Shanghai property prices are among the highest in the Chinese mainland. Statistics show that, as of June 2016, the city’s average rental price for an apartment had reached 67.54 yuan ($9.80) per square meter, with Jing’an, Changning, Xuhui and Huangpu districts hitting highs of 136.92, 126.13, 120.62 and 105.05 yuan per square meter, respectively. While rent can be a burden for many local tenants, do foreigners feel the same way? What factors and conditions do Shanghai expats care the most about when hunting for a home? And what have been their best and worst experiences here? The Global Times interviews several foreign renters.
Shanghai property prices are among the highest in the Chinese mainland. Photo:GlobalTimes
South African Max Kondlo has been living in Shanghai for three years. Her monthly rent is 4,500 yuan ($652.92). She thinks this is very expensive.
“Unless you are sharing an apartment with like five people, staying by yourself is quite costly,” she said, explaining that rent in South Africa is just half of what she pays here.
Max Kondlo Photo:Global Times
Kondlo admitted it is quite hard to find ideal apartments to rent in central Shanghai. “Most are small and expensive. If you want something big, nice and affordable, you have to go out to Pudong New Area,” she said.
Similar sentiments were echoed by Mark Crelley, a Brit that has been in Shanghai for six years. His monthly rent is 5,000 yuan.
Mark Crelley Photo:Global Times
“Though Shanghai’s rent is not as expensive as London, it is probably more expensive than Liverpool,” he said.
Englishman Chris Payne came to Shanghai only two months ago. He currently pays 6,000 yuan per month for a house with a large bedroom, a living room and a kitchen. Payne said Shanghai’s rental prices are more expensive than he expected, similar to the UK.
Chris Payne Photo:Global Times
Russian national Dusautoy Dimikri doesn’t think it difficult to find a place to live in Shanghai, but she feels that rent is a prohibitive factor.
Dusautoy Dimikri Photo:Global Times
“Usually if you rent a three-bedroom apartment downtown, you need to pay more than 10,000 yuan a month.” Dimikri added that a very good apartment in smaller cities of Russia costs the equivalent of only 1,000 yuan per month.
French national Adrien (pseudonym) has been in Shanghai for a year, living in the city’s former French concession, where he pays 5,000 yuan per month.
In terms of access to rental information, Kondlo told the Global Times that she usually checks advertisements online or expat-friendly forums; her friends have also recommended local real estate agencies’ WeChat accounts to her.
Payne uses a variety of channels online to make an informed decision. As for Dimikri and Crelley, they ask neighborhood real estate agencies for help.
So What Factors And Conditions Do Expats Care Most About When Renting?
Kondlo said she prefers living in a neighborhood with many restaurants, malls and other conveniences nearby, in addition to being close to her workplace.
“Also I don’t like living with roommates, so I look for something by myself,” she added. Both Payne and Crelley said they care most about privacy, but other interviewees think cleanness and having working appliances are essential.
As for transportation, Crelley prefers a home close to subway hubs. “Convenient transportation would be nice, but Shanghai is so convenient, as long as you have a bike, it’s okay,” Payne said.
Adrien, however, said he always goes out clubbing at night and exercising during the day, so easy access to nightlife and sports facilities is a must for him.
Crelley cares about noise, and always checks with neighbors to make sure that there will be no drilling, jackhammering or other home renovation sounds often heard in older apartment communities.
Kondlo said most agencies and landlords she has met in Shanghai have been friendly and helpful. “They will help me whenever I have any problem with my apartment,” she said.
For example, once her refrigerator broke, so she sent a text message to her landlord, who solved the problem immediately.
Another time, after her electricity went out in the middle of the night, the landlord sent a repairman at 1 am.
Dimikri said most landlords in Shanghai are kind toward foreign tenants. “I haven’t met anyone who is rude or did bad things to me. Usually they will help me with everything,” she said.
Despite their mostly positive experiences, many interviewees also mentioned that Shanghainese landlords tend to raise their monthly rent every year without justification.
Kondlo also pointed out that some landlords have forced her friends to find a new place to live within a very short period time.
“Once a landlord gave my friends only three weeks’ notice to move out because the landlord decided to sell the apartment,” she said.
“Another thing that worries me is that, if you pay a deposit here, landlords don’t add interest when giving it back,” Kondlo said.
“In South Africa, landlords are not allowed to do that. If they keep your deposit for a year or however long, they are expected to pay you interest.”
Some interviewees mentioned that some expensive apartments are nonetheless in poor condition. “Many are dirty and the location is far, but their rent price is still high,” Dimikri said.
However, Payne is overall satisfied with Shanghai’s rental market and thinks that most unpleasant experiences can be avoided if foreign tenants were simply more responsible about who they rent from.
“A lot of foreigners come to Shanghai and just jump into the first place they find. Normally people sign a one-year contract, which is a hell of long time to commit. I recommend taking two weeks to find an ideal place,” he said.
He suggested that tenants talk to their landlords a month before ending a contract. “People who leave it to the last minute are foolish, because it is your home and you need to know if you are going to stay.”
