One-Room Flats and Studios in Tbilisi: How to Choose and Rent

A one-room flat or a studio is the most common request from people moving to Tbilisi alone or as a couple. It is also where most confusion starts: in Georgia people count rooms, not bedrooms, so a ‘one-room flat’ in a local listing and the ‘one bedroom flat for rent in Tbilisi’ you type into a search engine are different flats. Here is how they differ, where to look for compact housing and what to check before signing a contract.

Studio, one-room and one-bedroom: what is the difference

Georgian listings state the total number of rooms (ოთახი), not counting the kitchen, bathroom and hallway. That gives a simple scheme:

• Studio is a single space where the kitchen is part of the living area; only the bathroom is separate. Common in new buildings.
• One-room flat (1 ოთახი) is one living room plus a separate kitchen. In older buildings the kitchen may be small, but it is enclosed.
• Two-room flat (2 ოთახი) is a living room and a bedroom plus a kitchen. This is exactly what English speakers call a one-bedroom flat.
• Three-room flat is two bedrooms and a living room, that is, a two-bedroom.

So if you are searching for ‘one bedroom’, go to the two-room flats landing page; if you need the most compact and affordable option, go to one-room flats, which also includes studios. Turkish-style listings use ‘1+1’ and ‘2+1’: the first number is bedrooms, the second is the living room, so ‘1+1’ is a two-room flat in Georgian terms.

Where the supply is

Small flats are most plentiful where housing is dense and there are many students or working people:

• Saburtalo leads by number of listings: universities, metro, older stock and new builds on Nutsubidze. Mid-range prices.
• Didube is cheaper, next to the railway station and metro, with many small flats in Soviet-era blocks and in Digomi new builds.
• Gldani has the most affordable prices in the city, standard one-room flats in the microdistricts, 20–30 minutes to the centre by metro.
• Isani is in the east, a short metro ride from the centre, with prices below central levels.

In Vake and Vera one-room flats are scarce and expensive; the new builds of Samgori and Varketili have plenty of studios, but the journey to the centre is longer.

What to look at in a small flat

In a compact flat every flaw is more noticeable than in a large one. Check the following at the viewing.

Heating and air conditioning

There is almost no central heating in Tbilisi. Ask how the flat is heated: a gas boiler is usually more economical, while an air conditioner in heating mode is simpler but pushes up electricity bills in winter. In a studio a single air conditioner may serve for both heating and cooling, so make sure it works and is not too old. Ask the owner about typical winter bills.

Washing machine and appliances

In a small flat the washing machine is often in the kitchen or bathroom, and sometimes there is none at all. Check for a washing machine, fridge, cooker and water heater: buying appliances for a rented flat rarely pays off. If something is missing, ask whether the owner will buy it.

Floor, lift and windows

Five-storey older buildings usually have no lift, and the fifth floor gets tiring fast. In new buildings ask how many lifts there are and whether they work. See where the windows face: a busy avenue or a courtyard, the sunny or the north side; in a small flat this strongly affects light and noise. Ground floors can be damp and noisy, top floors hot in summer.

Furniture and storage

Studios in new buildings are often let unfurnished or with the bare minimum. Clarify what stays in the flat and whether there is a wardrobe and storage space. Photograph the condition of furniture and appliances when you move in; it will help when you reclaim the deposit.

What it costs and how to negotiate

One-room flats and studios are the most affordable format, but per square metre they are, as a rule, pricier than larger flats. Listings are usually in US dollars, the deposit is normally one month’s rent, and utilities are paid on top by meter; new buildings add a service fee. For actual figures, check live listings on Bina.

You can negotiate with the owner, and your chances are better if:

• you are ready to rent long term, a year or more;
• you pay several months upfront;
• you search off-season, when demand is lower than in summer and around the holidays;
• the flat has been listed for a long time or is let unfurnished;
• you deal with the owner directly, without an agent, which also means no commission, usually 50–100 % of a month’s rent.

Do not try to knock the price down before seeing the flat: bargaining makes sense after the viewing, when you can point to specific shortcomings.

Contract, deposit and moving in

The rules for a small flat are the same as for any other. A rental contract in Georgia needs no notary and is usually bilingual, Georgian plus English or Russian. It fixes the term, the rent and its currency, the deposit and the conditions for its return, and who pays utilities and the service fee. The deposit is normally one month’s rent and is returned on moving out less any damage; the first month is paid upfront. If you plan to apply for a residence permit, agree with the owner in advance on registering the contract in the Public Registry (reestri.gov.ge). On moving in, note the meter readings and photograph the flat: in compact housing signs of wear appear faster, and a deposit dispute is easier to settle with photos in hand.

Where to search

Owner listings from Telegram channels, filtered by number of rooms, are collected on the landing pages one-room flats in Tbilisi and two-room flats in Tbilisi. Compare both: a separate bedroom often costs only a little more.