap water good to drink in Mandaveli or the area needs water tanker + bottled water?

[ravradha]

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

School admission would be transfer, would that be a problem getting admission now? I thought transfers are generally allowed this time of the year and a little later as well.

Not for schools like VM and PS. They get filled (even for transfers) in March. Please arrange admissions. I can't over emphasize the importance of school admissions over accommodation.

Yes, in most parts of Chennai tanker water is the norm during 3 - 4 months in summer. For drinking water - bubble top or RO purifier at home is common.

Welcome to Chennai.

[hamster]

Another pointer here about chennai.

Mandaveli and Mylapore are pretty much old areas of chennai. The internal streets are a bit narrow so ensure you get parking inside your apartment otherwise you might end up parking in these narrow streets.
Also, couple of things I have seen in Chennai
1) most of the older apartments do not have lift facilities but have 2-3 floors.
2) generally 2 BHks start with 800 sqft area. so expect a 2BHKs to be a bit smaller. I am saying this in comparison with Bangalore, where 2BHK apartments start with 1000 sqft.

Drinking water is mostly on bubble tops. You get a lot of local shops who provide water cans at your doorstep on a phone call. It would be still safe to boil it and drink it even though it says its "purified".

[tanwaramit]

Originally Posted by ravradha

Not for schools like VM and PS. They get filled (even for transfers) in March. Please arrange admissions. I can't over emphasize the importance of school admissions over accommodation.

Yes, in most parts of Chennai tanker water is the norm during 3 - 4 months in summer. For drinking water - bubble top or RO purifier at home is common.

Welcome to Chennai.

Thanks for your input.

Now I am getting concerned, the kid is going into 2nd standard and if admission is not possible in Chennai, then what should I do ! Bring them to Chennai and then check for admissions OR let the family not shift as donot want to miss the year for the kid.

I am now in a dilemma.

[joecherian]

I was in the same scenario 2 years back (May 2012) when I shifted from Bangalore to Chennai. Started school search along most of the schools on OMR (as my office was at Perungudi)
Had to make couple of trips to Chennai visiting a lot of schools and then finally ended up in a locality called Navalur as it was there I could find a school (Hiranandani Upscale school)

In the end, it turned up as a boon as I was always travelling against the traffic and hence the drive of 18 kms to office was not an issue.

[tanwaramit]

Originally Posted by joecherian

I was in the same scenario 2 years back (May 2012) when I shifted from Bangalore to Chennai. Started school search along most of the schools on OMR (as my office was at Perungudi)
Had to make couple of trips to Chennai visiting a lot of schools and then finally ended up in a locality called Navalur as it was there I could find a school (Hiranandani Upscale school)

In the end, it turned up as a boon as I was always travelling against the traffic and hence the drive of 18 kms to office was not an issue.

In May 2012 you faced the issue, its May 2014, same time of the year. So issues will be the same.

Did you had to pay any donation fee etc for the school ?

[joecherian]

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

In May 2012 you faced the issue, its May 2014, same time of the year. So issues will be the same.

Did you had to pay any donation fee etc for the school ?

you can't use the word "donation" for admission in TamilNadu .. psshhh....
yes I had to wrap that as some sort of fees and paid but then the thing was that only this school offered me admission for my daughter in class 1.

Another plus point was that the school is within a township where in we are staying now.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

Hi BHPians,

No other place to get info other than team-bhp with lots of BHPians lived and living in Chennai, I am placing my bets on information from here only.

Place of office - Mandiaveli

Please do suggest the following as per your experience.

1. Best place to stay for a family (2 BHK, Apartment with car parking)
2. Approx rentals and deposit rates
3. Any suggestions/pointers for house (someone has any reference)
4. Nearby Schools (preferably CBSE and kid will have tough time learning Tamil for state board)
5. I understand Electricity is better, any need to bring inverter?
6. Drinking and bathing Water during summer season, hope the area of living wont have problems for that.

1. You can look for flats in Adyar, Besant nagar area too. Mandaveli is not far from Adyar ( 3 km) and you have a better choice of location from Adyar. Mandaveli and Mylapore have narrow streets and crowded. Besant nagar, Kalakshetra colony and some localities of Adyar can offer better scope.
2. Rent will be around 20k depending upon the facility
3. Get a copy of Adyar Times or other local papers (published every Sunday) to know about the rentals listed by location.
4. Vidya Mandir is in Adyar. So is St. Michael's. St.Johns is in Mandaveli.
5. Others have mentioned about the electricity. You need your inverter.
6. Drinking water: Opt for branded water cans (Rs.65 for Parry water). For other needs, you can use the piped water in Besant nagar.

[ravradha]

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

Thanks for your input.

Now I am getting concerned, the kid is going into 2nd standard and if admission is not possible in Chennai, then what should I do ! Bring them to Chennai and then check for admissions OR let the family not shift as donot want to miss the year for the kid.

I am now in a dilemma.

Did some asking around please go for these schools as your A list:

PSBB, Nungambakkam
Vidhya Mandir, Mylapore
PS Senior, Mylapore
Maharishi Vidya Mandir, Chetpet
Shishya, Adyar
Shankara, Adyar

B list:

St. Michael's, Adyar (ICSE)
St.Johns, Besant Nagar

Do visit : www.parentree.in

Call up these schools tomorrow and check the status. Mostly reply will be no seat. Ask them you want to meet them in person and get an appointment with the right person. Get the right person's name (email) on the phone itself. You can make it with something under the table.

Speed is the key as you're late by 15 - 30 days.

School admission is possible, so don't base your larger decision to shift on this. You may need to spend extra of Rs. 1 Lac, and invest time and effort. Add that to your ROI calculation for deciding on shifting. Again, these are the best schools we can send our children to.


Suggest decide your place of stay based on the school admission. (Adyar/Mylapore/Besant nagar/Mandaveli are neighborhood locations, nugambakkam and Chetpet are a little away but all within 7- 9 kms from Mandaveli.

All the best.

[tanwaramit]

Originally Posted by ravradha

School admission is possible, so don't base your larger decision to shift on this. You may need to spend extra of Rs. 1 Lac, and invest time and effort. Add that to your ROI calculation for deciding on shifting. Again, these are the best schools we can send our children to.


Suggest decide your place of stay based on the school admission. (Adyar/Mylapore/Besant nagar/Mandaveli are neighborhood locations, nugambakkam and Chetpet are a little away but all within 7- 9 kms from Mandaveli.

All the best.

Thanks ravradha for your inputs.

Yet to reach Chennai, will be by month end which will be quite late, will try to see if something can be done over the phone from here.

Thanks again for your inputs.

[travelwriter]

Hi there.
I have to move to Chennai on a new job. The office is at Ambit IT park. I need help on schools and local info.

1. I am looking for CBSE / ICSE schools for my son (6th) and daughter (1st std). This will determine my residence location.

2. I thought Anna Nagar West extn will suit me best. But not sure of the availability of schools there.

3. How is the city to drive in? Is it worthwhile to live far away from office in case good schools force me to?

4. Are inverters mandatory there?

5. A list of good residential areas will help; especially those that have good schools as well.

Please help with the above and also with handy tips.

Thanks in advance.

Travelwriter

[ganeshsp]

Hi Guys,

I will be relocating to Chennai in a couple of months. Before it is too late, I need to get the paper works done to transfer my car, currently registered with the Vasant Vihar RTO (DL 12). Please guide me through the process.

1) What all documents do I need to carry to the RTO?
2) Along with the NOC, what other documents should I ask for?
3) How long will it take to obtain the documents and how much will it cost?
4) I have also closed the auto loan recently and got the hypothecation removed from the RC, but couldn't verify because it is a smart card. Is there a way to confirm it?
5) Although the RC is clear, hypothecation is still not removed from the Insurance. When I asked my dealer (Rana Motors, Bhikaji cama place), they told it won't cause any trouble in the transfer and I can get it removed during renewal. Is this true?
6) What are the safe options to transport the car?

Your help will be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Ganesh

[shyamk]

If you have the hypothecation removed, you will get a new smart card.

You will have to remove it before transfer.

I transferred my motorcycle from Bangalore to Madras.

It took me close to two years and some 10+ trips to the RTO to get the number. That was because I refused to pay anything to anyone and played by the books.

The rules are pretty cumbersome.

You would need the original invoice of the car for tax calculation purposes.

I do not quite remember the exact cost, but I paid out a few hundreds for the tax.

Shyam

PS: Even if you have a smart card, the RC will have a section that says "Hypothecation". Once you get it removed, you will get a new smart card that says "Hypothecation: Nil"

[khoj]

If you are a working professional, I would strongly recommend that you approach the AAUI at Qutab institutional area or AASI in Anna Salai, Madras, take up a single year membership and let them handle all of the paperwork for you.

They will get everything done and take care of formalities even after you have moved to Madras. Yes even after you have moved as from experience I know that these things especially getting an NOC from Dilli RTO can & does take a lot of time.

Insurance has to be clear and can be easily done by contacting the insurer's customer services and getting an endorsement to that effect. AA too will do this it for you but it is simple enough to get it done and out of the way yourself.

The safest way to move the vehicle is to drive it yourself along with friends willing to make the trip otherwise plenty of options from various transport companies or hire registered drivers from AA who will do the needful.

www.aaui.org & www.aasindia.org

Just checked and the membership fee at Madras is less compared to Dilli. Since they have reciprocal membership benefits your work will be done in either case. Further since you will be in Madras henceforth you can continue to avail the benefits and it will be easier for you to coordinate. Best part is once you have the receipt from AASI regarding work being done the local RTO squads will not bother you regarding local tax payment, change number etc

Originally Posted by ganeshsp

Hi Guys,

I will be relocating to Chennai in a couple of months. Before it is too late, I need to get the paper works done to transfer my car, currently registered with the Vasant Vihar RTO (DL 12). Please guide me through the process.


6) What are the safe options to transport the car?

Your help will be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Ganesh