Renting in China

The norms

• Three months' rent as deposit, paid up front along with the first month's rent.
• Agent fee: one month's rent, paid by the tenant in most cities.
• Lease term: typically 12 months. Six-month leases are possible at higher rates. Month-to-month is essentially unavailable for non-furnished apartments.
• Rent due monthly or quarterly (some landlords prefer quarterly to avoid frequent transactions).
• Utilities: paid by tenant. Internet, gas, electricity, water, building management fee.
• Furnished: most rentals come fully furnished — bed, sofa, table, washing machine, kitchen appliances, AC. Unfurnished is sold as 'empty room' and costs less.

How to find

• Lianjia (链家) is the dominant agency, with offices in every neighbourhood.
• Beike (贝壳) is Lianjia's online platform.
• 58 Tongcheng (58同城) is the largest classified-ads site (mixed quality).
• WeChat groups for expat areas (search 'expats Beijing Sanlitun', etc.) sometimes have direct-from-landlord listings.
• Anjuke is a major search engine for property.

Inspections

Look for: - Heating: in north of the Yangtze, central heating is on November 15 to March 15. South of the Yangtze, no central heating — check for AC heat pump capacity. - Hot water: 24-hour electric or gas; check capacity. - Window sealing in northern cities. - AQI/air filter — standard in Beijing, Shanghai apartments now. - Wifi/internet — check speeds; some buildings are tied to a single ISP.

The contract

The standard contract is in Chinese; sign a bilingual version if at all possible. Key items: - Rent amount and frequency. - Deposit amount and return conditions. - Notice period (typically 30 days). - Repair responsibility (landlord pays for structural; tenant for daily wear). - Subletting clause. - Property registration commitment (the landlord must complete the foreigner-registration paperwork with police; this is usually a sticking point that needs explicit attention).

Police registration

The landlord must register your tenancy with the local PSB within 24 hours of move-in. If they don't, you must do it yourself. Without it, your residence permit can become invalid. Don't sign a lease with a landlord who refuses to do the registration.

Deposit return

The deposit is returned at end-of-lease minus deductions (cleaning, damage, unpaid utilities). Disputes are common; document the apartment condition with date-stamped photos at move-in. The landlord has 30 days to refund.

Tenants' rights

The Civil Code (since 2021) gives tenants more protections than before — no arbitrary lease termination by the landlord during the lease, written notice required for changes, protection against unilateral rent increases mid-lease.