Finding an apartment in China is not so easy for you as it is totally a new country to you. You’ve found your apartment already? Things are not completed! There are still other aspects you should pay attention to after you choose your apartment.
1. Tenant, know your rights!
After you have found the perfect place, it’s time to negotiate the terms of the lease. In Beijing the listed price is almost never the final price. You are expected to bargain and you’ll obviously be trying to get the best deal possible, but bear in mind that your relationship with the landlord has only just begun. Use common sense: if the negotiations become acrimonious it may be difficult later to get the landlord to make prompt, thorough repairs or resolve other problems. Conversely, this is a good time to request improvements to the unit—a paint job, broadband internet connection or a new TV.
2. The lease
The landlord or the agent will provide the lease and you will usually sign two copies, one for each of you. The contract will be in Chinese, and an English translation may be attached, but only the Chinese version is a legal document, so if your Chinese isn’t up to the task, get a Chinese friend to help you (real estate companies should provide translations). Alternatively, some international agencies will provide a free, bilingual lease agreement if you ask.
3. Rights and responsibilities
The lease will stipulate the rights and responsibilities of each party. The landlord should take care of any standard “wear and tear” repairs for the property, both upon move-in and while you’re living there. The document should stipulate the amount of deposit and the penalties for breaking the terms of the lease. Most landlords will ask for a payment of three months’ rent at a time with one to two months’ rent as deposit, but there are some out there who will insist on six months or a year of rent up front. This is a sign of a potential lemon. Once the landlord has your deposit, she will take care of any renovations, repairs or furnishing needed before you move in. The contract should also contain an inventory of all items provided by the landlord and their condition. If everything’s still there and in reasonable shape on move out day, you get your deposit back, so no roughhousing on the furniture.
4. First time lucky
You may get a good deal if you’re one of the first renters in a new property: your landlord may let you choose your own furniture and decor, and may-hopefully, possibly, just maybe – understand the economic advantage of having a tenant paying lower rent immediately than waiting for a sucker to pay sky-high fees at some undetermined point in the future.
5. What's included
In a furnished apartment, expect large appliances like the refrigerator, washing machine, A/C and TV to be included along with furniture like beds, dressers, tables and couches. Generally, the tenant pays for measured use utilities like electricity, water, gas and phone while regular fees like cable TV bills, club membership dues and management fees are already included in the rent. If a gym membership or parking space isn’t included in the rent, expect each to cost about RMB 800 per month. In buildings where her central heating is turned on in the winter, heating bills are generally included in the rent. The landlord is responsible for taxes.
6. 525,600 minutes
Most leases are a one-year affair, though if you like, you can negotiate a two-year lease that you, but not your landlord, can break in the second year without penalty. Nothing makes a Beijing landlord more nervous than a lease of less than one year, so you may have to pay more for a short lease. If you need to move out before the end of a lease, you’ll usually need to give your landlord one to two months’ notice, depending on what you’ve negotiated. In this scenario, you may well have to forfeit most or all of your security deposit. If you’re willing to pay a steeper rent, however, it’s possible to get a penalty-free break clause in the lease- either diplomatic or contingent on a transfer out of Beijing—which will let you end the lease early without paying extra.
7. Paper trail
Your landlord should give you a receipt to acknowledge payment. If she is reluctant to provide a receipt—lest she draw attention from the tax authorities – ask for a discount of 5-20 percent of the initial asking rent. Point out that you need the receipt to reduce your income taxes (which are deducted from your salary, incidentally). If she still refuses, have your landlord sign an informal receipt acknowledging you paid your rent, just so you both know the matter is settled.
8. Register with the PSB
On move-in day, bring a copy of your pass-port so you and your landlord can go to the local office of the Public Security Bureau to register. The process is quick and free, and if you don’t register you could face a fine of up to RMB 500 per day. What’s more, you won’t be able to renew your visa unless you have a registration certificate. You don’t have to state how much you pay in rent when registering, so your landlord need not worry about being forced to pay taxes.
9. Matching wits with the utility companies
Like piles of dishes and stained clothes, overdue utility bills are a reliable indicator of whether your life is spinning dangerously out of control. In Beijing, phone bills are paid monthly at certain banks. You’ll need to be able to write the name of the account holder in Chinese for the teller. If they are unpaid, you’ll receive a couple of automated reminder calls, then a stern call from a company employee and, if you still can’t get it together, discontinuation of service.
Water, gas and electricity bills are paid in one of several ways. Some homes have meters that are periodically inspected by a utility employee or the building’s management—bills are paid at a bank or a management office. In other homes, these utilities operate on a system of prepaid smart cards—you buy a certain number of units at a bank or management office. Be sure to check the meters regularly. A final category of apartments use gas canisters (like those seen in restaurants) to power the stove and hot water heater. Keep the local gas supplier’s phone number close at hand.
In addition to being able to pay utility bills at various banks including ICBC (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China) and China Agricultural Bank, ATM-like kiosks have been popping up around the city (Chinese only) where you can skip the bank’s lines and pay your bills for a RMB 2 fee. If you’re lucky enough to have someone paying the utilities for you, make sure they bring back the receipt. Ask your landlord to show you where your meters are and make sure the starting numbers are listed in the contract.