How much does it cost to rent an apartment in Beijing? How much does it cost to rent a house in China, where is the best place to look for it and how to bargain. What and where to shoot

I began to think about solving this issue about two months before my arrival in Beijing. The thought process was put on an almost scientific basis: an old friend of mine, who has been living in Beijing for eight years now, being married to a Chinese citizen and working at the German embassy, was interviewed in detail by telephone. I, of course, secretly hoped that I, sitting at home on Lake Constance on the German-Swiss border, like a great organizational genius, would find a suitable option via the Internet, and my friend would simply go and see on the spot whether this housing was acceptable for a person, spoiled by the delights of European civilization or not. Moreover, we already had multiple experience in planning and successful implementation. independent trips in China, with the purchase of all local tickets by plane or train and by booking hotels in the most exotic places for a normal European, such as Mount Taishan.
Initially, everything went well, which gave no reason to doubt the chosen strategy. True, my friend and her Chinese husband once very carefully noted that it would be nice to see everything on the spot, and not shift your choice to other people. I said this very self-confidently - I’ll choose from the photo, but you just take a superficial look at whether you can live there or not, and what kind of people these owners are.
I posted my ad on the Internet portal That’s Beijing, which is very popular among foreigners and Chinese “infrastructure brokers” associated with them. It didn’t take long for the answers to arrive - about a dozen emails arrived, primarily from English-speaking apartment brokers, who promised to solve my apartment problem in Beijing in no time. It turned out that in Beijing, unlike Shanghai, the tenant of the apartment does not pay for the broker's services; this is done by the landlord. As it turned out later, the owner of the apartment must pay such a broker an amount equal to one month’s rent. Although, of course, it was still stupid to rejoice - this amount boomerangs on the cost of renting an apartment.
I also received an email from one of the apartment owners, offering to rent a new home - 2 bedrooms - and this is a three-room apartment - with total area 100 square meters in Huilongguan. For these mansions they asked for 2500 yuan, which is about 250 euros. I looked at the map and I was going to settle next to the Beijing Linguistic University, a kind of version of the Moscow Inyaz Maurice Thorez (Beijing Yuyan Daxue - Beijing University of Literature and Culture, BLCU), in the Wudaokou area. It seemed like it was close. About four stops along the light metro line. However, my German friend again cooled my ardor.
“My dear,” she said, “I strongly advise you to settle in Beijing so that your place of work can be reached on foot or by a short bike ride. This is if you don't have a car. And choking with the Chinese in their crowded public transport is a very dubious pleasure. Especially during rush hour. In addition, this same Huilongguan (in Russian in normative transliteration it is written strongly obscenely - “Huilongguan”, although in Chinese pronunciation there is a triphthong - not “hui”, but “hui”. Apparently these are our great Russian sinologists who established transliteration standards , they were great jokers!!!), built in an absolutely open field - sort of dormitory area. A version of the GDR Marzahn in Berlin or the Soviet Biryulyovo in Moscow. In short, it’s not Rio de Janeiro.”
Nah, I had to listen to the opinion of the old-timers and refuse the offer of a householder with the sonorous European name Henry. The Chinese who communicate with foreigners take great pleasure in inventing such middle names for themselves. Some of them are even Russian. I remember I once talked in Harbin with one such Zoya.
So, the landlord Henry shared my doubts, although he said that the ride on the light metro would take about 30 minutes.
Following Henry, two Chinese girls appeared who spoke fairly decent English on the phone. The girls rented a two-story house in some hutong in the Xizhimen district and agreed to rent out the second floor with its own toilet, shower, and washing machine for 2,000 yuan (200 euros). I again looked at the map and looked at the Beijing guide. A very idyllic picture was painted. A small cute house, not far from the residence of the former president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the famous writer Guo Mozhuo and all sorts of other literary celebrities. The only thing that inspired doubt was the need to share the same kitchen with the ladies. They write all around that the Chinese prepare their food only from fresh ingredients and may well start twisting a chicken’s throat on the balcony and plucking its feathers. Actually, I love Chinese cuisine, but the smells from the cooking process are sometimes, frankly speaking, not ambrosia...
The girls promised to send photos and arrange a viewing with my Beijing friend. And again everything fell through. Only later did it become clear to me why. In Beijing, unlike Germany, where a tenant must inform his landlord about leaving the apartment three months in advance, it is not customary to rent anything in advance. The rental process lasts for a maximum of a couple of days. The owners don’t agree to wait, if you want to rent an apartment, rent right away. If you only need an apartment in two weeks, then come in two weeks. Of course, we are not talking about tourist apartments. But the prices there are completely different, much higher. But I didn’t know all this yet.
In short, to realize your intentions to come to Beijing already in filmed long term the apartment didn't work out. Moreover, I first had to move with all my acquired belongings from Radolfzell on Lake Constance to the city of my youth, Berlin. But these are other stories, but for now let’s return to China.
Through the already familiar Internet portal That’s Beijing, I found a one-room apartment in the center of Beijing for tourists. Again, at first glance, everything was great - city center, close to the metro, all the technical bells and whistles - washing machine, TV, computer, high-speed Internet, microwave, electric stove. The advertisement promised things that were generally strange for a European, such as “warm water for 24 hours!!” Well, apparently I’ve become completely mellow in Germany. I remember in Vladik the summer before last, the water pump in the very center of the city surprised me like an anachronism. But no, the local people said that it was a very useful thing in the household... When water supplies run out in the city.
For a Chinese apartment, the owner Calvin, with very advanced English, asked 1300 yuan (130 euros) per week. But, considering that I was going to rent these rooms for a month, I agreed to a discount and offered to pay me “only” some 480 euros for the month. Of course, it was more expensive than if you rented an apartment for a long time right away, but you wouldn’t have to bother any friends with numerous viewings. Taking into account my personal problems with moving within Germany and succumbing to the desire to reduce, at least temporarily, the list of urgent problems, I agreed with Kelvin’s proposal. We agreed via email, talked briefly on the phone, no advance payments, he did not ask me for detailed personal information. That is, he had no guarantees that I would not change my mind. On his Internet page you could see in detail the drawn plan of the apartments. As I understand it, he rents out three, one of them is two-room, for which Kelvin asks 6,000 yuan (600 euros) per month. Everything looked very passabel. The only thing I forgot to ask him then was how spacious his mansion was in square meters.
Be that as it may, the problem was solved for me, and on the first of September I flew to Beijing early in the morning. Kelvin agreed to meet me at the airport for 200 yuan and take me to the rented apartment. Of course, it would have been cheaper to get there by taxi, but I didn’t want to strain myself half-asleep after the flight.
Naturally, Kelvin was late for the meeting, about 40 minutes. But the meeting did not take place on the Elbe or even on the Yellow River at 6 o’clock in the morning, so it was stupid to be offended. And it wouldn’t have been faster by taxi. In addition to me, a young French teacher couple with a girl of about 5 years old also flew to his apartment from Paris. They took an “educational vacation” for a year (the Germans know this privilege for teachers as Sabatjahr) and planned to travel with long stops around the world with a special British Airways ticket. On September 1 in Beijing, they, accordingly, began their almost trip around the world, which was supposed to end in Chile in a year.
Kelvin's apartment turned out to be a living space in the shape of a hose, which contained a living room about 10 meters long, and another three meters were allocated to the kitchen. In addition to this, a shower and toilet were located in a small nook. The water poured directly onto the floor and, according to the architect’s plan, went in an unknown direction through a hole in the floor in the corner of these not at all Sandunov baths.
All this splendor cost, as I already said, with a discount of 18 euros per day. The house, almost in the “techno” style, was built for wealthy students and single citizens 7-8 years ago, and the entrance gate to this complex, which bore the sonorous name “Solo,” was guarded 24 hours a day by fragile uniform securities.
The room at the end was all glazed and opened onto a rather dirty, dusty balcony. It had a view of a small street, where in the morning, in the guttural growling tones characteristic of the Beijing dialect, Chinese grandmothers, sitting on low stools, communicated with each other. But it was really close to the very center of Beijing - the Chinese version of Tverskaya - Wangfujing Street and Tiananmen Square itself - only about 20 minutes on foot. This place also had other features - literally around the corner there was a street of skyscrapers around the New World Shopping Center, with an assortment of goods satisfying any European fashionista.
Yes, no, it would be a sin to complain. Quite an acceptable refuge for a tourist.
But I had to live in Beijing for at least five months. Therefore, after a week I decided to look for something more spacious.
Getting to know Beijing public transport confirmed the words of my German friend. It turned out that they really had to settle where they were going to spend most of their time. All these familiar and normal trips for Moscow or Berlin from one end of the city to the other turn into torture in Beijing. Even on own car, for those who have it.
Once again, the Internet portal That’s Beijing came to the rescue. In Russian, oddly enough, you can’t find any suitable advice on the Internet. For several days I tried to scroll through all these chats like “Hemisphere” and others, but, as a rule, there is no up-to-date information No. It was also not possible to find any suitable information through Sinology sites on LiveJournal. While still in Moscow, I wrote an email to a young Russian man who spent a whole year at the same university where I was planning to go. I asked just one simple question: “How to rent an apartment near the university in the Wudaokou area?” The young man answered me briefly and, from my point of view, not very friendly. “It will be very difficult to rent an apartment near the university, because the competition is very high. I can’t recommend any of my old friends, since none of them are bothered by this problem and live in a hostel!” The prospect of living in a hostel did not appeal to me. Firstly, at my Linguistic University, for a room with a roommate they asked for 60 yuan per day, a total of 1860 per month (186 euros). Secondly, the same old-time correspondent of mine, whom I pestered with questions, on the pages of his LiveJournal blog described how dirty African and Vietnamese students are in the kitchens and common areas in these same dorms, how fat the cockroaches are crawling there . And in a company with other European citizens, it is quite possible to rent for two or three in Beijing large apartment with your own room for yourself for 1800-2000 yuan!! Well, tell me, why then engage in masochism and move into a hostel? In addition, I, as a person no longer young, generally planned to settle in a one- or two-room separate apartment, which, as I was told, was in the northwest of Beijing, in a fairly new house with furniture and household appliances, can be rented for 2900-3600 (290-360 euros) yuan.
The whole process turned out to be extremely simple. First, an English-speaking realtor named Patrick offered me a one-room apartment in a newly built skyscraper between the Xizhimen and Dazhongsi metro stations. When I came to inspect it, there was no furniture in it yet!!! But the owner said that within three days, if I agree, everything will be purchased and installed. The view from the window of this business class accommodation was magnificent. But the price still seemed quite high. I called another real estate office near the Udaokou metro station, whose employees offered to immediately come and look at several apartments. Unfortunately, they practically did not speak English, and I had to urgently, ahead of time, activate my half-forgotten knowledge of the Chinese language, acquired more than 20 years ago at the Oriental Faculty of Leningrad University. As it turned out later, it was not in vain. First, I looked at three apartments in a fairly modern building near the Wudaokou metro station. All of them were three-room, and the owners asked for them from 3,500 to 3,800 yuan per month. The atmosphere inside was quite Soviet, especially the bathrooms made me feel somewhat melancholy. So in Soviet time looked like the Akademicheskaya Hotel on Stepan Khalturin Street in Leningrad, where I lived for a week while defending my dissertation in 1988. The realtors had to tell me that this quality of housing does not inspire me much. Well, then I’d better go and give up to Patrick.... The brokers immediately woke up and became worried - as I understand, you always need to explain to the Chinese that you have other alternatives.
The owner of the office scratched his turnip and said that he had two better two-room apartments in his database, but further away from the metro. About ten minutes by bus. I agreed to watch. Compared to the “scoop” style options already seen, these two other apartments seemed the height of comfort. New renovation, fairly new furniture, 24-hour security with control displays and clean corridors. For one option they asked me for 3100, for the other - 3400 yuan. I chose the option for 3400. The next day I came to the office and asked to give me the text of the lease agreement to review. The realtors were very surprised by this precaution, but they gave the text. It turned out that my doubts were in vain - every sentence in Chinese was duplicated English text, so there were no misunderstandings. I was told that the surrender procedure is as follows. I bring the rent for the apartment six months in advance and give another month's rent as a deposit. The contract is concluded for a year. If you violate the contract, in the sense that you leave the apartment earlier than in a year, then the deposit is not refunded. The deposit is also provided to pay the owner’s repair costs if you suddenly break or scratch something in this property. When no problems have arisen, the deposit is returned after a year, unless both parties renew the term of this agreement. Light, electricity, telephone, internet are paid by the tenant. Services (for example, security) and central heating are paid by the owner of the apartment. When I asked whether it would be possible to resolve the situation without losing the deposit if I decided to leave earlier and find the owner of the apartment new clients to replace me, the realtor replied that “this issue can also be resolved with his help.” Today is today, tomorrow is tomorrow.

In short, there were absolutely no difficulties. There were a lot of apartments on offer, and, in any case, even if you have a not very thick wallet, the housing problem in Beijing can be resolved very quickly. So my old-time Russian correspondent has exaggerated things sooooo much. As I understand it, in other areas of Beijing you can rent an apartment much cheaper. In the northwest of Beijing, where several Beijing universities are located, the situation is complicated by the presence of a huge number of constantly migrating population. But in other areas of Beijing it is easier to do this.
For example, the son of my German friends pays only 1,900 yuan per month for a three-room apartment in the Gomao district, in the east of the city, for an unfurnished apartment. But he knows for sure that he will spend at least five years in China. In addition, my notes only affect the section of the so-called “International apartment”. Advertisements in Chinese on the window of any real estate office really say that housing can be rented much cheaper if you follow the “Chinese path.”
So, I was able to rent an apartment in just two or three days. As it turned out later, I still made a couple of small mistakes, but I’ll tell you about that later.

If you are going to China to study, work, or would simply like to spend some time in the Middle Kingdom, you need to resolve the issue of housing. Living in a hotel is a little expensive and, moreover, there is no space necessary for normal life.

You need to rent an apartment in China, but how is this done?

In China, the real estate rental market is very dynamic and the spheres of influence on it are divided between the three most powerful companies Liangjia, Zhong Yuang Di Chan (Chinese: 中原地产) and Wo Ai Wo Jia (Chinese: 我爱我家).

To avoid another "razvodilovo for foreigners", I recommend that you use the services of these companies. Since all transactions here are supported by the usual lease agreements between the tenant and the “fangdong” (Chinese: 房东 - owner of the property).

You come to one of these offices and say: “Wo yao zu fang” (Chinese: 我要租房), which means “I want to rent an apartment.” After this, polite and interested staff will ask you about all the nuances and wishes: how many rooms, how long would you like to rent, number of floors, availability of fittings, equipment, etc. If you do not speak Chinese, it is advisable to find in advance either a foreigner who speaks the language or a Chinese who speaks English to accompany you and help you present your idea to the company representatives. This way you can give an accurate idea of the apartment you want.

What nuances can you encounter in China when looking for an apartment to rent?

1. Apartments “go away instantly.”

You have looked at the apartment, you need to make a decision instantly - “yes” or “no”. Since there are a lot of Chinese and everyone needs to live somewhere.

2. Apartments in China are dirty.

Nobody in China scrubs an apartment for rent. It’s even customary here not to vacuum after the owner has moved out. The new tenant must do everything himself. So don't be scared or surprised.

3. Apartment renovations very often leave much to be desired.

It feels like the only thing that matters to the Chinese is the fact of having a roof over their head. No one looks at the living conditions at all, given the price that the apartment owners put forward. Therefore, when you voice your idea of a future apartment to the agency, be sure to say the phrase that you only need a “zhuang xiu” (Chinese 装修) apartment - an apartment with a good renovation.

4. Be sure to check the drains in the kitchen and bathroom. Try flushing the toilet.

This is the sore spot of all Chinese apartments. It often happens that pipes leak, so be sure to check their suitability before signing the contract.

5. Payment for the apartment for the first time occurs according to the following formula:

Monthly rent + 3 months of payment in advance + monthly rent (as a deposit) + Internet and house maintenance services for a year or six months (depending on the rental period).

6. Payment, in most cases, is made once every 3 months (unless, of course, you plan to rent an apartment for a long time)

7. Be careful! All contracts contain a clause that starting from the second payment, rent for the apartment is made 7-10 days before the start date of the new residential month (for example, you moved into the apartment on the 30th - you must pay 7 days before the 30th, i.e. on the 23rd ).

8. To forever deal with the question “how much does it cost to rent an apartment?” Let's answer this: the average cost of renting a good 1-room apartment in large cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing) ranges from 3000 to 5000 yuan per month ($500-850). Apartments for rent in Shanghai, as in Beijing, the matter is not easy - there is a lot of competition, so you need to hurry with your choice.

After signing the contract, you can happily transport your belongings to your new apartment!)

And be sure to find a common language with the owner of the apartment. This will always be to your benefit!

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Map of Beijing districts

The rental price depends on:

Area of residence.
The center of student life, and therefore expensive area are the university district of Wudaokou.
Many Russians and other foreigners working in Beijing prefer the CBD (Guomao) Business Center area, Sanlitun, the Donjimen Russian Embassy area and the Yabaolu Market area.
If proximity to the center is much less important to you than space, explore options outside the Fifth Ring. In new areas with beautiful gardens and courtyards there are a large number of apartments for rent that can accommodate large families.
Condition of the apartment. Repair, presence/absence of central heating, furniture, design.
Transport. It makes sense to look for an apartment in places located within a 10-minute walk from metro stations.
Environment. Supermarkets, shops. If you plan to dine out, there are cafes.

Cost of renting a room/apartment in Beijing (January 2015)

1. Rooms.
An option with shared accommodation can be found for 2000 yuan (remote areas) or closer to the center, but in an ordinary house with an old renovation. For 2500-3000 yuan you can find something suitable in more prestigious places (Wudaokou, Yabaolu). 3500 yuan - you can count on a nice room in a modern house, furnished with the latest technology, often with a private bathroom (Sanlitun, Guomao).

2. Apartments.
In the center, in old houses, you can find housing for 4,000 yuan. A small studio apartment close to the city center can cost more than 5,000 yuan per month. Luxury apartments in the Sanlitun and Guomao areas cost 8,000-10,000 yuan. In areas remote from the center, the cheapest apartment costs around 3,000 yuan. There is another option - renting housing in a traditional Chinese home - Siheyuan, which is located in the hutongs. Such houses are cheaper than apartments, but they do not have central heating and have electric batteries.

Search apartments and rooms in Beijing

Apartment rental agencies in Beijing

There are many agencies in Beijing, such as: 我爱我家 （Wo ai wo jia）, Homelink and others that can be found in every quarter. Many employees can speak English. It is worth contacting several agencies at once.

pros You can view several apartments and make a choice. They will help you correctly prepare rental documents.

Minuses: You will have to pay 100% commission to the agency. You can waste a lot of time. Agents in most cases try to push dubious options on the foreigner, and are often very unpunctual.

Payment scheme:

you pay three months' rent + 100% agency commission + deposit equal to the cost of living for a month.

In some cases, this is a monthly housing payment + 100% agency commission + deposit.

For example:

When renting an apartment worth 2500 yuan per month, you immediately pay: 2500*3(rent) + 2500(deposit) + 2500(premium) + 500(housing and communal services) + 60*6(internet) = 13360 yuan.

Adviсe

You can bargain with the agency, using any shortcomings of the apartment as arguments.

Apartment rental sites in Beijing

Searching via the Internet is a very difficult task: you have to look at everything in person. Real housing can be very different from photographs, which are often posted for beauty.

Pros: you can get a fairly complete picture of the availability of housing, the price level, different areas of the city, etc., with maps, diagrams, and the like.

Minuses: You need to speak Chinese very well. Often, advertisements for apartments for rent are placed by agencies, so immediately ask if there is an agency fee. The main thing is to ask questions in advance: is it an agent or an owner, is there an agency fee, how much is the monthly rent and how much should you pay at a time. You can communicate via email or phone.

Adviсe

Find out if the contract can also be drawn up in English. Or go with someone who speaks Chinese. It happens that the contract in English and Chinese do not match.

Before concluding a contract, it is very advisable to meet with the owner of the property - fandong (房东-fangdong).

Russian-language portal, where there is a lot useful information about life in Asia. –Open the forum on China, there you will find a section on Beijing. In addition to the capital, there are forums for other major cities: Shanghai, North China, South China, etc. Each subforum will have a section on rental housing.

Announcements in the thematic group on VKontakte. Usually announcements from students are published here. They often look for a neighbor to share with them.

thebeijinger.com

an English-language resource about life in Beijing, including advertisements for apartment rentals. In the upper left corner is the Classifieds item, then look for the word “Housing” and then by category.
Apartments for rent– apartments for rent;
Seeking Roommate– search for a neighbor;
Sublets, Temporary housing&homestays– temporary rental You can search for housing depending on the area or price.

The site is in Chinese, both agencies and homeowners post advertisements. You can choose an ad based on the price of the home, the area, and the person who posted it (agent/individual).

The site has a built-in chat; you can contact the author of the ad and find out the necessary information. Don’t give out your phone number right away - they’ll torment you with calls.

Lease contract

When renting an apartment, you must enter into an official rental agreement with its owner by contacting one of the real estate agencies. The document is provided to the local police department when registering, which is a mandatory requirement of the Chinese authorities. Also, with such an agreement you will ensure compliance with your legitimate interests (in case of any problems or misunderstandings)

The contract stipulates who bears the costs of maintaining the housing. Usually the scheme is like this:

The tenant pays: apartment rent, electricity, water, gas, telephone, internet;

The lessor pays: house maintenance, heating in winter, apartment repairs, apartment rental tax.

Make sure that the homeowner provides all documents to the agency: a certificate of home ownership, his identification card, a power of attorney if he is acting on behalf of the homeowner.

If the landlord insists on transferring money to a bank account, make sure in the presence of the agent that this is the landlord's account. Better yet, record it this fact in the contract, indicating the account number. Connection

Connection

Find out if there is Internet access in the house? Check the tariff and change it if necessary so as not to pay extra. If there is no access to the Internet in the apartment, it is better to ask the landlord to resolve this issue for you. It’s better to choose a tariff for connecting to the Internet together.

Precautions when renting apartments in Beijing

There are times when at first they show you one apartment, and when you pay money and sign the contract, it turns out that the apartment is missing furniture, appliances, etc.
Do not pay any amounts until the contract is signed.
When paying, take receipts for receipt of money.
Study the entire apartment, every corner, test all the equipment, the sink flush, the toilet flush - then filing a claim will be very difficult. The agent must record all meter readings (gas, water, electricity) in your presence and enter this data into the lease agreement.
Hundreds of foreigners recently became victims of scams in Beijing. They received an SMS on their cell phone with approximately the following content: “The bill for paying for the apartment has changed. Now he is such and such. Pay to this account. Your landlord"

Registration with the police

After signing a rental agreement, you must register with the local police department. Prepare the following documents for this:

International passport with a valid visa/residence permit
Both copies of the apartment rental agreement (yours and the owner’s)
Copy of ownership of the apartment (provided by the apartment owner)
Receipt for payment of apartment rental tax. If it is needed. (As a rule, the owner of the apartment must pay).

* Keep your proof of residence registration in a safe place.
** If you have traveled outside of China or changed/extended your visa, you need to re-register at the local police station within 2 days. When re-registering, only a foreign passport and your copy of the rental agreement are required.

Newtravels offers to rent and book a choice of 427 apartments in Beijing with good ratings and reviews. Such customized accommodations will always be the primary alternative to hotel bookings. As a rule, apartments are chosen by travelers who prefer comfort and familiar living conditions when traveling.

The main advantages are obvious:

Essentially big square living in an apartment rather than in a hotel room;
Availability of a kitchen with a gas or electric stove and refrigerator;
The presence of all necessary equipment for cooking (microwave, toasters, coffee machines);
There is often a washing machine and iron.

Beijing apartments are very popular among couples with small children, for whom a regular home environment is more preferable. This page displays the most attractive and sought-after apartments in the city. These are booking hits - budget studio apartments or apartments with two separate bedrooms. The latter option is also preferred by young people traveling in a group of several people.

Apartments in category 427 Total hotels in the city 4258 Apartments with the lowest price Shi Li Bao Family Apartment (960 ₽) Apartments with the highest price Quadrangle Courtyard at Siheyuan - 7BR Apartment(89460 ₽) average price 5768 ₽ Average rating 8

She moved from Siberia to China and now works as a teacher. in English in Nantong city. For ZIMA Magazine, she shared her tricks for finding rental housing in Chinese cities.

Let's say that your dream job is found in China, and the first tears of delight and doubt have dried up. Packing your entire life in your homeland into several suitcases, you suddenly realized: “I have nowhere to live!”

Most companies that cooperate with foreigners provide housing free of charge. Everything, as long as your bright mind works for the good of the empire! But what if it happened that free housing flew past you? Unfortunately, this happens, especially in big cities like Shanghai. This is due, first of all, to the high cost of rented housing.

Let's determine your needs and capabilities, and at the same time compare prices for various types of rental housing.

Types and prices for renting a cozy nest

You understand, nest is different from nest. Here are the options for rental housing that China offers:

Rent a whole house

Of course it's expensive. Monthly rent - from 10-20 thousand yuan (roughly multiply by 10, we get Russian rubles - 100-200 thousand). This option is suitable for a businessman who can set up his office or shop on the ground floor and live on the second floor. This is a fairly common practice in China.

Rent a separate apartment

The price varies from the center to the periphery, from large cities to smaller ones. For example, in the city of Nantong, where I live. It’s two and a half hours from Shanghai, 7 million people, and by Chinese standards a remote place. Renting a two-room apartment will be quite affordable - about 2 thousand yuan per month.

In Shanghai, of course, it is more expensive: for example, the same apartment in the center will cost 5-7 thousand yuan per month. On the outskirts, where it takes several hours to get there, you can find a small two-room apartment for 3 thousand, but do not count on high-quality repairs and the presence of all the furniture there.

Rent a separate room in an apartment with neighbors

Due to the high cost of apartments in Shanghai, a room will seem like the sweetest option. After all, it is already possible to rent part of an apartment in the center for 3 thousand, and at the same time you will be pleased with all the benefits of civilization and the metro within walking distance.

Where to go to look. Websites for finding housing in China

Firstly, the Internet. He offers us some useful resources.

After you have chosen the city you are interested in, a list of offers will appear automatically, where you can clearly see how much an apartment or room costs and what is included in the price. Right here detailed map With a huge amount all sorts of options. And it doesn’t matter at all whether it’s downtown or the outskirts.

The only drawback: the site is entirely in Chinese. But everything here is intuitive, plus various online translators have not been canceled.

This is actually a whole storehouse of useful information about life in Shanghai. Here you can read last news, find out about upcoming events and immediately buy tickets for them, find a job, sell and buy something, and also find housing. The site is entirely in English.

Secondly, there are real estate agencies where they will offer you several suitable accommodation options, take you by the hand, show you and tell you everything. In this matter, the Chinese will take you completely under their wing. However, I do not advise you to go to the agency in splendid isolation without reading the paragraph below.

Thirdly, if you are going to work, ask the host party to help you. Yes, you will pay out of your own pocket, but no one canceled purely humanly small favors. They are treated normally in China. You don’t have to rush from one end of the city to the other, going through all the pros and cons of the apartments you’ve already looked at, and remembering what such and such an apartment looked like.

Even in China there is an opinion: a white man is a rich man. Be prepared for the fact that the price of rental housing, especially in small towns, where you can count foreigners on one hand, it will be 20-30% overpriced for you.

Bargaining is appropriate

China is a big market where you can and should bargain. Housing rent is on the list of those goods and services for which you simply must ask for a discount. Otherwise it’s not comme il faut! Especially if you're filming long period time.

Walk around the apartment, twist your nose, saying, there’s a stain here and this thing doesn’t work. And in general, I have a few more options in mind, but such and such an apartment especially sunk into my soul and has not yet come to fruition. After all, remember yourself as a child, when you begged your parents to let you go out until ten in the evening - bargain just as fiercely.

In China there is a golden rule: we talk about everything important in the landlord’s language.

After all, as Nelson Mandela said: “If you speak to a person in a language that he understands, you are speaking to his head. If you are talking to a person in his native language, you speak to his heart.”

My landlord was so impressed with my Chinese language skills that the rental price dropped by 500 yuan per month. Checkmate, comrades! But if you don’t know the language well or don’t have enough arrogance, and you can’t live without it in China, then feel free to ask your colleagues, boss or other native speakers you know to go to the viewing with you.

Let's move on to signing the contract

You will be asked to pay a deposit equal to one month's rent and pay for the next three months in advance. If you terminate the contract for any reason before the end of the contract, the deposit remains with the owner.

As for the obligations of the parties, everything is standard: the owner provides you with housing, does not poke his nose into your apartment/room without warning and without your knowledge, and warns you about eviction in advance. You are required to pay rent and utility bills (about 400-500 yuan per month) exactly on time, do not spoil anything, do not play loud music and do not have animals. If the condition of the property is damaged, the deposit will not be returned. If any breakdown occurs, contact the apartment owner or realtor, they will send repairmen.

So, the choice has been made, the contract has been signed, and you are the happy owner of your own home in China.

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