The economy of the People's Republic of China is growing at a rapid pace. In a matter of years, once backward Chinese villages have turned into huge megacities with skyscrapers and all the benefits of civilization. Science is developing rapidly in the country, and the Chinese language is becoming increasingly popular. Thousands of students, tourists and migrant workers from all over the world come to China every year. And the first thing they have to face is finding a roof over their heads. In this article we will talk about how real estate rental occurs in China.

What rental housing options are possible in China?

The first thing to keep in mind when planning a trip to China is that the country is home to a huge number of local residents and visiting foreigners, and therefore there is no abundance of available housing, despite the amazing pace of construction. Of course, any website or real estate agency will offer you a lot of options, but when the issue of renting becomes especially relevant, it turns out that quality housing at reasonable prices is a rather scarce commodity.

Therefore, if you are going on vacation or have a business trip, you should think about short-term rental housing while still in your own country. There are quite a lot of sites on the Internet offering to rent housing in various cities of China. There are also Russian-language versions among them - we will talk about them below. If you are going on a short-term trip on a tourist package, make sure that the travel agency has taken care of your accommodation in the Middle Kingdom.

If you are going to China for a long period to live there, or, it is better to rent long-term housing while already in the country itself - it will be cheaper. However, do not put off resolving this issue “indefinitely”. Spend a few days looking for housing and, having selected the most suitable option for you, enter into an agreement - if you think for a long time, the apartment you like will most likely go to someone else.

Chinese real estate market

Despite the fact that China is a socialist state, the country's real estate market operates according to capitalist rules. That is, if necessary, you can rent not only houses, apartments and individual rooms, but also various objects intended for commercial use.

Renting residential real estate in China

The standard of living in China is quite high, so rental prices can hardly be called low.

How to rent an apartment

You can rent an apartment in China for a month in a good area of ​​a large city for about $1,000. Naturally, we are talking about a separate small-sized one-room apartment. Be prepared for the fact that the repairs there will not be of particularly high quality, and the plumbing may leak. Therefore, if you have high requirements for the quality of housing, immediately inform your agents about this. They will try to find something for you, but the prices will be higher - the larger and better the apartment and the closer it is to the metro and the city center, the more expensive it is.

And finally, the most interesting thing is the restriction of travel abroad for debtors. It is the status of the debtor that is easiest to “forget” when getting ready for your next vacation abroad. The reason may be overdue loans, unpaid housing and communal services receipts, alimony or fines from the traffic police. Any of these debts may threaten to restrict travel abroad in 2018; we recommend finding out information about the presence of debt using the proven service nevylet.rf

For this reason, the market for renting out individual rooms in an apartment is well developed in China. Such housing with one bed will cost approximately $400-500 per month.

A good idea is to rent an apartment for several partners to live together. This method allows you to easily choose the most suitable area of ​​the city for you (apartments, especially large ones, take longer to rent) and save on both rent and utilities.

You should look for partners on local forums under the appropriate advertisements, or you should place an advertisement yourself like: “I am looking for partners to rent an apartment.” Housing in China is difficult, so partners are found quickly. As a result, multi-room apartments often turn into real international hostels.

Houses for rent

If you wish, you can rent not only an apartment, but also an entire house. However, it is quite difficult to talk about average prices for renting a house. The PRC is a huge country, and not all territories are developing equally successfully. For example, in the Chinese outback, the offer for rental houses starts at $300 per month. By the way, apartments in such regions are also cheaper. But in more attractive areas of the country, the cost of renting houses can be tens of thousands of dollars, that is, it will cost much more.

Commercial real estate rental

Currently, in China you can rent commercial real estate of any type and purpose - from small hangars and warehouses to hotels and factories. There is no need to talk about average prices for such objects - it all depends on their location, area, intended purpose, rental period, etc.

Real estate by region and city

Speaking about how much it costs to rent a house in China, it should be noted that it depends on a lot of factors: the area and quality of the housing itself, the availability of additional amenities, etc. However, the most important thing is where exactly you want to rent a house: in a large city or in the province. It should be taken into account that in cities the cost of rent also depends on the specific area.

Cost of renting housing in Beijing

Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China, a major administrative, military, economic, scientific and tourist center of the country. The city's population is 21.5 million people. In addition, there are always a lot of visitors in the city, so renting real estate is expensive. For example, a person with a salary of about 1.5 thousand US dollars can afford to rent an apartment in Beijing for a month, and then almost all of it will go towards rent.

Of course, we are only talking about a one-room separate apartment - apartments in the center will cost much more. Housing on the outskirts of the city is somewhat cheaper, but you should be guided by an amount of 1 to 1.5 thousand dollars.

By the way, for CIS citizens to visit China in general and Beijing in particular, special permission from the country’s government is required.

How much does it cost to rent a home in

The population of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, is 14 million people. The city is an important industrial, administrative and transport center. In addition, it is one of the world's trade and logistics centers - a significant portion of all online purchases pass through Guangzhou. Foreigners flock to the city in large numbers, dreaming of finding work here. Therefore, not everyone can afford to rent an apartment in Guangzhou for a long period of time in 2019 - monthly rent for a separate apartment will cost around $1,000. On the outskirts you can find options for $600-800, but this is a densely populated city, traffic jams are not uncommon here, and being late for work is not accepted. Therefore, choose housing that will provide you with the necessary transport accessibility.

If you are a novice manager from the CIS and your salary in Guangzhou starts from $1,000, it makes sense to think about renting an apartment in Guangzhou for a month not far from your shared job with a migrant worker like you. When you get comfortable and start earning more, then each of you will be able to afford to rent a separate apartment.

How to rent a house in Shanghai

Located in the Yangtze River Delta, Shanghai has a population of 24.15 million. The city is the second most populous in the country and the world, second only to Chongqing in China. Therefore, housing here is expensive - renting an apartment in Shanghai for a long term will cost about $1,000 per month. Far from the center, on the outskirts, you can find a separate one-room apartment for about $800, but whether this saving will cover your transportation costs is up to you to decide.

Housing rental opportunities in Manzhouli

Consisting of three provinces, the historical region borders the Russian Amur and Primorye regions, which were part of China until the mid-19th century, and is the center of Chinese-Russian trade. Yet this region is not as economically developed as some other cities and provinces in China, so housing prices are lower here. For example, renting apartments in Manzhouli in China starts from $300, and a house in the countryside can be rented for $100 per month.

Cost of rental housing in Shenzhen

Shenzhen is a provincial Chinese city located in Guangdong province on the border with Hong Kong. However, it does not look like the regional centers we are used to. The city's population has increased by a third since 2000 and reached 10 million people. Currently, Shenzhen is actively developing, being built and is among the top five cities with the fastest growing population. At the same time, rental prices in this city are relatively low: renting an apartment in Shenzhen will cost about the same as in Manchuria – from $300 per month.

Housing registration process

When you choose a suitable option, you need to leave the landlord a deposit in the amount of approximately 20% of the monthly rental price so that the apartment remains yours. After this, when concluding the contract, you will need to pay a fee for a month or two (depending on the agreement reached), as well as pay an insurance fee called a security deposit. The size of the security deposit is usually equal to the monthly rent. If you break the lease before the due date, this amount will remain with the landlord, and if the lease ends on time, this money will be returned to the tenant.

Preparation of rental documents

Those who know first-hand how to rent a home in China argue that it is necessary to conclude a rental agreement, since cases of fraud are not uncommon in the Middle Kingdom. The contract must necessarily indicate:

• the name of the property owner and his ID card number;
• apartment address, monthly rent and security deposit, as well as payment schedule;
• degree of responsibility for unexpected incidents: who pays for the repair of broken household appliances, plumbing fixtures, etc.;
• a penalty paid by the owner in the event of a requirement to vacate the property before the expiration of the contract. Typically the penalty amount is one month's rent.

If you don't know Chinese, never sign anything written in that language - ask for the contract to be written in English.

How to look for housing in China

As in all countries, you can search for housing yourself or entrust this procedure to specialists in this field.

Independent search for housing

Nowadays, independent searches usually begin on the Internet. This is especially convenient because you can search while at home. There are several international rental sites online around the world, including in China. Usually such sites also have a Russian-language version. We will give an overview of the sites below.

Please note that rental prices stated on such sites are always slightly higher - Chinese apartment owners are counting on wealthy foreigners.

In addition, there are English-language sites on an intra-Chinese and even intra-city scale - on these sites the prices are lower, but still aimed at foreigners. The lowest prices are listed on sites in Chinese, and if you speak Chinese, then you should visit them first.

Having selected a suitable option, agree on an inspection of the property and the terms of its rental, and then enter into an agreement and move in.

A number of sites also allow you to book accommodation online.

Finding housing through real estate agencies

If you are already in China, you can use the services of special real estate agencies. Travel to the area of ​​the city where you would like to live - local agents are always up to date with all the news. Walking along the streets, you will find several such agencies - you can recognize them by their advertising stands with photographs of the interiors of various housing. Don’t really trust photographs – the quality of repairs is usually low, but still go to the agency.

In large cities, each such agency usually has at least one employee who speaks English. Contact him. And then rely on his experience. If you have serious requirements regarding the quality of repairs, state this clearly and immediately - thereby you will save yourself from many visits to apartments that are not suitable for you. Also name the maximum rental price that suits you right away and firmly defend it. Remember that it is always more profitable for agents to sell a more expensive service - they live on the percentage of transactions. As a rule, the cost of agency services is about 30% of the monthly rent, but immediately clarify this issue.

Real estate rental sites in China

The above rental prices are approximate and average. In addition, the real estate market is very dynamic, and prices may simply become outdated. Current prices can be found on special websites - we will give you a small list, although you can independently find on the Internet other sites offering accommodation booking in China:

• https://www.airbnb.ru/s is a large international website for housing rentals around the world, including in China. Has a Russian version.
• https://www.booking.com is another similar international site.
• two English-language sites for renting real estate in Shanghai:
• two sites for rental properties in the same city in Chinese:

How to rent out your own home in China

If you have property in China and would like to rent it out, contact local agencies and international sites. They will do most of the work for you. You will only need to fulfill the pre-agreed conditions. Please note that renting out real estate is making a profit, and therefore it is a business.

Subletting of real estate

If your rental agreement allows you to rent it out in whole or in part to other people or organizations (sublease), you can do so. Just make sure you conduct this business correctly - Chinese law enforcement agencies closely monitor compliance with the country's laws.

My apartment is in China. How much does it cost: Video

She moved from Siberia to China and now works as an English teacher in the city of Nantong. For ZIMA Magazine, she shared her tricks for finding rental housing in Chinese cities.

Let's say that your dream job is found in China, and the first tears of delight and doubt have dried up. Packing your entire life in your homeland into several suitcases, you suddenly realized: “I have nowhere to live!”

Most companies that cooperate with foreigners provide housing free of charge. Everything, as long as your bright mind works for the good of the empire! But what if it happened that free housing flew past you? Unfortunately, this happens, especially in big cities like Shanghai. This is due, first of all, to the high cost of rented housing.

Let's determine your needs and capabilities, and at the same time compare prices for various types of rental housing.

Types and prices for renting a cozy nest

You understand, nest is different from nest. Here are the options for rental housing that China offers:

Rent a whole house

Of course it's expensive. Monthly rent - from 10-20 thousand yuan (roughly multiply by 10, we get Russian rubles - 100-200 thousand). This option is suitable for a businessman who can set up his office or shop on the ground floor and live on the second floor. This is a fairly common practice in China.

Rent a separate apartment

The price varies from the center to the periphery, from large cities to smaller ones. For example, in the city of Nantong, where I live. It’s two and a half hours from Shanghai, 7 million people, and by Chinese standards a remote place. Renting a two-room apartment will be quite affordable - about 2 thousand yuan per month.

In Shanghai, of course, it is more expensive: for example, the same apartment in the center will cost 5-7 thousand yuan per month. On the outskirts, where it takes several hours to get there, you can find a small two-room apartment for 3 thousand, but do not count on high-quality repairs and the presence of all the furniture there.

Rent a separate room in an apartment with neighbors

Due to the high cost of apartments in Shanghai, a room will seem like the sweetest option. After all, it is already possible to rent part of an apartment in the center for 3 thousand, and at the same time you will be pleased with all the benefits of civilization and the metro within walking distance.

Where to go to look. Websites for finding housing in China

Firstly, the Internet. He offers us some useful resources.

After you have chosen the city you are interested in, a list of offers will appear automatically, where you can clearly see how much an apartment or room costs and what is included in the price. Here is a detailed map with a huge number of different options. And it doesn’t matter at all whether it’s downtown or the outskirts.

The only drawback: the site is entirely in Chinese. But everything here is intuitive, plus various online translators have not been canceled.

This is actually a whole storehouse of useful information about life in Shanghai. Here you can read the latest news, learn about upcoming events and immediately buy tickets for them, find a job, sell and buy something, and also find housing. The site is entirely in English.

Secondly, there are real estate agencies where they will offer you several suitable accommodation options, take you by the hand, show you and tell you everything. In this matter, the Chinese will take you completely under their wing. However, I do not advise you to go to the agency in splendid isolation without reading the paragraph below.

Thirdly, if you are going to work, ask the host party to help you. Yes, you will pay out of your own pocket, but no one canceled purely humanly small favors. They are treated normally in China. You don’t have to rush from one end of the city to the other, going through all the pros and cons of the apartments you’ve already looked at, and remembering what such and such an apartment looked like.

Even in China there is an opinion: a white man is a rich man. Get ready for the fact that the price of rented housing, especially in small towns where you can count foreigners on one hand, will be 20-30% too high for you.

Bargaining is appropriate

China is a big market where you can and should bargain. Housing rent is on the list of those goods and services for which you simply must ask for a discount. Otherwise it’s not comme il faut! Especially if you are filming for a long period of time.

Walk around the apartment, twist your nose, saying, there’s a stain here and this thing doesn’t work. And in general, I have a few more options in mind, but such and such an apartment especially sunk into my soul and has not yet come to fruition. After all, remember yourself as a child, when you begged your parents to let you go out until ten in the evening - bargain just as fiercely.

In China there is a golden rule: we talk about everything important in the landlord’s language.

After all, as Nelson Mandela said: “If you speak to a person in a language that he understands, you are speaking to his head. If you speak to a person in his native language, you speak to his heart.”

My landlord was so impressed with my Chinese language skills that the rental price dropped by 500 yuan per month. Checkmate, comrades! But if you don’t know the language well or don’t have enough arrogance, and you can’t live without it in China, then feel free to ask your colleagues, boss or other native speakers you know to go to the viewing with you.

Let's move on to signing the contract

You will be asked to pay a deposit equal to one month's rent and pay for the next three months in advance. If you terminate the contract for any reason before the end of the contract, the deposit remains with the owner.

As for the obligations of the parties, everything is standard: the owner provides you with housing, does not poke his nose into your apartment/room without warning and without your knowledge, and warns you about eviction in advance. You are required to pay rent and utility bills (about 400-500 yuan per month) on time, not to spoil anything, not to play loud music and not to have animals. If the condition of the property is damaged, the deposit will not be returned. If any breakdown occurs, contact the apartment owner or realtor, they will send repairmen.

So, the choice has been made, the contract has been signed, and you are the happy owner of your own home in China.

I began to think about solving this issue about two months before my arrival in Beijing. The thought process was put on an almost scientific basis: an old friend of mine, who has been living in Beijing for eight years now, being married to a Chinese citizen and working at the German embassy, ​​was interviewed in detail by telephone. I, of course, secretly hoped that I, sitting at home on Lake Constance on the German-Swiss border, like a great organizational genius, would find a suitable option via the Internet, and my friend would simply go and see on the spot whether this housing was acceptable for a person, spoiled by the delights of European civilization or not. Moreover, I already had multiple experiences of planning and successfully implementing independent trips around China, with the purchase of all local plane and train tickets and booking hotels in the most exotic places for a normal European, such as Mount Taishan.
Initially, everything went well, which gave no reason to doubt the chosen strategy. True, my friend and her Chinese husband once very carefully noted that it would be nice to see everything on the spot, and not shift your choice to other people. I said this very self-confidently - I’ll choose from the photo, but you just take a superficial look at whether you can live there or not, and what kind of people these owners are.
I posted my ad on the Internet portal That’s Beijing, which is very popular among foreigners and Chinese “infrastructure brokers” associated with them. It didn’t take long for the answers to arrive - about a dozen emails arrived, primarily from English-speaking apartment brokers, who promised to solve my apartment problem in Beijing in no time. It turned out that in Beijing, unlike Shanghai, the tenant of the apartment does not pay for the broker's services; this is done by the landlord. As it turned out later, the owner of the apartment must pay such a broker an amount equal to one month’s rent. Although, of course, it was still stupid to rejoice - this amount boomerangs on the cost of renting an apartment.
I also received an email from one apartment owner offering to rent a new home - 2 bedrooms - this is a three-room apartment - with a total area of ​​100 square meters in Huilongguan. For these mansions they asked for 2500 yuan, which is about 250 euros. I looked at the map - and I was going to settle next to the Beijing Linguistic University, a kind of version of the Moscow Inyaz Maurice Thorez (Beijing Yuyan Daxue - Beijing University of Literature and Culture, BLCU), in the Wudaokou area. It seemed like it was close. About four stops along the light metro line. However, my German friend again cooled my ardor.
“My dear,” she said, “I strongly advise you to settle in Beijing so that your place of work can be reached on foot or by a short bike ride. This is if you don't have a car. And choking with the Chinese in their crowded public transport is a very dubious pleasure. Especially during rush hour. In addition, this same Huilongguan (in Russian in normative transliteration it is written strongly obscenely - “Huilongguan”, although in Chinese pronunciation there is a triphthong - not “hui”, but “hui”. Apparently these are our great Russian sinologists who established transliteration standards , they were great jokers!!!), built in an absolutely open field - a kind of residential area. A version of the GDR Marzahn in Berlin or the Soviet Biryulyovo in Moscow. In short, it’s not Rio de Janeiro.”
Nah, I had to listen to the opinion of the old-timers and refuse the offer of a householder with the sonorous European name Henry. The Chinese who communicate with foreigners take great pleasure in inventing such middle names for themselves. Some of them are even Russian. I remember I once talked in Harbin with one such Zoya.
So, the landlord Henry shared my doubts, although he said that the ride on the light metro would take about 30 minutes.
Following Henry, two Chinese girls appeared who spoke fairly decent English on the phone. The girls rented a two-story house in some hutong in the Xizhimen district and agreed to rent out the second floor with its own toilet, shower, and washing machine for 2,000 yuan (200 euros). I again looked at the map and looked at the Beijing guide. A very idyllic picture was painted. A small cute house, not far from the residence of the former president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the famous writer Guo Mozhuo and all sorts of other literary celebrities. The only thing that inspired doubt was the need to share the same kitchen with the ladies. They write all around that the Chinese prepare their food only from fresh ingredients and may well start twisting a chicken’s throat on the balcony and plucking its feathers. Actually, I love Chinese cuisine, but the smells from the cooking process are sometimes, frankly speaking, not ambrosia...
The girls promised to send photos and arrange a viewing with my Beijing friend. And again everything fell through. Only later did it become clear to me why. In Beijing, unlike Germany, where a tenant must inform his landlord about leaving the apartment three months in advance, it is not customary to rent anything in advance. The rental process lasts for a maximum of a couple of days. The owners don’t agree to wait, if you want to rent an apartment, rent right away. If you only need an apartment in two weeks, then come in two weeks. Of course, we are not talking about tourist apartments. But the prices there are completely different, much higher. But I didn’t know all this yet.
In short, it was not possible to realize my intentions to come to Beijing in an apartment rented for a long time. Moreover, I first had to move with all my acquired belongings from Radolfzell on Lake Constance to the city of my youth, Berlin. But these are different stories, but for now let’s return to China.
Through the already familiar Internet portal That’s Beijing, I found a one-room apartment in the center of Beijing for tourists. Again, at first glance, everything was great - city center, close to the metro, all the technical bells and whistles - washing machine, TV, computer, high-speed Internet, microwave, electric stove. The advertisement promised things that were generally strange for a European, such as “warm water for 24 hours!!” Well, apparently I’ve become completely mellow in Germany. I remember in Vladik the summer before last, the water pump in the very center of the city surprised me like an anachronism. But no, the local people said that it was a very useful thing in the household... When water supplies run out in the city.
For a Chinese apartment, the owner Calvin, with very advanced English, asked 1300 yuan (130 euros) per week. But, considering that I was going to rent these rooms for a month, I agreed to a discount and offered to pay me “only” some 480 euros for the month. Of course, it would be more expensive than if you rented an apartment for a long time right away, but you wouldn’t have to bother any friends with numerous viewings. Taking into account my personal problems with moving within Germany and succumbing to the desire to reduce, at least temporarily, the list of urgent problems, I agreed with Kelvin’s proposal. We agreed via email, talked briefly on the phone, no advance payments, he did not ask me for detailed personal information. That is, he had no guarantees that I would not change my mind. On his Internet page you could see in detail the drawn plan of the apartments. As I understand it, he rents out three, one of them is two-room, for which Kelvin asks 6,000 yuan (600 euros) per month. Everything looked very passabel. The only thing I forgot to ask him then was how spacious his mansion was in square meters.
Be that as it may, the problem was solved for me, and on the first of September I flew to Beijing early in the morning. Kelvin agreed to meet me at the airport for 200 yuan and take me to the rented apartment. Of course, it would have been cheaper to get there by taxi, but I didn’t want to strain myself half-asleep after the flight.
Naturally, Kelvin was late for the meeting, about 40 minutes. But the meeting did not take place on the Elbe or even on the Yellow River at 6 o’clock in the morning, so it was stupid to be offended. And it wouldn’t have been faster by taxi. In addition to me, a young French teacher couple with a girl of about 5 years old also flew to his apartment from Paris. They took an “educational vacation” for a year (the Germans know this teacher privilege as Sabatjahr) and planned to travel with long stops around the world with a special British Airways ticket. On September 1, in Beijing, they, accordingly, began their almost round-the-world journey, which a year later was supposed to end in Chile.
Calvin's apartment turned out to be a living space in the shape of a hose, which contained a living room about 10 meters long, and another three meters were allocated to the kitchen. In addition to this, a shower and toilet were located in a small nook. The water poured directly onto the floor and, according to the architect’s plan, went in an unknown direction through a hole in the floor in the corner of these not at all Sandunov baths.
All this splendor cost, as I already said, with a discount of 18 euros per day. The house, almost in the “techno” style, was built for wealthy students and single citizens 7-8 years ago, and the entrance gate to this complex, which bore the sonorous name “Solo,” was guarded 24 hours a day by fragile uniform securities.
The room at the end was all glazed and opened onto a rather dirty, dusty balcony. It had a view of a small street, where in the morning, in the guttural growling tones characteristic of the Beijing dialect, Chinese grandmothers, sitting on low stools, communicated with each other. But it was really not far from the very center of Beijing - the Chinese version of Tverskaya - Wangfujing Street and Tiananmen Square itself - only about 20 minutes on foot. This place also had other features - literally around the corner there was a street of skyscrapers around the New World Shopping Center, with an assortment of goods that would satisfy any European fashionista.
Yes, no, it would be a sin to complain. Quite an acceptable refuge for a tourist.
But I had to live in Beijing for at least five months. Therefore, after a week I decided to look for something more spacious.
Getting to know Beijing public transport confirmed the words of my German friend. It turned out that they really had to settle where they were going to spend most of their time. All these familiar and normal trips from one end of the city to the other for Moscow or Berlin turn into torture in Beijing. Even in your own car, for those who have one.
Once again, the Internet portal That’s Beijing came to the rescue. In Russian, oddly enough, you can’t find any suitable advice on the Internet. For several days I tried to scroll through all these chats like “Hemisphere” and others, but, as a rule, there is no relevant information there. It was also not possible to find any suitable information through Sinology sites on LiveJournal. While still in Moscow, I wrote an email to a young Russian man who spent a whole year at the same university where I was planning to go. I asked just one simple question: “How to rent an apartment near the university in the Wudaokou area?” The young man answered me briefly and, from my point of view, not very friendly. “It will be very difficult to rent an apartment near the university, because the competition is very high. I can’t recommend any of my old friends, since none of them are bothered by this problem and live in a hostel!” The prospect of living in a hostel did not appeal to me. Firstly, at my Linguistic University, for a room with a roommate they asked for 60 yuan per day, a total of 1860 per month (186 euros). Secondly, the same old-time correspondent of mine, whom I pestered with questions, on the pages of his LiveJournal blog described how dirty African and Vietnamese students are in the kitchens and common areas in these same dorms, how fat the cockroaches are crawling there . And in a company with other European citizens, it is quite possible in Beijing for two or three to rent a large apartment with its own room for yourself for 1800-2000 yuan!! Well, tell me, why then engage in masochism and move into a hostel? In addition, I, as a person no longer young, generally planned to live in a one- or two-room separate apartment, which, as I was told, in the north-west of Beijing, in a fairly new house with furniture and household appliances, can be rented for 2900-3600 (290-360 euros) yuan.
The whole process turned out to be extremely simple. First, an English-speaking realtor named Patrick offered me a one-room apartment in a newly built skyscraper between the Xizhimen and Dazhongsi metro stations. When I came to inspect it, there was no furniture in it yet!!! But the owner said that within three days, if I agreed, everything would be purchased and installed. The view from the window of this business class accommodation was magnificent. But the price still seemed quite high. I called another real estate office near the Udaokou metro station, whose employees offered to immediately come and look at several apartments. Unfortunately, they practically did not speak English, and I had to urgently, ahead of time, activate my half-forgotten knowledge of the Chinese language, acquired more than 20 years ago at the Oriental Faculty of Leningrad University. As it turned out later, it was not in vain. First, I looked at three apartments in a fairly modern building near the Wudaokou metro station. All of them were three-room, and the owners asked for them from 3,500 to 3,800 yuan per month. The atmosphere inside was quite Soviet, especially the bathrooms made me feel somewhat melancholy. This is what the Akademicheskaya Hotel looked like on Stepan Khalturin Street in Leningrad in Soviet times, where I lived for a week while defending my dissertation in 1988. The realtors had to tell me that this quality of housing does not inspire me much. Well, then I’d better go and give up to Patrick.... The brokers immediately woke up and became worried - as I understand, you always need to explain to the Chinese that you have other alternatives.
The owner of the office scratched his turnip and said that he had two better two-room apartments in his database, but further away from the metro. About ten minutes by bus. I agreed to watch. Compared to the “scoop” style options already seen, these two other apartments seemed the height of comfort. New renovation, fairly new furniture, 24-hour security with control displays and clean corridors. For one option they asked me for 3100, for the other - 3400 yuan. I chose the option for 3400. The next day I came to the office and asked to give me the text of the lease agreement to review. The realtors were very surprised by this precaution, but they gave the text. It turned out that my doubts were in vain - every sentence in Chinese was duplicated in English text, so there were no misunderstandings. I was told that the surrender procedure is as follows. I bring the rent for the apartment six months in advance and give another month's rent as a deposit. The contract is concluded for a year. If you violate the contract, in the sense that you leave the apartment earlier than in a year, then the deposit is not refunded. The deposit is also provided to pay the owner’s repair costs if you suddenly break or scratch something in this property. When no problems have arisen, the deposit is returned after a year, unless both parties renew the term of this agreement. Light, electricity, telephone, internet are paid by the tenant. Services (for example, security) and central heating are paid by the owner of the apartment. When I asked whether it would be possible to resolve the situation without losing the deposit if I decided to leave earlier and find the owner of the apartment new clients to replace me, the realtor replied that “this issue can also be resolved with his help.” Today is today, tomorrow is tomorrow.

In short, there were absolutely no difficulties. There were a lot of apartments on offer, and, in any case, even if you have a not very thick wallet, the housing issue in Beijing can be resolved very quickly. So my old-time Russian correspondent has exaggerated things sooooo much. As I understand it, in other areas of Beijing you can rent an apartment much cheaper. In the northwest of Beijing, where several Beijing universities are located, the situation is complicated by the presence of a huge number of constantly migrating population. But in other areas of Beijing it is easier to do this.
For example, the son of my German friends pays only 1,900 yuan per month for a three-room apartment in the Gomao district, in the east of the city, for an unfurnished apartment. But he knows for sure that he will spend at least five years in China. In addition, my notes only affect the section of the so-called “International apartment”. Advertisements in Chinese on the window of any real estate office really say that housing can be rented much cheaper if you follow the “Chinese path.”
So, I was able to rent an apartment in just two or three days. As it turned out later, I still made a couple of small mistakes, but I’ll tell you about that later.

Map of Beijing districts

The rental price depends on:

1. Area of ​​residence.
   The center of student life, and therefore an expensive area, is the university district of Wudaokou.
   Many Russians and other foreigners working in Beijing prefer the CBD (Guomao) Business Center area, Sanlitun, the Donjimen Russian Embassy area and the Yabaolu Market area.
   If proximity to the center is much less important to you than space, explore options outside the Fifth Ring. In new areas with beautiful gardens and courtyards, a large number of apartments are available for rent, able to accommodate large families.
2. Condition of the apartment. Repair, presence/absence of central heating, furniture, design.
3. Transport. It makes sense to look for an apartment in places located within a 10-minute walk from metro stations.
4. Environment. Supermarkets, shops. If you plan to dine out, there are cafes.

Cost of renting a room/apartment in Beijing (January 2015)

1. Rooms.
An option with shared accommodation can be found for 2000 yuan (remote areas) or closer to the center, but in an ordinary house with an old renovation. For 2500-3000 yuan you can find something suitable in more prestigious places (Wudaokou, Yabaolu). 3500 yuan - you can count on a nice room in a modern house, furnished with the latest technology, often with a private bathroom (Sanlitun, Guomao).

2. Apartments.
In the center, in old houses, you can find housing for 4,000 yuan. A small studio apartment close to the city center can cost more than 5,000 yuan per month. Luxury apartments in the Sanlitun and Guomao areas cost 8,000-10,000 yuan. In areas remote from the center, the cheapest apartment costs around 3,000 yuan. There is another option - renting housing in a traditional Chinese home - Siheyuan, which is located in the hutongs. Such houses are cheaper than apartments, but they do not have central heating and have electric batteries.

Search apartments and rooms in Beijing

Apartment rental agencies in Beijing
There are many agencies in Beijing, such as: 我爱我家 （Wo ai wo jia）, Homelink and others that can be found in every quarter. Many employees can speak English. It is worth contacting several agencies at once. pros You can view several apartments and make a choice. They will help you correctly prepare rental documents. Minuses: You will have to pay 100% commission to the agency. You can waste a lot of time. Agents in most cases try to push dubious options on the foreigner, and are often very unpunctual. Payment scheme: you pay three months' rent + 100% agency commission + deposit equal to the cost of living for a month. In some cases, this is a monthly housing payment + 100% agency commission + deposit. For example: When renting an apartment worth 2500 yuan per month, you immediately pay: 2500*3(rent) + 2500(deposit) + 2500(premium) + 500(housing and communal services) + 60*6(internet) = 13360 yuan.			Adviсe You can bargain with the agency, using any shortcomings of the apartment as arguments.
Apartment rental sites in Beijing
Searching via the Internet is a very difficult task: you have to look at everything in person. Real housing can be very different from photographs, which are often posted for beauty. Pros: you can get a fairly complete picture of the availability of housing, the price level, different areas of the city, etc., with maps, diagrams, and the like. Minuses: You need to speak Chinese very well. Often, advertisements for apartments for rent are placed by agencies, so immediately ask if there is an agency fee. The main thing is to ask questions in advance: whether it is an agent or an owner, is there an agency fee, how much is the monthly rent and how much should be paid at a time. You can communicate via email or phone.			Adviсe Find out if the contract can also be drawn up in English. Or go with someone who speaks Chinese. It happens that the contract in English and Chinese do not match. Before concluding a contract, it is very advisable to meet with the owner of the property - fandong (房东- fangdong).
Russian-language portal with a lot of useful information about life in Asia. –Open the forum on China, there you will find a section on Beijing. In addition to the capital, there are forums for other major cities: Shanghai, North China, South China, etc. Each subforum will have a section on rental housing.	Announcements in the thematic group on VKontakte. Usually announcements from students are published here. They often look for a neighbor to share with them.	thebeijinger.com an English-language resource about life in Beijing, including advertisements for apartment rentals. In the upper left corner is the Classifieds item, then look for the word “Housing” and then by category. Apartments for rent– apartments for rent; Seeking Roommate– search for a neighbor; Sublets, Temporary housing&homestays– temporary rental You can search for housing depending on the area or price.	The site is in Chinese, both agencies and homeowners post advertisements. You can choose an ad based on the price of the home, the area, and the person who posted it (agent/individual). The site has a built-in chat; you can contact the author of the ad and find out the necessary information. Don’t give out your phone number right away - they’ll torment you with calls.

Lease contract

When renting an apartment, you must enter into an official rental agreement with its owner by contacting one of the real estate agencies. The document is provided to the local police department when registering, which is a mandatory requirement of the Chinese authorities. Also, with such an agreement you will ensure compliance with your legitimate interests (in case of any problems or misunderstandings)

The contract stipulates who bears the costs of maintaining the housing. Usually the scheme is like this:

The tenant pays: apartment rent, electricity, water, gas, telephone, internet;

The lessor pays: house maintenance, heating in winter, apartment repairs, apartment rental tax.

Make sure that the homeowner provides all documents to the agency: a certificate of homeownership, his identification card, a power of attorney if he is acting on behalf of the homeowner.

If the landlord insists on transferring money to a bank account, make sure in the presence of the agent that this is the landlord's account. And better yet, record this fact in the contract, indicating the account number. Connection

Connection

Find out if there is Internet access in the house? Check the tariff and change it if necessary so as not to pay extra. If there is no access to the Internet in the apartment, it is better to ask the landlord to resolve this issue for you. It’s better to choose a tariff for connecting to the Internet together.

Precautions when renting apartments in Beijing

There are times when at first they show you one apartment, and when you pay money and sign the contract, it turns out that the apartment is missing furniture, appliances, etc.
Do not pay any amounts until the contract is signed.
When paying, take receipts for receipt of money.
Study the entire apartment, every corner, test all the equipment, the sink flush, the toilet flush - then it will be very difficult to make a claim. The agent must record all meter readings (gas, water, electricity) in your presence and enter this data into the lease agreement.
Hundreds of foreigners recently became victims of scams in Beijing. They received an SMS on their cell phone with approximately the following content: “The bill for paying for the apartment has changed. Now he is so and so. Pay to this account. Your landlord"

Registration with the police

After signing a rental agreement, you must register with the local police department. Prepare the following documents for this:

• International passport with a valid visa/residence permit
• Both copies of the apartment rental agreement (yours and the owner’s)
• Copy of ownership of the apartment (provided by the apartment owner)
• Receipt for payment of apartment rental tax. If it is needed. (As a rule, the owner of the apartment must pay).

* Keep your proof of residence registration in a safe place.
** If you have traveled outside of China or changed/extended your visa, you need to re-register at the local police station within 2 days. When re-registering, only a foreign passport and your copy of the rental agreement are required.

Newtravels offers a choice of 427 apartments to rent and book in Beijing with good ratings and reviews. Such customized accommodations will always be the primary alternative to hotel bookings. As a rule, apartments are chosen by travelers who prefer comfort and familiar living conditions when traveling.

The main advantages are obvious:

1. Significantly larger living area in an apartment than in a hotel room;
2. Availability of a kitchen with a gas or electric stove and refrigerator;
3. The presence of all necessary equipment for cooking (microwave, toasters, coffee machines);
4. There is often a washing machine and iron.

Beijing apartments are very popular among couples with small children, for whom a regular home environment is more preferable. This page displays the most attractive and sought-after apartments in the city. These are booking hits - budget studio apartments or apartments with two separate bedrooms. The latter option is also preferred by young people traveling in a group of several people.

Apartments in category 427 Total hotels in the city 4258 Apartments with the lowest price Shi Li Bao Family Apartment (960 ₽) Apartments with the highest price Quadrangle Courtyard at Siheyuan - 7BR Apartment(89460 ₽) Average price 5768 ₽ Average rating 8