Gading Nias is a budget apartment complex that consists of several towers of 20 floors for a total of 6,000 units. It is similar to Kalibata City.

It is made of the following:

• Gading Nias Residences (GNR): A group of subsidized towers (rusunami) with basic standards. They are organized in 4 blocks: Alamanda, Bougenville, Chrysant, Dahlia. The facilities include a football/basketball court and a kids playground.
• Gading Nias Emerald: A better tower, non-subsidized, with a swimming pool.
• Grand Emerald: The best tower, also non subsidized, with a swimming pool and a gym. Each unit has a private parking space.

I stayed in Grand Emerald for a day but I also visited the other towers. Below is my full review of the complex. If you want to add something, please add your own comment and rating at the end of the article.

Location

Neighborhood

In which district of Jakarta is the complex located?

Gading Nias Complex – Satellite View

Gading Nias is located in Kelapa Gading, a subdistrict of North Jakarta which is quite modern. Once an agricultural land, it was developed following a grid pattern in the late 1970s. Today, it is considered a rich area, home to an important Indonesian-Chinese community. It is often considered a “city within a city” as it has its own ecosystem of houses, apartments, malls, offices, and factories.

While Gading Nias is officially part of Kelapa Gading, it is next to a poorer subdistrict called Sukapura (Cilincing District). This used to be a rather industrial area which is slowly developing.

How does it look like around the apartments?

Gading Nias Residence – View from Jalan Pegangsaan Dua

Gading Nias only has one exit on Jalan Pegangsaan Dua. This street is a bit dirty and there are a few street sellers working there. About 200 meters away, there are several big construction sites and warehouses. Overall, it’s not interesting.

By car, with normal traffic conditions, how far is the complex from:
– Jakarta Airport: 55 minutes
– Grand Indonesia Mall: 50 minutes
– Kota Tua: 35 minutes
– Kemang: 70 minutes

What are the important landmarks nearby?

Nearby, there are several landmarks you can go to:

Malls:
Two famous malls are within a reasonable distance:

Mall Kelapa Gading is 1.5 kilometers away. It is one of the largest malls in Indonesia (600 stores). It is very complete and rather upmarket. In particular, you have an IMAX cinema and several popular fashion brands (Uniqlo, Muji, Zara, Pull & Bear, etc.).

Mall of Indonesia (MOI) is 3.5 kilometers away. This one targets the middle-class segment. The main tenants are Centro Department Store, a cinema (Blitzmegaplex), a hypermarket (Carrefour), a bookstore (Gramedia), a massive food court, etc.

For cheaper brands, you can also go to Artha Gading Mall and Pulogadung Trade Center (low-class), both 4 kilometers away.

Supermarkets:
The nearest and best ones are The FoodHall and Farmer’s Market in Mall Kelapa Gading.

There is also an Hypermart (cheaper) in Bella Tierra Lifestyle Center.

Restaurants:
There are many warungs and canteens inside Gading Nias. It’s very convenient and the food is usually good. The choice is limited to Indonesian and Chinese food, though.

If you want more sophisticated venues, you can go to Mall Kelapa Gading or to Jalan Boulevard Raya.

Bars and Nightlife:
Kelapa Gading is an important nightlife area with several pubs and bars. Most “normal” bars are on Jalan Boulevard Raya, Jalan Boulevard Timur and Jalan Boulevard Barat. Beware, there is also a lot of prostitution, especially around the Mall of Indonesia (King Cross, Sumo, Delta, etc).

Universities, Schools, Preschools:
Kelapa Gading has a wide choice of learning institutions, most of which are targeting the Chinese and Christian communities living in the area. The nearest ones are:

JAC School (elementary school to high school)
SMA Santo Yakobus (kindergarten to high school)
Singapore International School (elementary school to high school)
UniSadhuGuna Business School (university/college)
Jakarta Taipei School (elementary school to high school)
Saint Peter School (preschool, middle school, elementary school)
Highscope (pre-school to high school)
Al-Azhar Kelapa Gading (kindergarten to high school)

You also have nearby:
BPK Penabur (kindergarten to high school)
Iqro Islamic Pre-School and Kindergarten
Universitas Krida Wacana (university)
Mahatma Gading Intercultural School (Indian school)
North Jakarta Intercultural School (pre-school to high school)
Kwik Kian Gie Business and Computer School (college)

Hospitals:
Rumah Sakit Mitra Kelapa Gading
Rumah Sakit Gading Pluit
Rumah Sakit Islam Sukapura

Parks:
There is a small park for running called Taman Jogging (Jogging Park) on Jalan Boulevard Raya, near the Bunderan Kelapa Gading. It is about 2 kilometers away.

Offices:
There are not many office buildings in Kelapa Gading. The main Central Business District of Jakarta, Sudirman, is about 40 minutes away.

Religious buildings:
Since the Indonesian Chinese community is important in Kelapa Gading, you should know that there are many churches. There is also a large mosque near Gading Residence (Mesjid Al-Musyawarah).

Is it an area with floods?
Unfortunately, yes. Kelapa Gading is known to be subject to floods, particularly during the wet months from January to April. If it happens, you may have trouble going back home. Don’t worry too much, though, it is still pretty rare.

Transportation

What are the main roads or highways nearby?
The main problem with Gading Nias Residence is that it is far away from all the major roads in Jakarta. It is about 2.5 kilometers from both the Jakarta Inner Ring Road and the Jakarta Outer Ring Road.

What is the traffic situation near the apartment?
There are not too many traffic jams just outside the apartment. It gets worse on Jalan Boulevard Raya, but it is still reasonable by Jakarta standards.

Is it easy for taxis/GrabCar to find the location?
It is fairly easy.

Is there a TransJakarta bus stop nearby?
Unfortunately, none is close enough to go by foot. If you want to use the TransJakarta, you will have to go by angkot near the Mall Artha Gading, at the halte Sunter Kelapa Gading (line 12).

Is there a train station nearby?
No, there isn’t.

How about the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) or LRT (Light Rail Transit)?
An LRT station should be built nearby, in Depo LRT. When completed, it should link Jakarta Kota to the Jakarta Velodrome.

Are there sidewalks? Is it possible to walk around?
The sidewalks are not in a good condition and therefore, it is difficult to walk.

Building Quality

Building and Architecture

What is the reputation of the developer?
The developer, Agung Podomoro Land (PT Tiara Metropolitan Jaya), is one of the most famous in Indonesia for midrange apartments. They have a large portfolio of completed projects, many of which I’ve reviewed here already (Metro Park, Thamrin Residences, Sudirman Park, Kalibata City, etc).

I noticed that the maintenance of their older and cheaper properties is often disappointing. This was the case for Mediterania Gajah Mada and Gading Mediterania. In the latter, the condition was so bad that the residents actually protested against the management.

Who is the architect?
The architect for this project was Megatika International.

Who is the contractor?
I don’t have this information.

What is the situation with the land certificate?
The developer has a Hak Guna Bangunan Murni, which means the property was built on its own land. As an apartment owner, you get a Strata Title di atas HGB Murni.

Design and Appearance

How does the building look like?

From Outside (Facade)
The towers looks as basic as possible: They are massive concrete blocks, painted in light grey, with small windows and no balconies.

Gading Nias Residence

Gading Nias Construction

Gading Nias Facade

Gading Nias Jakarta

Entrance and Reception:
Each tower has its own entrance. Grand Emerald, where I was staying, has a wooden desk and a few seats in the lobby.

Landscaping:
Most of the empty space between towers is used as common areas. Often, it is taken by parking slots, but you also have a few gardens and resting areas. The design is pleasant.

Relax Area Gading Nias

Kids Playground Gading Nias

Corridors:
The corridors in Grand Emerald have a gypsum ceiling. This is not the case in Gading Nias Residence, where all the pipes are visible.

Corridors Grand Emerald Gading Nias

Grand Emerald Gading Nias Lifts

Elevators in Gading Nias Grand Emerald

How spacious are the apartments?
The apartments are small, in line with the standards of a budget property:

– studio units = 21m2 (1 bathroom)
– 2-bedroom units = 35m2 (1 bathroom)

The bathrooms are quite tiny and they won’t be able to hold a bathtubs.

Materials, Equipment, and Finishes

What is the quality of the materials, furniture, and equipment used in the construction?
This is an evaluation of the quality I observed (ranked from 1 – worst – to 10 – best):

Tiles Lobby: 4
Tiles Corridors: 3
Tiles Apartment: 3
Painting: 3
Lighting: 3
Doors: 3
Ceiling: 3 (GNR) or 5 (Grand Emerald)
Elevator: 5 (Sigma brand)
Gym equipment: 5 (Grand Emerald)
Pool equipment: 4 (Emerald and Grand Emerald)
Furniture: 3
Artwork: None

Overall Quality: 3.3/10

What is the quality of the finishes?
Average quality. There are still traces of paints and drips of cement from the construction.

Comfort

Facilities and Services

What are the facilities provided in the property?

– Swimming pool: There is one in Grand Emerald and one in Emerald tower. Both are quite small and often crowded, but it is nice enough for kids. If you are a swimmer, it will be too narrow. They also have a basin for kids.

Pool Gading Nias Emerald Apartment

Pool Grand Emerald Jakarta

Swimming in Grand Emerald Gading Nias

Swimming Pool Grand Emerald Gading Nias

– Gym: Only in Grand Emerald, it has a handful of machines (treadmill, bike, free weights, etc). That’s enough if you just want to train casually.

Fitness Gading Nias

Gym Gading Nias Grand Emerald

– Kids’ Playground:

Kids Games Gading Nias

– Basketball and Football Court:

What are the services available within the property?
A lot of cheap services and shops are available in the ground floor of the residences, which feels like a small city: 24-hour minimarkets, canteens, warungs, banks, ATMs, (coin) laundry, interior design, real estate, courier, mosque, salon, pharmacy, etc.

Food Court Gading Nias

Parking Moto Gading Nias

Are there issues with the electricity supply?
Each apartment has a different limit, usually 1,300 watts. Make sure you get enough for your needs.

Are their issues with parking?
Parking is the number one issue if you live in Gading Nias Residences. Only Grand Emerald has its own parking building, so the residents of the other towers have to turn around in the ground floor area until they get a space.

This kind of problem often happens with subsidized apartments in Jakarta (rusunami). The reason is that they are originally built for poor people who are not supposed to own cars. However, because of corruption/collusion, the real beneficiaries are people from the middle to upper class who have cars. In the end, there is always a huge gap between the capacity of the parking and the demand for space.

Parking Gading Nias Residence

How many lifts are there in each tower?
There are 4 lifts per tower, 3 for residents and 1 for staff.

Does the apartment have centralized hot water?
No, you will need an electric water heater.

What is the air-conditioning system used?
There is no central air-cooling system so each unit has its own individual electric AC.

Atmosphere

Is the property busy?
This is a crowded property. Expect to see a lot of people everywhere. The atmosphere could be described as “kampungan” (= countryside/working class).

Is it noisy?
It is a bit noisy, especially if you stay on the lower floors. From Grand Emerald, you can hear the noise of some construction works nearby.

What is the background (ethnicity, social status) and attitude of residents?
Residents of Gading Nias are a mixed bunch: Indonesian Pribumi, Indonesian Chinese, and foreigners.

Among the foreigners, it is interesting to note that there are a lot of Africans. I’ve never seen so many black people in Jakarta, to be honest. There are also a few Indians, Arabs and Caucasians.

Just like in Kalibata City, there have been rumors about prostitution activities happening in Gading Nias Residences. I cannot confirm but it is possible. On Internet, I noticed that some people rent their apartment for short time periods.

Management

Maintenance

How old is the property?
The ground breaking of Gading Nias was in February 2008. It was completed in 2010.

Are there visible damages?
There are a few issues with maintenance (broken tiles, scratched paint, etc), but nothing too bad for now.

Cleanliness

It is quite clean for the Grand Emerald Tower. The rest is OK but some areas could be better (the shops in the ground floor, for instance).

Gardening

Its maintenance is satisfactory.

Gardening in Gading Nias Jakarta

Security

– Guards on duty at the gates and reception: 24/7
– CCTV cameras: Very few.
– Access card: Yes for Grand Emerald and Emerald Tower.

Hospitality

The staff was friendly and professional.

Rooms and Prices

Prices at Gading Nias Residences may vary depending on many factors such as the floor, the unit type, the room condition and the furnishings.

Be aware that you may also need to pay for additional fees: Service charge, parking fee, electricity and water bills, etc. Here are a few examples of prices and ratios for this property:

2-Bedroom Type (35m2) – Well-furnished – Gading Nias Residence

• Rental 1 Year: IDR 24 million (or 2 million per month)
• Buy: IDR 320,000,000
• Break Even Point (Buying Price/Gross Annual Rental): 13.3 years
• Average buying price/m2: IDR 9.1 million/m2

2-Bedroom Type (35m2) – Well-furnished – Grand Emerald

• Rental 1 Year: IDR 33 million (or 2.75 million per month)
• Buy: IDR 470,000,000
• Break Even Point (Buying Price/Gross Annual Rental): 14.25 years
• Average buying price/m2: IDR 13.4 million/m2

Which units are the best?
Naturally, units in Grand Emerald are better, especially if you stay on a high floor facing the West as you will get a nice city view.

Investment Potential

Is there a potential for a price increase in the future?

A normal price increase would be around 3-5% per year. Here are some of the factors that may affect this rate:

– Factors pushing the prices up:

• Completion of the LRT line between Velodrome and Kelapa Gading
• Completion of all the on-going construction around Gading Nias
• Completion of two canals to stops the floods

– Factors pushing the prices down:

• Budget properties in Indonesia tend to deteriorate quickly due to the poor quality of construction
• Plenty of available land nearby for new projects

Overall evaluation of the price: Would I buy here?
The buying price in Gading Nias is good value considering the facilities and location. That said, the rental price is low so it will take several years before you can start earning money. During that time, it is likely that the condition of the apartments will deteriorate a lot.

Still, I think it can be an interesting investment for those with a small budget. If you take a good care of your unit, you should be able to maintain a decent rental income for at least 20 years. You can also hope that the area will become more attractive if the government builds more public transportation options and if it manages to mitigate the floods.