Housing Q&A
Q: I’ll be arriving at Shanghai soon and stay for long term, how should I decide where to live?
A: Before you start looking at properties, you need to ask yourself.
Location
Size
Environment
Community
Does your company have any housing guidelines you need to follow?
Once you have found a property that fits your style and needs. You also need to ask some questions about the property.
What is important to you?
a. Is the location convenient to work, school, subway station or shops and restaurants, and what’s the priority?
b. Is there a lot of renovation going on in the area?
c. Are there on-site club facilities or nearby?
Q: What is the minimum period of time for a leasing contract?
A:Usually the minimum lease term is 12 months. In fact most individual owners would be unwilling to accept shorter contracts. Short term lease less than 12 months is acceptable to most of service apartments in Shanghai.
Q: What will happen if the lessor or the renter wants to terminate the lease before its due date?
A: If the landlord wants to terminate the lease before it is due, he/she shall, in addition to refunding the deposit to the renter, pay compensation equal to 2 months rental to the tenant. If the tenant wants to terminate the lease before it is due, he/she will not be able to get the deposit back. The landlord and the tenant can also put mutually accepted terms in the contract to deal with the pre-mature termination.
Q: Who pay for the brokerage fee?
A:Management Company or landlords usually pay the fee.
Q: What is typical rental payment in Shanghai?
A:It is paid in RMB, in cash or bank transfer, monthly in advance. For money transfer, you need to open a bank account in a Chinese bank. Normally asking prices are not utilities included. Management fee and tax invoice (it is called “fapiao” in Chinese) are covered in rental.
Q: What about deposit?
A:Owners usually ask to pay a 2 months deposit and 1st month rent in advance when you sign a long term leasing contract. (1 month deposit= 1 month rent)
The receipt for the deposit is called "shouju" and is a written recognition that the landlord has received the money. Deposits are often paid upon signing of the lease to ensure unit occupation, compensation for damages caused by the tenant, or non-performance of lease terms.
Should the property condition be deemed acceptable upon lease expiration, the security deposit will be refunded in full.
Deposits are paid back after you and the owner have checked the apartment. If you break the leasing contract before the end of the leasing date, the owner will keep your 2 months deposit.
Q: What should I do if I meet problems for my apartment?
A: Our agency is offering after-sales service during the whole lease period, if you have any problem you may contact us first, and then we’ll notify the landlord and make arrangement to resolve the problem. If it is emergency, we’ll contact technician / worker immediately for the landlord, so as to ensure good condition of your living.
Q: Is rental negotiable? If it is, how much can I bargain?
A: All advertised rentals are asking prices, and the final rental can end up either higher or lower depending on your specification on the requirements. The room for negotiating the price may be effected by both the state of residential market and how many offers the landlord has on hand during your house hunting season.
Q: Does the lessor have to own the property?
A: No, the lessor can either own the property or be the legal representative of the property. However if you sub-rent a property from someone without legal authority on it, neighbors may report to the local authority and you may get thrown out. So include a clause in the contract to make sure that you get your deposit and unused rental back if such things happen.
Utility bills
The Tenant usually pays gas, water, electricity, and telephone charges. It usually costs around 50 euros or 65 USD all together. This is an average on 1 year: expect higher electricity bills during winter and summer.
Those charges can be paid to any convenient stores like Kedi, Lawson or Family Mart; or also at the post office or the bank. Just bring your bills with you.
Electricity � billed monthly. China uses a standard of 220 volts and 50 cycles. Plugs come in at least four designs: three pronged angled pins (as in Australia), three pronged round pins (as in Hong Kong), two flat pins (US style but without the ground wire) and two narrow round pins (European style). You will be able to buy most kind of adaptors in Shanghai, but it is a good idea to bring a few with you to start.
Water � billed bimonthly. The tap water is not drinkable or must be boiled before drinking. We recommend you use water dispensers with water jugs. It usually costs between 8 � 12 RMB for a 19 litres jug. The base unit can be purchased at any supermarket. Water containers can be delivered as needed.
Gas � billed bimonthly. Most kitchen burners use gas.
Cable or Satellite TV � most buildings are cable ready, and give you access to Chinese channels (about 50 channels), and only one in English (CCTV 9).
Some apartments have satellite TV installed but it is quite rare. If you want to install it, it costs from 2000-4000RMB (installation fees).
Phone / Internet � billed monthly. There will be a separate bill for the Internet charges.
Usually you need to pay 60 euros or 70 USD for the installation of a broadband Internet connection. And every month you pay 15 to 17 euros or 20 USD for the leasing.
Housekeeper
Or ayi in Chinese and as called by most foreigners, costs from RMB 12 to 20 per hour depending on the number of working hours. Some of the services offered by an ayi include cleaning, ironing, cooking, taking clothes to the dry cleaners and the paying of utility bills. Some of them speak English or have experience working for foreigners, are generally more expensive. If you are living alone it can be great to return home from work to find all your clothes washed and ironed, and your evening dinner waiting in the microwave. Even better, most ayis are wonderful cooks!
It's important to remember that some ayis may not be used to dealing with foreigners and their cultural habits (laundry baskets are not the norm in China), so be patient with your instructions and expectations. Tipping is not normally expected in China, but if you're satisfied with your ayi's service then a bonus will be more than welcome.
Lease term
Usually the minimum lease term is 12 months. In fact most individual owners would be unwilling to accept shorter contracts. Normally the landlord would afford whole commission if your lease term is more than one year.
If you want a short lease term less than 12 months, there are two options. Renting service apartment is a good option if you have good budget, and you don't need to pay extra commission. Another option is renting properties owned by individual, the rental is normally much cheaper than service apartment, but you will have to pay half of the commission as well as the landlord.
Carrying money out or into China
According to the Administrative Rules of the People's Republic of China on Cross-Border Transportation of National Currency issued by China's central bank in December 2004, travelers are allowed to take up to US$5,000 equivalent of foreign currency and 20,000 yuan of local currency (US$1=6.8 yuan) into or out of the country.
There is no need to declare this to customs if the currency you carry is less than the limit.
Amounts up to US$10,000 will require a Permit for Taking Foreign Currency Out of the CustomsTerritory issued by a bank. Anyone who takes more foreign currency than US$10,000 is required to show a legal warrant issued by agencies of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE)
For travelers who leave the country a second time within 15 days, the limit of foreign currency is US$1,000. If you leave the country a second time on the same day, the limit is US$500. If you have a declaration record of foreign currency when entering the country, customs will examine this before authorizing you to pass.
It is quite easy to exchange your currency into CNY, Chinese yuan, at your arrival airport, as well as hotels and banks in China, so it is not really necessary to bring Chinese currency to China.
