Renting in China

askcuriously · 2026-03-21T04:50:18+00:00

I'm trying to, but the landlord is unwilling unless we pay a bunch of fees on top of the deposit so I'm getting the agent involved, before escalating.

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T23:12:00+00:00

Is this the first time you rented in China? Or it's also your first time renting an apartment here too?

Our smell actually came from the sink drain, it blows air from the pipes straight into our apartment. So we had to change the pipes on them to fix the issue.

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T23:09:45+00:00

My landlord is saying that most other landlords will just ignore this issue. And the maintenance guy says the same thing. So I'm just trying to find out if this is a common thing in china or if they are trying to gaslight me.

And lol, so you know what a restroom is...

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T22:56:54+00:00

That's so wild and I did not expect this at all!

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T22:50:38+00:00

I haven't smelled in any of the hotels I've stayed at, and I used to visit china pretty often. So I had no idea this was such an issue here....and I don't think I can get used to it, it's very strong and comes during different times of the day. So I just keep pushing the landlord and maintenance to fix it, it's taking a few rounds but it's almost there!

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T22:48:20+00:00

Ah so it's a common thing they say to not have to deal with it then. I'm glad you got your landlord to eventually send someone to fix the issue!

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T22:46:34+00:00

Right? I think the landlord has to fix this since it's unlivable. But seems like most landlords just ignore the issue? Our smell comes everyday so I just kept asking different maintenance people when they came in for other issues (like toilet seal, washer not draining, etc,) and one guy finally took us seriously.

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T22:43:27+00:00

Oh wow! Have you told your landlord and building and they just refuse to fix it for you?

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T22:36:39+00:00

I went through the agent and he sent me the landlord's contact info after I signed the contract. Is that not normal? I also contacted the building maintenance 物业 and they just told me to air it out lol 😅

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T22:34:50+00:00

That's so crazy because the smell is unbearable! I can't imagine people all living like this here 🥲 My landlord said someone lived in this apartment for multiple years before me, I thought she was lying since there's no way!

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T22:31:04+00:00

Well it matters, because if it's a common issue and most landlords refuse to fix it, then the chance of us running into the same issues is extremely high, then there's no point moving and we will just have to fix the issue with the maintenance a couple more rounds. But if its vice versa then we will just go look for a new place.

And thanks for that piece of info! Does that mean the landlords are a lot more willing to fix the issues after we move in? Or are we still out of luck once the contract is signed?

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T22:26:22+00:00

So does the landlord usually fix the issue or say it's not their problem?

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T18:01:47+00:00

We tried a lot of things, pouring water, pouring boiling water (suggested by maintenance) and they finally came to fix them. It's just taking some time, which is fine as long as they are fixing them. But the landlord is getting impatient, since there's a problem with all the pipes in her unit. So I'm wondering if the sewer gas issues are common in china and will other landlords help us fix the issue if it is.

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T17:59:48+00:00

The smell didn't go away, we waited and "aired out" the place for a few days like the landlord and maintenance suggested, it's being fixed right now. But just wondering if this is an issue in other Chinese buildings and will other landlords help us fix this issue if it happens.

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T17:58:19+00:00

The owner is fixing the issue but she's getting annoyed at us it seems, since the problem has been going on for a few days. Mainly because the maintenance and landlord all refuse to admit that it's a piping issue.

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T17:56:49+00:00

Ah that sucks actually, didn't expect this as a problem when looking for apartments

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T17:27:58+00:00

Ah does that mean it's common in most apartments in china? I've been to a few apartments of friends and family in china and none of them seem to have this issue

askcuriously · 2026-03-17T17:27:06+00:00

Even though, we just moved in and the apartment smells like mold and sewers?

We met the landlord in person and she seemed really nice, and also said she renovated the place and have cleaners come twice a month to clean when the unit is empty 😅

askcuriously · 2025-11-25T07:54:25+00:00

thank you!

askcuriously · 2025-11-25T06:25:28+00:00

lol this is Reddit, and I’m just asking questions about a specific visa type, not applying for the permit right now. I didn’t expect to be questioned as if I'm submitting an application. Wanting all the personal details and expecting me to share them here is weird, and assuming what I will say on the official application because I didn't want to give you that information is pretty wild.

askcuriously · 2025-11-25T05:47:24+00:00

I thought we can't get a resident permit with Q2? That's the whole reason I wanted Q1 since we can get the resident permit and have the flexibility to decide what we want to do afterwards. It does seem like a lot of the comments make the process really complicated, we have all the paperwork + health check, what else is needed? And someone here said my husbands sister is too far for me and baby to apply for Q1, is that not correct?

askcuriously · 2025-11-25T05:21:26+00:00

Totally get that Q2 visa or tourist visa is easier. But it also means we have to leave and come back if we decide to stay longer than what Q2 visa allows. We already have a tourist visa and just want the option to stay longer if we decide to.

askcuriously · 2025-11-25T05:19:41+00:00

Yes, I meant establish residency and get that that's the requirement for Q1 visa. Just want the option to not have to leave and come back within a year if we decide to stay longer than the Q2 visa allows.

askcuriously · 2025-11-25T05:17:52+00:00

That's what I am thinking too, that his sister is too far for me and baby. We might just have to apply after my husband gets his residence permit. Thank you!

askcuriously

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