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China  Housing in China

Choosing a neighborhood

If you have children, your priority will probably be to live in the vicinity of a particular school. Distance from work and traffic should be taken into account as well as the kind of life style you intend to have.

Properties for rent :
Furnished or unfurnished ?

Both types are available. Furnished houses are very easy to find in the rental market of Beijing. In fact almost all expatriates properties to rent are furnished.

Furnished apartments can also, on the demand of the tenant, be clear out by the landlord.

If the apartment is not furnished, the landlord proposed to the tenant, to give him a month rent to furnish the apartment. The furnitures you may buy with the month rent should stay in the apartment after your departure.

You can also refuse the month rent and buy your own furniture.


Conditions

Unless the lease is signed in the company’s name, you will be requested to provide a copy of your passport or a copy of your resident card and evidences of your revenues.


The rental contract

The lease is usually a six-page, pre-printed contract with blank spaces to be filled out with the following particulars:

  • Names and adresses of the parties.
  • Summary description of the rented property.
  • Duration of the contract: A six months lease may be possible but usually a minimum of one year lease for furnished or unfurnished apartments is required.
  • Effective date.
  • Renewal - Notice: the tenant must give three months notice before termination of the lease. If the tenant breaks the contrct, the deposit will not be returned.
  • Amounts of payments: monthly rent, Most of the time, charges such as electricity, water will be paid by the landlord. Management fees can be included in the rental contract or not.
  • Payments terms: before every 25th of each month. If the tenant does not pay the rent on time, a penalty of 0.5% of the rent is charged per day. If the rent has not been paid for more than 30 days, the lease is considered terminated automatically.
  • Revision of the rent: the rent is revised after the contract ends.
  • Guarantee deposit: 3 months rent: the deposit is returned within 10 days after the lease ends, under the condition that the tenant has pais the phone bill.
  • Fees: managements fees could be to paid by the tenant. All depend on the company rules.

Important: Please read carefully the responsabilities of the landlord and the tenant.

The landlord :

  • is not permitted to take back the leased property during the term of the contract without any reason. If the the landlord ishes to do do, the tenant has the right to object.
  • is to do his best to procure the estate manager to provide adequate security and fire prevention.
  • is to do his best to procure the estate manager to provide acceptable service to the tenant, such as supply of cold and hot water, electricity, and to ensure the proper maintenance of all kind of equipment.
  • is to ensure the legality of the leased property, pay all the taxes and fees levied by the government.


The tenant :

  • should pay his rent, deposit and other charges on time. Non-payment of these charges constitute a breach of the agreement.
  • cannot sub-let or let in full the the leased property during the period of tenancy, unless with the agreement of the landlord.
  • must take good care of the property and its contents, otherwise the tenant should pay compensation to the landlord for his unproper use of the property.
  • is to due to get the permission of the landlord if he wishes to make any alterations or decorate the property . The tenant must hand-over the property to the landlord in its original condition, and all fees arising from such work have to be borne by the tenant.
  • is due to indemnify the landlord for any loss of damage to the leased property from negligent act or omission of the tenant or any officer, director, employee, guest, visitor, servant of the tenant anf to prmit the landlord or his authorized representatives to enter the leased property to repair any damage at the expense of the tenant.
  • is due to permit the landlord to show the leased property, during the last three months of the tenancy, to prospective tenants or puchasers, unless the tenant has informed the landlord his intention to renew the lease.
  • is due not to erect, install or remove any fixtures or partitioning or to make any stuctural additions and alterations without the prior written consent of the landlord.
  • is due strictly to comply and adhere in the use of the leased property with all the laws, regulations and decrees of the People’s Republic of China applicable to such use, and specifically not to permit or suffer the leased property to be used for any purpose that is unlawful or immoral.
  • is due to use the leased property exclusively as the residence of his family and to use the leased as an office or or any other purpose without the prior written consent of the landlord.
  • is due not to display any signboard or other device visible from outside the leased property without the prior written consent of the landlord.

Others

If the leased property is substantially destroyed or damaged by fire, bad weather, war, force major or other causes beyond the control of the landlord and not attributable directly or inderctly to the negligence or malice of the tenant , or are rendered unfit for use or occupation, the rent shall not be paid from the date the leased property become unfit for use or occupation until the leased property shall again be rendered accessible and fit for use. The landlord shall be under no obligation to repair the leased property , when it is estimated not reasonable economically. If such events occurs, the landlord shall give a written notice to the tenant and the deposit shall be returned within 10 days.

House Insurance

Signing the Rental Contract

Please note that the Chinese landlords require the followings documents:

  • photocopy of the passport
  • statement from your company confirming your status and salary.

When signing the lease you will required to pay the 3 months deposit and then showing them the receipt of the bank transfert.


The inventory

A very important document attached to the rental contract is the inventory of premises drawn up upon handing over the keys to the tenant. It is a detailed description of the condition of the premises. It can be done reciprocally or by a bailiff whose fees should be split between the landlord and the tenant. If the landlord does not want to share the cost of a bailiff, we recommend that you pay the full amount as this legal document will be the yardstick for comparison of the condition of the property when you leave.

For a furnished property, the inventory will also include a list of the contents.