Four Tips to Avoid Beijing Apartment Rental Nightmares
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When it comes to finding an apartment, each city has its unique set of quirks – and Beijing is certainly no exception. Unfortunately, such quirks can leave you living in a rental nightmare, especially if you're coming from abroad and don't know the lay of the land. To help you on your way, here’s our guide to avoiding bad rental deals in the capital.
Don’t pick the first floor
When renting in Beijing, try to avoid
apartments on the first floor. Why? First floor apartments usually don’t
get a whole lot of sunshine. This is especially true when renting in a
complex surrounded by tall buildings. Moreover, first floor apartments
are likely to attract moisture, which can lead to mold. Beijing is not a
humid place, however, the city can get plenty of rain during the summer
months, as was the case throughout the past year. So while winter might
be alright, summer will cause a few headaches.
You don't want to get a bunch of mold on your door!
Plus,
privacy is difficult unless you close all your curtains, and it's
usually roaches galore on the first floor as well, especially in summer
months. Even if you keep your space as clean and tidy as possible,
they'll always find ways to sneak in through the nooks and cracks of
your apartment.
Stay away from streets
When apartment hunting in Beijing, try to seek out a place that isn't facing the street. Street-facing rooms let in more noise from the road, so if you're a light sleeper you run the risk of being routinely ripped from a peaceful slumber by car noises, thumping footsteps, and loud conversations.
Find a place with nearby subways
No matter the cost of a place, make sure
your apartment is close to a subway or other form of public transit.
And be wary of listings that say they're five or ten minutes away from
the subway, as agents will generally just pick a random number and tack
it on to a listing to attract more people. Which is to say, you could
end up moving into a place thinking it's five minutes away when it's
actually a 20-minute walk from your apartment to the nearest subway or
bus. At the very least you should check maps before you rent, however, a
true Beijing rental pro would walk to and from the subway when visiting
a potential dwelling, just to be on the safe side.
You certainly don't want a place that doesn't have a subway station within one kilometer.
Know your landlord
Knowing your landlord is a godsend when
renting in a city like Beijing. When dealing with a rental agent, you're
gonna have to pay a service fee up front before renting – and sometimes
each time you resign a new contract – which is generally anywhere from a
half month to a full month's rent. This plus the required deposit when
first renting and up to three months rent upfront means you'll be paying the
equivalent of five months' rent all at once!
Rental services like
Ziroom allow users to pay monthly, but they'll often raise the price
per month when you select this option, adding the service fee to the
rent so that it's paid off within a 12-month period.
On Ziroom, if you choose to pay by month, you will have to pay for about 10% of your monthly rent in service fees.
Got any tips to avoid other rental nightmares? Let us know in the comments!
Read: Beijing Releases Plans for New Rental Market Regulations
Images: Weibo, Dianping
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