Renting In China

1. The usual contract period is starting from one year.

2. The payment of one month deposit and three-month rent payments

In China, when signing rental contract, the payment of one month deposit and three month rent payments is generally the policy. It means that you need to pay a deposit.

3. Agency Fee

If you find a house through agency you need to pay intermidiary fee. The agency fee is usually one month’s rent but tenant and landlord usually share the cost.

4. Check the house facilities

Before signing the ocntract check whether all facilities in the house are in good condition. If the facilities are damaged or old, you can ask the landlord to replace them.

According to Article 21 of Administration of the Leasing of Urban Premises Procedures the landlord shall be responsible for the repair of natural damage of the leased residential house or the repair of the house as agreed in the contract. If the house is not repaired timely, causing a destructive accident to the house and causing property loss or personal injury to the tenant, the landlord shall be liable for compensation.

5. The rent generally does not include water and elctricity fees, property management fee, gas, telephone, network, clenaning service, community management and other expenses.

These fees are generally paid by the tenant separately. The property management fee will vary according to the residential area and the hugh end residential area generally reaches around 4 RMB per month.

6. It is your obligation to show the landlord your work permit or visa and register with the local police station when renting the house.

7. Termination of the lease contract for breach of contract

If the tenant unilaterally request to terminate the lease contract during the lease, he/she need to inform the landlord on emonth in advance. If the landlord unilaterally cancels the lease contract during the lease term, he/she needs to notify the tenant one month in advance and return the deposit and compansate the rent.

8. Keep the original of the lease contract

Generally, the lease contract is in Chinese only. You can ask the other party to provide an English contract or seek a translation of the contents of the contract. The lease contract is a very important document, you need to use it for acommodation registration, so keep it properly stored.