Rent an apartment in Beijing for a long term. Beijing apartments, China. Registration with the police

Map of Beijing districts

The rental price depends on:

  1. 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.
  2. Condition of the apartment. Repair, presence/absence of central heating, furniture, design.
  3. Transport. It makes sense to look for an apartment in places located within a 10-minute walk from metro stations.
  4. 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 it is possible to issue a contract for English language. 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 with a lot of 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. And better yet, record 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 it will be very difficult to make a claim. 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.

She moved from Siberia to China and now works as an English teacher in the city of Nantong. 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 so happened that free housing flew past you? Unfortunately, this happens, especially in big cities like Shanghai. This is due, first of all, to the expensive 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 enjoy 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 number of different 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 now 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) on time, not to spoil anything, not to play loud music and not to 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.

Hello dear readers website
When you are far from home, you always want to find something at least remotely reminiscent of it. A place where you will return with pleasure, or at least without disgust.
Finding housing is not an easy task, especially in a foreign country. Beijing is a huge metropolis with great opportunities. Prices for purchasing and renting housing are rising every day. In this post we will discuss what exist ways to rent an apartment/room in Beijing.
First, let's see what does its cost depend on??
1) Area of ​​residence. The further the apartment is from the center, the less prestigious the area, the cheaper the rental price. Traditionally expensive are the CBD business center (Guomao), Sanlitun, the Russian embassy area of ​​Dongzhimen, Yabaolu, etc. - these are the places where Russians and other foreigners often settle.
2) Condition of the apartment. Repairs, presence/absence of central heating, furniture, design - all this affects the cost of housing. For example, in the Sanlitun and CBD areas there are apartments that are in no way inferior to the best European ones: in modern compounds, equipped with the best appliances and perfectly decorated. Often in such houses there is a gym on the ground floor; the cost of visiting it is included in the rent. Such housing will cost approximately 8,000 yuan per month.
3) Transport. If there is a metro station near the apartment, bus stops, then undoubtedly the rental price will be higher.
How to look for an apartment in Beijing? There are several options:
1)
There are many agencies in Beijing, such as 我爱我家 Wo ai wo jia, Homelink etc., which can be found at every step. As soon as you go there, several agents will run up to you. If you do not speak Chinese, you can contact them in English, as a rule, many of the realtors can speak it. State your basic requirements and the agent will present you with a variety of options. The advantage of this method is that you can view several apartments and make a choice. Disadvantage: you will have to pay 100% commission to the agency. Usually, housing rental scheme in Beijing is as follows: 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% commission to the agency + deposit. You should be careful with the agency. 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. Ask if the contract can also be drawn up in English. Or go with someone who speaks Chinese. By the way, it happens when the contract in English and Chinese do not match. Be careful! Before concluding a contract, it is very advisable to meet with the owner of the property - fandong (?? - fangdong).
2)
An excellent English-language site where various rental advertisements are often published. These advertisements are posted by visitors to this site. What do you need to do? Open the site, find the word Classifieds (ads) in the upper left corner - click on it.

Search for the word “Housing” and look at the categories below. For example, Apartments for rent– rent an apartment; Seeking Roommate– search for roommate (neighbor); Sublets, Temporary housing&homestays– temporary housing (for example, someone does not want to lose a good apartment, but due to leaving, they re-let it for a while). Select the desired category and look for housing depending on the area or price. Often, advertisements for apartments for rent are placed by agencies, so ask in advance if there is an agency fee.
We found it through this site - we went straight to the owner of the apartment. The main thing is to ask all 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, depending on what was written in the ad.
3) Website polusharie.com
A wonderful Russian-language portal with a lot of useful information about life in China. Regardless of what city you live in, you can find suitable housing there. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Harbin, Sanya - this is only an incomplete list of places where our fellow countrymen live.
First, go to the Chinese forum, find the right place there: Beijing, Shanghai, North China, South China, etc. Each subforum will have a section dedicated to rental housing.
4) Website 58.com
If you know Chinese and can read Chinese, then go to this site. A wonderful resource where both agencies and homeowners post advertisements. In addition, through this site people are looking for roommates. 58.com is easy to use, you can select an ad based on the cost of the property, the area, and the person who posted it (agent/individual).
And finally, one of the most important questions: how much does it cost to rent a room/apartment in Beijing?? On this moment, winter 2013, things are as follows:
1. Rooms.
A room in an apartment with neighbors can be found for 2000 yuan (remote areas, for example the Batong metro line??) 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). In modern houses there are often several bathrooms in one apartment. However, by paying a little more, you can count on a separate apartment not in the center. Here everyone chooses according to their preferences. It is important for someone to live separately, even if not in great place, for some, the main thing is location, European-quality renovation, expensive equipment, etc., so the choice stops at the room.
2. Apartments.
The most inexpensive apartment costs around 3000 yuan (not in the center). For example, east 6 branches. In the center, in old houses, you can find housing for 4,000 yuan. In the student area of ​​Wudaokou, a studio costs about 5,000 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. Luxury apartments in the Sanlitun and Guomao areas cost 8,000-10,000 yuan. For 6,000 yuan you can find simpler housing, but also very decent.
In general, that's all I wanted to write for today. I like to repeat the phrase: he who seeks will always find. Don't despair, be patient, and you will definitely find a suitable option at an affordable price.
We wish you good luck in your search for housing!

Types of housing in Beijing

Find a good one and inexpensive option Accommodation in Beijing is very difficult, just like in any other city. However, there are many suggestions.

As in any capital of the world, there is the possibility of renting. This could be a whole apartment or room (small with a shared bathroom or with a balcony and a large private bathroom). If you don’t want to bother, then staying at a hotel is the best option. In Beijing you will find cheap hostels, mid-price and quality hotels, and luxury rooms. It is possible to rent entire houses or simply rent a room in an apartment hotel for a couple of months. It all depends on the length of your stay in the country and, of course, your financial condition.

Hotels

Hotels in Beijing are a very interesting topic. In the capital great amount luxury hotels, but the concept of good service between us and the Chinese is very different. I myself worked for almost a year in an expensive traditional Chinese hotel, old part which was a police station during the Qing Dynasty.

So, one day guests began to complain that the floors in the rooms were very cold and there were no slippers. Almost all the guests called the reception. To this the service staff told me:

The slippers are out.

Just like that, there’s no escape. The slippers are out. In a five-star hotel, where a room costs no less than 400 USD per night. Therefore, the price per room in China is not an indicator of quality. But service in hotels of such well-known chains as Hilton, Mariott or Hayat always remains at its best.

What else I noticed in China: either the rooms are luxurious or downright bad. The middle is quite rare. It's either master or bust here.

The trick of cheap and mid-priced Chinese hotels is unwashed windows. I don’t know why, but I noticed this sad detail. Dirty carpets, slightly cracked mirrors, a TV with ripples - this is a completely normal practice in inexpensive places. I think that not a single average Chinese hotel would pass the inspection of the Russian Revizorro program. This is the whole point: the Chinese do everything to ensure that the service is good, but in the end it always falls short.

Luxury Accommodation - 5 Star Hotels

Of course, if you want to definitely get into a good hotel, then you need to choose a hotel of some well-known chain. But in purely Chinese hotels the service is purely Chinese. Although I once had an interview at the Chinese Kunlun Hotel (located near the Liangmaqiao metro station, line 10). I found him very pleasant. We (me and my work colleagues) were also taken on an excursion to the Legendale Hotel. We were shown the rooms, the pools and all the restaurants. I thought: “This is the level.” And I can definitely recommend this hotel.


If you plan to stay in China for a couple of months, then you can easily rent a room in a hotel, which is an apartment, not just a room. As they explained to me, in such hotels they can even repaint the walls or change the furniture for you, but this is only if you stay there for a long time, for example, for a couple of months. The most famous chain is perhaps Ascott, but there are cheaper options. The cheapest room at Ascott Raffles costs about 120 USD per night.

If you come to and just want to spend a couple of days in a traditional place - this is quite possible. There are many such hotels near Nanluoguxiang Street, more about it below. These are old but restored courtyards, very beautiful, with wonderful small Chinese gardens and ponds. But the rooms in such hotels are usually quite expensive; I would still prefer good service at the Hilton for the same money.

That is, you have several options:

  1. ordinary hotel,
  2. traditional chinese hotel,
  3. hotel-apartments.

I think it’s quite difficult to guess from a photo whether a hotel is good or not. Photos are always much more colorful and beautiful than things really are. Especially in China. Add a little color, photograph the room from the right angle, and voila - the room seems endless and bright. When choosing a hotel, it is always better to ask your friends. If anyone has been to China, they will definitely be able to advise a good place. If you don’t know anyone, you’ll have to check the quality of the room when you get there.

As with all hotels, you will have to leave a deposit. The amount of the deposit depends on the level of the hotel and the cost of the room per night. Most of the good hotels are concentrated in the embassy area, Sanlitun and Dongzhimen, the business district of Guomao, or Sibidi (Guomao, CBD), as well as Dongcheng and Xicheng. I will show these places on the map below in the “Districts” section.

So, the list of the best luxury hotels:

  1. Eclat,
  2. Opposite House,
  3. Legendale,
  4. Intercontinental Sanlitun,
  5. New World Beijing Hotel,
  6. Four Seasons Beijing,
  7. Rosewood,
  8. Shangri-la Summit Wing,
  9. Waldorf Astoria,
  10. NUO Hotel Beijing.

Of course, there are many more good hotels than 10, but my top ten looks something like this. Rooms in these hotels will cost about 130–220 USD per night.

Mid-range accommodation - 4 star hotels

The price for a room in an average quality hotel starts from 50–90 USD. Most often, breakfast is included in the room price. If you take the more expensive four, the room will be quite decent. If it's cheaper, the situation will be worse. Everyone, of course, has different needs, but I, for example, value cleanliness above all, and the Chinese have an open conflict with it.


I myself stayed in these four: the Xijiao Hotel near the Beijing Language and Culture University in the Haidian district and the Park Plaza Wangfujing - both are quite pleasant, and the prices are not bad. Although the carpets are a little untidy, the floors are a little unwashed - everything is as always.

Inexpensive housing

3 star hotels

Room rates can start from 25 USD per night, but such a hotel will not look like a hotel. For a hostel - yes. It seems to me that it’s generally better not to shoot “three rubles” in China. In my opinion, the cheaper the hotel, the simpler it is. But even in such hotels they must clean and maintain cleanliness - I pay for the rent. Therefore, it is better to rent a more expensive room, but it will be cleaner.

Hostels

Since hotels in Beijing are not always of high quality, what can we say about hostels. The only hostel that I could call good is Youth Hostel. There is good decoration, clean rooms, and generally quite pleasant rooms. Moreover, one of my good friends once got tired of renting an apartment and simply moved there for a few months. It was Drum Tower Youth Hostel - one of the Youth network. She lived in a fairly spacious room with a toilet and a nice balcony.


In the evening, young people hang out in hostels, drink beer or wine, and surf the Internet. Some rooms have their own bathroom and some don't. I'm a rather squeamish person, but even I can say that the shared bathroom there is quite good.

It seemed to me that most hostels are located in the Xichen and Dongchen areas, right in close proximity to all the main attractions (see the map in the “Districts” section below).

This is my personal opinion, but I think that in China it is still better to spend a little more money and check into a hotel than to try your luck in hostels. On you will find hostels for 28 USD per night. Well, as always: rooms with a private bathroom are much more expensive than a bed in a room for four.

Breakfast in hotels and hostels

Food, again, depends on the quality of the hotel. I've been to several Chinese hotels, but the breakfasts have never really impressed me. Although the quality of breakfast in the 10 hotels that I listed above is simply excellent. That is, 5-star hotels almost always please, although they, in fact, are obliged to do this for that kind of money.

As you know, the Chinese have their own traditional breakfast. These are, most often, zhou (very boiled rice or corn porridge without adding salt; they say it is good for the stomach), mantou (steamed buns, by the way, they are also absolutely tasteless). Many Chinese have already become a little European and started eating croissants, muesli and omelettes, but it seems to me that they prefer the traditional Chinese breakfast. So, in hotels you can try both their breakfast and the usual Western one.

Hotel breakfasts always include toast, buns, eggs, ham (don't try Chinese ham: it tastes disgusting) or sausages, fruit, a little something sweet, a little Chinese, juices, coffee and tea. It's more expensive in hotels Buffet, and the more decent the hotel, the more choice. Or maybe not a buffet, that is, for example, you choose a continental breakfast (from 3-4 options), and they bring you eggs, toast, some jam, butter and rolls.

If your room rental does not include breakfast, and you really want to eat, you will have to shell out 12–20 USD for a continental breakfast brought to your room. In hostels, breakfasts are much smaller, but there will definitely be toast, coffee and eggs.

Villas

Personally, my friends and I have never rented villas because the prices are simply prohibitive. One day my friends were celebrating New Year in a huge house, practically a villa, near the Great Chinese wall, but they rented it, of course, not for a month, but only for 2-3 days. Renting a large, good house will cost 3,600–6,500 USD per month, and this is far from the limit.

Moreover, all expensive houses and apartments are located not in the city center, but on the outskirts. I went to work a couple of times fashionable areas. They reminded me a bit of Europe: neat houses, lots of greenery and great cars. I have been to the Shunyi area, it is located very close to the airport. Very, very rich people live there. And what I noticed: wealthy people in Beijing still mostly prefer to live in apartments.

In general, the option of renting a villa will suit you only if you have nowhere to spend tens of thousands of dollars. The villas and houses are certainly excellent, only with the caveat that the concept of quality and service is different between us and the Chinese.

Apartments

What and where to shoot

If you want to move to Russia for permanent residence or, say, do an internship for several months, then renting an apartment is an excellent option. Although this also has its pitfalls.

  1. The most best rental in China it is long-term, that is, for a year. Almost all contracts are concluded for a year.
  2. In order to find an apartment, you better speak Chinese or go with someone who has lived in the capital for a certain amount of time.
  3. Chinese standards, again, are very different from Russian ones. What the Chinese agent thinks is a wonderful home, for us is an apartment that looks like the scene of the movie “Saw”.

The price category is completely different, it all depends on your needs. And, of course, the location of the apartment. Apartments in the center will cost much more than an apartment on the outskirts of the city. I can say that I have never met foreigners who rent apartments on the outskirts for pennies; usually everyone tries to find housing in central regions. Fortunately, there are quite a lot of them, and I will talk about them below. There are several options for renting an apartment:

  1. One-room apartment
  2. Two or three rubles with friends.
  3. A room in a large apartment.

Rent a one-room apartment

Renting a one-room apartment is quite expensive, especially a new one, in the center and in good home. It will cost about 700–1,000 USD per month. You also need to take into account that you will have to pay for gas, water, and possibly heating.


By the way, a big plus of living in Beijing is the presence of central heating, which is very necessary in the winter months. In Shanghai and Guangzhou, for example, there is no such luxury. And the Chinese themselves have a strange attitude towards batteries or air conditioners: if it’s hot, that’s okay, if it’s cold, you can even wear a jacket.

Joint tenancy

Renting an apartment with friends is very convenient; you can split everything between two or three: agent fees, utilities, and expenses for kitchen utensils. A two-room apartment will cost about 800–1,300 USD. Again, there is no ceiling; an apartment can cost 3,000 USD if it is located in an elite building. Three rubles are, of course, more expensive. My friends and I once rented a three-room apartment with a jacuzzi, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and it cost 1,600 USD.

The problem with all Chinese apartments is cockroaches. They live in all houses, my friends have poisoned everyone, I have never even encountered such insects. I don’t know why this is, maybe because of the habits of the Chinese, or maybe because no one really wants to breed such domestic animals. However, sometimes (very rarely) there are clean apartments. The best option is to move into an apartment that is being rented for the first time, but this, of course, is a one in a million chance.


In general, I was very lucky with the apartment owners, they always helped me, and if something broke, they fixed it at their own expense, which is logical, but not all apartment owners are ready for this. By the way, you should always have the apartment owner’s number with you so that if something happens you can quickly call him. I survived the breakdown of all possible appliances, a flood, and an unheated toilet.

Rent a room

This is the last option. And not the most successful one. One day I was looking for a particular room, but after several weeks of futile attempts, I realized that finding a good room was almost impossible. They are all shabby, old, scary, I generally keep quiet about the kitchen and bathroom with toilet.

By the way, I would like to mention one Chinese feature: in most apartments there is simply no proper shower. There are no cubicles or bathrooms. Just a bare floor and a shower, water spreads everywhere, getting onto the toilet, into the sink and, in fact, all over the floor. Then you have to either go over it with a rag, or use some magical method to dry everything under your feet. There are also no ovens in Chinese apartments, only gas stoves, so small ovens that can be bought in any store are very popular household appliances.

How to rent a house

There are 2 options to find an apartment/room:

  1. agencies.
  2. sites, for example, or Beijinger.
Through agents

If you decide to rent an apartment through intermediaries, you will have to shell out a huge amount of money. Why? Firstly, you pay for 2 or 3 months at once, plus a deposit equal to the monthly rent, and an agency fee, which is also equal to the monthly fee. And the more famous the company that helps with finding an apartment, the higher the agent fee will be.


There are quite popular “I love my home” (Woaiwojia) or Homelink. There are small offices that are located on the first floors of residential buildings. In China they are literally everywhere. And, of course, they are trying to make money by renting your future home, so I highly recommend negotiating for an agent's fee. Or refuse to pay it altogether and give some money to the agent who is looking for housing just for you.

Through Internet resources

There is an option to find accommodation through websites. Sometimes there are listings from owners, not agents, so you don't need to pay an agent fee. But I would like to warn you that housing often looks different from the picture. And not just wrong, but like a completely different apartment. There are agents who post photos nice apartments, but in the end they show destroyed premises, unsuitable for life. But on the same site you can also find advertisements for finding an apartment neighbor; sometimes you come across some good guys.

Beijinger is perhaps the only Chinese site where you can really find something worthwhile, because all the ads here are actually viewed and not left hanging for six months. This site was made specifically for foreigners in Beijing, and there you can find any information about apartments, rentals, concerts, restaurants and all interesting events.

You can choose housing for yourself and. My friend found and rented a nice large room there. The owner of the apartment periodically fed him Chinese food (even for free, the Chinese always prepare a lot - you can treat a poor tourist :)).


But I will say again that Chinese standards are something completely different. You can rent a decent room, but the toilet will be absolutely terrible. Or the kitchen. The Chinese are somehow not very concerned about the cleanliness of toilets. Sometimes it seems to me that renting rooms from the Chinese is like playing roulette.

Conclusion

As a result, it turns out that renting an apartment through an agent is easier: he does everything, takes you around the apartments on a bike, shows you, but nevertheless it is expensive. Finding an apartment through websites will be cheaper, since you won’t have to pay an agent’s fee, but you need to understand that you won’t have as much choice as with an agent.

Helpful information

It should also be added that the Chinese really like it when you pay not for one month, but for three. And this is the norm. If you want to pay monthly, you will have to negotiate with the owner. Therefore, the most important thing is a good relationship with the fandong (in Chinese, the owner of the apartment).

When you move into an apartment, pay attention to EVERYTHING. In front of the agents, check all the light bulbs, all the handles, stoves, water, water heater, bed, sofas (for example, it may well turn out that they are broken), cabinets, toilet, and so on.

And the last thing I would like to say: in some countries, when renting an apartment, you pay, say, 500 USD, and that’s all. In China, you have to pay for water, gas and Internet (sometimes heating, TV and telephone), so every month by rent Utilities will also be added (for me it was about 30 USD for a one-room apartment).

The Internet in China, by the way, is very slow. And quite expensive. Uploading or downloading anything is a pain, so be prepared to be very patient. And get yourself a VPN: Google, Twitter, Instagram are blocked in China.

Hutongs

Many foreigners, having lived in China for some time, want to try staying in hutongs - these are traditional Chinese streets, narrow and very colorful. Previously, hutongs had no toilets in the houses, only public ones on the streets. To be honest, I just can’t imagine how you can go outside to use a public toilet, but on some old streets nothing has changed. Foreigners, naturally, rent houses that are renovated and equipped with all amenities. However, such houses are far from ideal. They are very hot in summer and cold in winter. The heating or air conditioning system simply cannot cope. But, of course, it is very beautiful and picturesque there. These houses also have patios where you can barbecue and grow tomatoes.

If the house has not been completely restored, insulated and equipped with good air conditioning in every room, renting such housing simply does not make sense. I lived in a house like this for several months, and after I saw steam coming out of my mouth when I walked into the kitchen, I realized that I needed to move out today.

I found housing in the hutongs through friends, but if you want to try, then head to the hutongs area near Nanluoguxiang or Dongzhimen and look for agencies that will help you with rent. They are very easy to detect, since they put advertisements and photographs of these same people on the glass. rented apartments, the windows are completely sealed with them. I rented a room for 500 USD per month, but the house was not ready to accept tenants at all. The heating system was no good. If you want a normal house with a human air conditioning system, then be prepared to shell out 800–1,000 USD, or even more.

Where to stay in Beijing

When you look through the Booking map, your eyes will most likely run wild, because there are a lot of hotels. If we talk about safety, then you can book a hotel in Beijing in absolutely any area: both in the center and on the outskirts (you never know, if you need it for work). Nothing will happen to you, no one will beat you or rob you. Even though Beijing has many shortcomings, security is not one of them. Want to take a walk around the neighborhood at night? Please. There is nothing to be afraid of.

If you are going on a business trip and need to stay at a specific hotel, then fine. But if you have a choice, settle in a more interesting area. It is best to stay, of course, in the city center (Chaoyang, Dongchen, Xichen).

The center of Beijing is simply huge, sometimes it seems there is no end to it. There is simply no point in booking a hotel in remote areas unless it is the Haidan region, where all the universities are located.

Business district with luxury housing

All business travelers often stop in the Sibidi (Guomao) area - this is a business district of Beijing with good and expensive hotels, restaurants. This is where the bar is located on the 80th floor, where you can stop by in the evening to watch the sunset and try one of the signature cocktails (the name of the building is Guomao Dasha).

High concentration of attractions

If you come just to see Beijing, it is better to stay in the Xichen or Dongcheng areas. These areas are nearby, many of the attractions are located there. There are a lot of Chinese restaurants and eateries there, street food and colorful little snack stalls. You can walk to Confucius Temple, Yonghegong, Nanluo Guxiang Pedestrian Street, Beihai Park and Forbidden City. In addition, in the Shichahai lakes area there is a huge number of bars and clubs, especially underground ones.

Great accommodation and parties

If you want to stay at good hotel and live surrounded by European restaurants, then choose a hotel in Chaoyang. For example, in the area of ​​​​Sanlitun Street, where bars, clubs, offices and many foreigners are concentrated. You can always find a good place for breakfast there and get to the main attractions in 10–15 minutes (by any type of transport). There is also a street in Chaoyang called Yabaolu (Yabaolu / Yabalou / Yabalu - everyone pronounces it differently), which for some reason is called Russian. There are many restaurants (Turkish, Caucasian, Kazakh), multi-storey shopping malls with fur coats and Chinese people trying to speak Russian. But is it really worth leaving Russia to settle on a Russian street? Of course not.

Close to universities

If you want to learn more about Chinese universities, take a closer look, and maybe even enroll in one of them (or at least enroll in courses), then Haidan is for you. Or the areas of Wudaokou and Zhongguancun. The hotels there are not as good as in the center, but that’s okay. There are universities, restaurants, cafes nearby, but Zhongguancun Street is famous for electronics, where you can buy anything: both originals and fakes. However, if you want to go to the center, you will have to shell out 10 USD (if there are traffic jams). You can also take the metro, changing to line 10. It will take longer by bus, but much cheaper (0.30 USD).

conclusions

In general, the choice is quite large. The prices are varied, you can always find a suitable hotel. The main thing is to decide what you want from this trip and what food is closest to you.

Transport connection

Getting to your place of residence will not be difficult. The airport is located relatively close to the city. If you go to the center by taxi without traffic jams, you can get there in 30 minutes (especially at night). If you don't want to take a taxi, the Airport Express runs this route, you can take it and then take the metro to your hotel. If you are an amateur public transport, there are also buses from the airport, but only the Chinese take them; foreigners always take a taxi, plus it’s inexpensive in Beijing. A trip from the airport to the center will cost 14 USD.

There are a great variety of train stations in Beijing: Beijing, South, West, North and East - from any of them you can go to another city. You can get to them by bus, metro, and taxi.

At all transport system Beijing is very good. And although there are a lot of traffic jams in the city during rush hour, cars still move and do not stand still like in Moscow. In all areas of the city you can easily find bus stops, hail a taxi or walk to a metro station. There shouldn't be any problems with transport.

Today we want to show typical Chinese apartments; we came to the Dongzhimen district especially for this. We can say that this is an area in the city center. Min Jai type apartments. What does this mean?—These are ordinary Chinese houses that were built about 20 years ago.

- (Artem) Very close, across the road is the second metro line, Dongzhimen station.

— (Ira) Real estate agencies in China are very easy to recognize. By what signs? – Firstly, there is a glass wall in front, on which printouts with photographs of apartments with prices and area are hung. And often there are stands like this, sometimes smaller or of this size. And most importantly, Chinese girls and boys in the same uniform are milling about in front of the agencies: white shirts and black trousers or skirts.

— (Artem) We have set several parameters by which we are searched. Namely: the cost of the apartment and the location. They found us one apartment on the third floor, its cost is 6200. There are no photographs, sometimes there are photographs, but you have to ask for them. Basically, when there are no photos, you have to go look at it.

— (Ira) Sometimes agents have photographs of houses that are for rent. This is very convenient because you can immediately understand whether the apartment is worth spending time on and looking at.

— (Artem) Usually searching for an apartment takes the whole evening, because first you go to one agency, then to a second, to a third. Everywhere you have to wait for the keys to be brought, you have to walk everywhere to look. What is so good about this area, Dongzhimen? – Because it is located in direct proximity to places such as the Village, the Russian Embassy, ​​and Russian shops. There is also a whole street of Chinese restaurants nearby, you will never go hungry here. Seven years ago, when I first arrived in Beijing, I lived in this house, on the first floor. Apartments weren’t so expensive back then, I lived with the Chinese, I’ll tell you about that someday too.

- (Ira) Now we are walking inside the courtyards, barbecues are being fried, noisy groups are sitting. And over there, a little further behind the trees, is the Russian Embassy. There's a free one here too Gym Chinese spill.

— (Artem) Previously, this area was considered affordable, apartments here were inexpensive. But now we are offered apartments from 6,000.

— (Ira) Removing garbage, already broken down by calories. And here is fondun - it means “master of the house.” Sometimes they do not trust the keys to the apartment to agents and come themselves to show the house. The owner of the house asks what nationality the clients are, and the agent explains to him.

 

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