Apartment rentals in China: living & doing business abroad

Apartment rentals in China are quite different

So, you’ve decided to move, temporarily or permanently to China, congrats! Your travel is booked, your contacts are expecting you, and you’ve started your packing list. All that’s left is deciding where, and how to rent an apartment. With the advent of so many businesses going overseas, finding an apartment to rent in China isn’t as dreadful as many assume – there are many resources available to aid this transition.

Just like in America, there are apartment locators and reputable websites. A few that I recommend for temporary or long term rentals as a starting point are:

• airbnb.com
• Koombah.com (Beijing specific)
• Major hotels like Marriott

Once you’ve narrowed apartment rentals in China

Once you’ve located a place to stay, here are the top three things to keep in mind.

1. Furnished Apartments are the norm – Unlike in America, most apartments come fully furnished in China. This not only includes living room, dining room and bedroom furniture, but also in most cases dishes, pots/pans and other cookware, and even sheets.
2. All bills paid – Another cool offering of most apartments is the inclusion of bills (utilities and internet/wi-fi) in the rental price. Most apartments are individually owned. As such, the competition is increasing as apartment owners seek to entice Westerners to rent with them.
3. Mailboxes, etc. – Find out about postal options and mail service. Some apartments have a centralized mailbox center on the premises, and others don’t. Get clarification around were your mail will be delivered and if your mailing address will be the same as your physical address.

Other, less common things you may want to get clarification on include the allowance of pets and the rules on having gatherings in the apartment. Over the last 5 years, I’ve seen an increase in Americans renting in China. With the growth of that new market segment, I’ve also seen an increase in apartment offerings.

With the exception of the aforementioned, renting in China is similar to renting anywhere else: prime locations warrant a prime price and the good ones go quickly!