I arrived in Cape Town during Stage 4 load shedding, when state-run energy company Eskom was conducting one of four scheduled two-hour blackouts. In Camps Bay, I passed expatriate quality homes along the water and saw that every home displayed a large security company sticker. I also noticed that, even during a blackout, electric fences were still buzzing.

This February I surveyed Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg, South Africa. After 30+ travel hours from Boston, I arrived in Cape Town eager to decompress in my hotel room. Once there, front desk staff informed me that I could not check in yet because the power was down. They explained that the typical length of a blackout is two hours and this one had started about a minute after my arrival.

My onsite survey of Buenos Aires, Argentina took place shortly after the country’s presidential election. The former President, right-leaning Mauricio Macri, was unseated by his left-of-center challenger Alberto Fernández. My last survey in Argentina was in 2016, shortly after Macri was elected. While starkly different candidates, the circumstances of their election are similar. Then as now, high inflation, currency devaluation, idle wages and structural issues have left Argentines looking for a change and willing to try something new.

Before assignee’s arrive in South Korea, it’s important for them to understand the variety of ways to rent a property. In general, there are three different rental payment methods in South Korea, and a mix of all three is typically used in any given city.

Tenants in Canada (and most of the world) are required to pay for rent and utilities, as well as extra amenities like cable TV and internet. There are some parts of Canada, however, where renting water heaters is common, and the question of who pays – tenant or landlord – can cause confusion.

As expatriates assigned to Buenos Aires search for rental housing, they may soon ask an all too common question: "What is the ABL Tax and how much does it cost?”

As expatriates in Japan search for rental housing, they should be aware of a common fee required on top of rent and security deposit. This payment is called ‘key money’ or in Japanese, ‘reikin’ (礼金).

London has registered eight consecutive down quarters in real estate sales. Though the decline is not entirely due to Brexit, the continued uncertainty surrounding Brexit has shaken the confidence of many potential investors and home-buyers.

As expatriates assigned to Brazil search for rental housing, they’ll soon ask an all too common question we get in the Data department at AIRINC: ‘What is IPTU and how much does it cost?' While it can seem confusing at first, we are here to help clarify the details.

The few taxis I did use tried to charge double or triple the amount on my return trip, and many insisted on stopping at various shops and vendor stalls to see if I would purchase anything.