Rental nightmares in China

@Cheryl

Have you ever arrived at a rental that was completely different from the listing?

No, in our experience, the apartments have always looked pretty much like the photos on the listing. The only thing that is surprising is sometimes the state of the complex. The photos can show a very nice apartment, and the apartment can be very well-kept and clean, but there is still a chance that the complex looks dirty, run-down, or even scary. Don't let that turn you away immediately, check out the actual apartment before making any decisions.

What is the strangest or most surprising thing you have discovered in a rental property?

When we moved into our second Shanghai apartment, it was supposed to be cleaned by professionals. Beyond the lack of cleanliness, the apartment just had so much random stuff in it. Cabinets full of things, shelves full of things. We started making a giant pile of things to throw away as we cleaned up. On a bathroom shelf, high up above my head (I'm 185cm), there were two pillows and a plastic bag. After removing the pillows, I grabbed the plastic bag. The item was very hard, very oddly shaped. Looking in, I discovered a 45 cm-wide taxidermied turtle!

Have you ever had to leave a place because it felt unsafe or unlivable?

We have not, but a good friend of ours had. While traveling, her ayi (cleaning lady) sent her a message saying that when she arrived to clean, the door to the apartment was welded completely shut. Apparently, the ex-wife of the landlord decided she wanted to live in the apartment, so her method of removing the current tenant (my friend) was to weld the door shut until the tenant moved out. I guess it worked, because my friend found a new apartment the day she returned and was moved in two days later.

Did you deal with pests, noisy neighbors, strange building rules, or difficult landlords?

We've never had issues with pests. We're not in the fanciest apartments, but also not in the old, 5-story with no elevator apartments or a lanehouse. But we don't spray for bugs or anything, and we barely see any bugs or other pests. Now the two weeks of flying termites each early summer is a different story!

What warning signs should newcomers watch out for before renting in China?

I think the biggest thing to know is everything is negotiable (price, state of the apartment, and what's actually inside the apartment). Landlords don't really clean out, repaint, repair, or do much between tenants unless specifically asked. So if you're interested in an apartment but want things changed, just ask. Can you paint this wall? Can you repair this closet door? Can you add a bathtub inside the shower? They might not always say yes, but the expectation is you ask for what you want.

What advice would you give other expats to avoid rental disasters?

I think one of the best ways to avoid rental disasters is to have a really good realtor. Ask friends, coworkers, online, wherever, for recommendations and find one that's known to be helpful, defensive of their clients, and will stick around. We've had a realtor who completely disappeared (WeChat closed, company closed). So realtors with long work histories, legitimate companies, and recommendations from people you know is a must.

@Cheryl

I've had decent luck with the actual apartment during my 15 years in China, but I've had several instances of manipulative landlords.  Of 8 landlords, 4 were fair and 4 were less than fair.   

   The first unfair instance (Kunshan) was mild, as she kept 3/4 of our deposit over little things we had no control over. 

   The second (Beijing) was egregious.  After a two year rental, she kept the entire 12,000 CNY deposit because our cat had scratched up her ugly old sofa.  I agreed on the damage and offered to pay a fair portion of the deposit, but she never budged and I lost the entire deposit.  She also tried to keep an extra month of rent that my school paid in advance, but ultimately I got that back.

   The third (Shenzhen), we learned upon departure, was an owner of 15 properties who had been blacklisted by the authorities for her abusive practices, including not paying 48,000 CNY of fees to the building manager.  She rented through a hired property manager.  The first year went well and the place was nice, so I signed a two-year rental agreement, all in Chinese.  I admit to my foolishness in not getting a translation.  The contract held me fully liable for any injury or damage to anyone performing repairs on the apartment.  When our (1 of 2) A/C went out, the landlady agreed to repair it.  My Chinese fiancee (an attorney) read the rental agreement, and informed me that if the repairman fell to his death (as happens several times a year in our district of Shenzhen alone), I would be fully liable to his survivors, and would probably loose my entire life savings.  That was August 2025.  We lived with one A/C unit for the next year until the contract ended, and moved out.  Similarly, she threatened to withhold our deposit of 11, 400 CNY.  We left the place immaculate, and got the deposit only by asking her directly in the chat group whether she had been sued for 48,000 for not paying fees. 

   In the course of talking with others in Shenzhen, we learned that refusing to return deposits is the norm here.  It happens to lawyers, doctors, heads of school (including my own), and almost everyone.  Two-month deposits are greedily snatched up as landlords know that the legal battle to win back the deposit is beyond the reach of most renters.  My current deposit is 16,600 and we anticipate an epic battle, but at least we are now informed and to the extent possible, equipped.  It's a shameful but ubiquitous aspect of life in Shenzhen. 

   Twice landlords have sold our apartment and forced us out mid-contract (Kunshan and Beijing).