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| Chinese
Property - Rent |
How to Rent
a House in China (November 2008) |
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Introduction:
This page contains specific information for
Expats wishing to rent a property in China
Topics on this page include:
Renting Accommodation
Renting Business Property
Renting Accommodation
This is fairly easy and straight forward, both for a
private dwelling, office, or small warehouse (Garage)
Details:
Foreigners can rent an apartment quite easily. All you
really need is your passport and some money. It is best
to have a friend help you check the legal contract,
but these are normally a standard contract as issued
by the Estate Agent. Lets start with renting an apartment:
Where to Look
The main way is via an estate agent (Realtor), and these
are everywhere! Many smaller ones work on a commission
basis for larger offices, but prices do work out about
the same, and sometimes cheaper.
The majority of apartments shown in most agents windows
are to buy, and the smaller section is generally rental
properties. Inside they have many other properties also.
Window prices are given as Cost per square Metre of
purchase, and Cost per month for rental. Even though
these are all in Chinese, you will soon work out which
is which. They also show the total area of the premises,
including any balconies, gardens or patio's. Any other
figures are usually in this order: Number of reception
rooms, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms
Properties
These are normally apartments in tall skyscrapers, or
can be Western style houses in condominiums the Chinese
refer to as 'Gardens'. You will pay for the location.
Otherwise, new is always best in China, so brand new
apartments will command a far higher price than an older
property with paneling and in-build wardrobes that is
twice as large! Look for yourself and make your own
mind up.
Tip: Sometimes Chinese only want to
sell you what they consider to be 'Best', and you may
have to fight them quite hard in order to view older
and larger properties
Contracts
The contract will be entirely in Chinese characters,
but figures will be normal digits - which means you
can follow the basics easily. Numbers will indicate
your address, length of lease (From and Till), and the
cost per month. I have personally had several of these
during my time in China. We advise you to have a Chinese
friend help you with this, although it is not imperative.
Tip: Check to see if the apartment
also includes a personal garage or secure and dedicated
parking space. You may not think this important at the
time, but years later it could become a source of concern.
Normally an apartment in a large complex will have a
dedicated parking space in the main car park beneath
the building. If it has a single garage, this is normally
rented out separately
A standard contract runs for a year, but other terms
are available by mutual agreement. Short leases are
usually more expensive, but 6-months and over are ok.
Most property owners are private individuals, although
some companies do exist in large cities
Terms are normally 2-months deposit and a month in advance
(= 3-months rent up front). The deposit is returned
at the end of the contract, less any damage charges
or similar = normally full return of deposit. The estate
agent will also take a percentage based commission,
which will be in the region of half a months rent. There
are not normally any other rental charges. You will
likely have irregular contact with the owner, and renewing
the rental is usually discussed a month or two in advance.
Bills
The contract is for the apartment, and does not normally
include regular household bills. These you normally
pay yourself, although some owners may prefer to do
this for you, and you simply pay them a single extra
lump sum each month. These bills are in the owners name,
not yours, therefore services are ready for immediate
use.
Tip: Do take time to check and record
the meters and any outstanding balance regarding building
charges, or you will be liable to pay anything not paid
before you moved in (Not usually a problem at all)
Regular bills include: Electricity
(Expensive!), Gas, Water, Building Maintenance charges
- these include: Security, building Maintenance, TV
/ Cable monthly service charge
Tip 1: As well as one set of door keys,
you should also receive electronic cards for accessing
the main building door (If applicable). These are limited
to a set number for each apartment, normally about 5
off. You should ensure you have enough of these
Tip 2: Chinese door keys come in many
diverse designs, and are specific to Chinese locks only.
You may wish to have several more cut, and this is simple
and done from any local key cutter. Please only get
one set first and see if they work. If they do not 50-50%,
then you can keep going back to the vendor until a set
is made that does work - or simply cut your losses and
try another vendor until you find somebody reliable
Other Bills: These are things you are
personally responsible for installing and maintaining
contracts. These could include: Landline telephone (fax),
Internet connection (A separate thing), appliance or
furniture rental, anything else you add yourself.
Cable TV: You may also have to pay
for the cable receiver set (About Y600 one-off payment)
although this will be in the owners name normally. However,
the basic channel reception is covered as part of your
building maintenance charges. If you want to upgrade
the package, you need to find the right cable service
contractor (There will be about 10 of these for each
Cable supplier). You can usually add channels separately,
or as a package (Cheaper). Channels will all be in Cable
Supplier notation, not channel provider notation, and
in Chinese. Given you master doing this, then you will
receive the extra channels on the channel provider network
you are using. This is tied to both your address and
cable card. Remember this if you move home! Updated
channel packages last for one year, and are usually
not automatically renewed
Contract Renewal
Owners will usually try to put the rent up a little
each time, and I left one of my apartments because the
owner wanted to hike the rent by 25% for the next year.
Having just ignored our previous verbal agreement to
fix the the last price hike for two years duration I
was not impressed and left. The apartment has since
stood empty for 14 months, which is fitting I think!
This appears to have been a one-off experience (And
the owner was from Hong Kong), as subsequent lets from
local Cantonese people have proved to be very sincere
and honourable
What is included:
Most apartments come fully furnished, or furnished with
most major items at least. Empty apartments are more
difficult to find, and tend to be very small. in size.
This is what you should get:
Beds with Chinese mattresses (Made from concrete) in
each bedroom, 3-piece suite, TV, Cable receiver, Dining
Table and chairs, Coffee table, Fridge- freezer, Microwave,
steriliser unit, cooking hob. Older apartments have
built-in wardrobes, whilst newer ones tend to have standing
racks and wardrobes. You should have enough wardrobes
provided. Other items vary, and a separate list will
be given you detailing what the owner has provided.
Please note: The owner may not always
provide a TV set, fridge or washing machine etc. They
will probably offer to get these for you at an additional
monthly charge, say Y200. Consider carefully, as you
can also rent these locally (As the owner is actually
doing), or you may choose to buy your own - which over
the longer term works out far cheaper, it depends how
many years you plan to live in China really?
What is not included:
You only get the air-con units you can see. If you want
more you have to buy these yourself. The same goes for
gas showers, as China is now upgrading to ones with
exhaust fumes extractors by law. This means that instead
of one shower in each bathroom, Landlords only install
one in the main suite. If you add extra showers, then
having a mains one can be difficult to take with you,
so consider opting for a gas bottle powered version
instead. Building Maintenance will fit it for you
Renting Business Premises
Business premises are also fairly easy for Foreigners
to rent, and an office or storage facility is very similar
to renting a private dwelling. There are only some practical
differences and contractual details you should be aware
of, otherwise it is very similar to the section above:
1. You will normally be expected to
pay 6-months deposit + 1-month in advance
2. You will need someone to check the
contract for you, and watch-out for: What is included
vs what happens when you upgrade? Sounds simple - well
it isn't! If you have a garage type unit (Most local
shops), and it is bare inside, you will want to add
extra things like Glass outer doors, sink, toilet etc.
Now, unless your contract specifically states that you
are renting a bare space, or specifies exactly what
is included, you may have problems later
Let's say you add a set of glass doors, upgrade the
existing toilet to a Western sit-on version, and add
a sink and kitchenette. It works fine. Then when you
come to leave, these will belong to the Landlord unless
you specify in the contract at outset that
any improvements belong to you!
Also note that business contracts can be terminated
at short notice, and again, unless you insist on a specific
penalty clause in your favour at the beginning of the
contract, you loose! Normally a Landlord can call the
contract over and you out of the premises at the end
of the month you are currently in - which could be a
couple of days only!
These things do not normally happen, but I know of instances
where they have. Be warned and be careful!
Related Pages: Buying
Property |
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| This
information is as supplied by the Chinese Embassy in
UK, as dated 20th June 2008, and/or other reliable sources.
Please check this information yourself as it may alter
without notice, and whilst we try our best to ensure
it is correct, please do not hold us responsible for
any errors - this is intended as a simple guide only |
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