Renting in China: The 2026 Guide to Contracts and Costs

The DTE verdict

The best apartment is not the one with the most polished listing; it is the one whose owner, total cost, physical condition and exit terms you can verify. Before sending a deposit, confirm four things: the person has the legal right to rent the exact property, the apartment works in real life, every recurring and one-off cost is written down, and the contract explains how you can leave and recover the deposit. If one of those remains vague, the viewing is not finished.

• Verify identity, ownership and any authority to sublet
• Test the actual commute and apartment—not the district reputation
• Calculate total cash due before move-in and monthly cost after
• Put repairs, registration support, notice and deposit return in writing

What changed under the national rental regulation

China’s first national administrative regulation dedicated to housing rental took effect on September 15, 2025. For urban housing on state-owned land, it requires real-name lease contracts and filing with the local housing authority; allows the tenant to file if the landlord does not; requires the landlord to show identity and proof of the legal right to rent; restricts unapproved landlord entry; and makes deposit terms more explicit. Local implementation platforms and detailed standards still vary by city.

Choose the rental route

Direct landlords may avoid an agency fee but shift more verification work to you. Large or local agencies can organize viewings and paperwork, but the fee and service quality vary. Managed-apartment companies may bundle maintenance, cleaning or internet into a service fee, while a company subleasing individual homes adds another layer between you and the owner. Use more than one route to learn the real market price before committing.

View the apartment as a system

Visit in daylight and, for a serious candidate, check the area near the time you will actually commute or sleep. Test water pressure, hot water, drains, toilets, air conditioning, heating where relevant, windows, locks, appliances, mobile signal and visible mould or recent water damage. Listen with the windows both open and closed. Check the elevator, rubbish area, delivery access and the walking route from the metro—not only the pin on the map.

• Run every tap and flush every toilet
• Test major appliances and photograph their model numbers
• Look under sinks and around windows for leaks or fresh cover-up paint
• Read the electricity, water and gas meters
• Check sunlight, ventilation, road noise and construction nearby
• Ask where couriers, food riders and taxis can stop
• Travel the door-to-door commute at a realistic hour

Verify who can legally rent it

Ask the landlord to show identification and the property-ownership certificate or other evidence of legal rental authority. Match the name, property address and unit details to the contract. If an agent signs or collects money, obtain the landlord’s authorization and confirm the payment instructions with the landlord through a verified contact. If the other party is a tenant subletting the home, request the master lease, the owner’s consent and proof that the sublease does not exceed the remaining term.

Calculate move-in cash—not just monthly rent

押一付三 means one month of deposit plus three months of rent paid in advance. On a RMB 8,000 apartment, that is RMB 32,000 before any agency fee or other charge. It is a common arrangement, not a national legal requirement, and payment cycles can be negotiated. Ask for one line showing every amount due on signing, every recurring cost and the next payment date.

Make the deposit clause usable

The 2025 Housing Rental Regulation requires the contract to state the deposit amount, when it will be returned and the circumstances in which it may be deducted. Outside those agreed circumstances, the landlord may not make an unjustified deduction. Replace phrases such as “deposit returned after inspection” with measurable terms: a number of days after handover, the bills that must be settled, evidence required for damage, how normal wear is treated and when any remaining balance must be transferred.

Read the contract for the exit, not the move-in

For a term longer than six months, the Civil Code says the lease should be in writing; without written form and a determinable term, it may be treated as an indefinite lease. Check the exact property, occupants, dates, rent, payment method, deposit, inventory, repairs and dispute route. Then read the sections people skip: early termination by either side, notice, penalty, renewal, sale of the property, guests, pets, subletting, alterations and which language controls if the agreement is bilingual.

• Names, document numbers and full property address
• Start date, end date and key-handover date
• Rent cycle, all fees and payment account
• Deposit return date and permitted deductions
• Repair response and emergency access
• Tenant and landlord early-exit rights and penalties
• Renewal notice and rent-change process
• Signed inventory and attached condition record

Know the repair baseline

The Civil Code generally places the repair obligation on the landlord unless the parties agree otherwise. After a reasonable repair request, if the landlord does not act, the tenant may arrange the repair and seek the cost from the landlord; if the work affects use of the home, the tenant may seek a corresponding rent reduction or extension. Damage caused by the tenant is different. Do not rely on the legal default alone: specify who handles appliances, air-conditioning cleaning, blocked drains, light bulbs and other borderline items, plus an approval process for emergency spending.

Record the handover

On move-in day, make one continuous walkthrough video and take close photographs of every existing mark, stain, crack and broken item. Record meter readings, keys, access cards, furniture, appliance models and included accessories in a signed handover list. Send the record to the landlord or agent immediately and ask them to acknowledge it in writing. This evidence separates pre-existing damage and normal wear from damage claimed at move-out.

• Video every room before moving furniture in
• Photograph walls, floors, windows, sanitary fittings and inside appliances
• Record water, gas and electricity meter numbers and readings
• Count keys, fobs, remotes and access cards
• List promised cleaning or repairs with deadlines
• Keep the signed contract, inventory and every payment receipt together

Complete the two different registrations

Housing-lease filing and foreigner accommodation registration are different processes. The housing regulation says the lease should be filed with the local housing authority, normally by the landlord; this filing is free, and the tenant can file if the landlord does not. Separately, a foreign national living outside a hotel generally must complete accommodation registration within 24 hours of moving in. Confirm before signing that the landlord will provide accurate property information and assist with the first online filing where required.

Avoid the expensive scams

Never pay merely to “reserve” a home that you cannot verify, and be cautious when the account receiving money does not match the landlord or contracting company. Confirm any message claiming the landlord has changed phone number or bank account through a known channel. Avoid rent-loan products you do not fully understand. With a sublessor or managed-rental company, paying many months in advance increases exposure if the intermediary stops paying the owner or fails.

• No payment before identity, property and contract checks
• No private transfer to an unrelated friend, assistant or “finance” account
• No screen sharing, SMS codes or remote banking help
• No undocumented cash payment
• No long advance-payment cycle just for a small headline discount
• No sublease without owner consent and master-lease evidence

Move out like you may need evidence

Read the notice clause before choosing a departure date and send notice through the contract’s accepted channel. Arrange a joint inspection, photograph the final condition and meter readings, return keys against a signed handover record and obtain an itemized statement of rent, utilities and any deductions. Do not assume the deposit automatically replaces the final rent unless the landlord agrees in writing. Keep access to the payment account until the refund arrives.

• Send notice on time and retain proof of delivery
• Request the deposit calculation before handover
• Clean only to the standard actually agreed
• Photograph the empty apartment and all returned items
• Obtain written confirmation of possession and key return
• Escalate unsupported deductions with the contract and evidence

If a dispute develops

Keep the listing, ownership evidence, contract, messages, transfer records, invoices, inspection media and repair notices. Start with a concise written demand stating the agreement, the problem, the amount sought and a response deadline. Depending on the issue and city, the local housing authority, 12345 government-service hotline, consumer channel, mediation, arbitration clause or court may be relevant. For a significant deposit, forced move-out, unsafe home or complex bilingual contract, obtain qualified local legal advice rather than treating a general online guide as a case-specific opinion.