How To Rent An Apartment In Chengdu

To find an apartment in Chengdu you need to first know a few things. How you want it, where you want it and what requirements you have.

Location of the apartment

If you ask realtors on tv what the three most important things about the right house or apartment are, you’ll often hear them say the line “Location, location, location!”. Yes, location is very important when deciding on an apartment in Chengdu. However, I would argue that it is less so than in most other countries. There are no real “criminal” areas in Chengdu and most places are very easy to access. This is mainly because public transport and bike-sharing bike rides are incredibly convenient.

Given the fact that public transport is very convenient, cheap and often faster than cars. You could decide to live a bit further away from your school or work if the apartments in the area are a lot more expensive. An apartment can be nearly 2 to 3 times as expensive depending on the area it is in.

Type of Apartment

Another choice you have to make is the type of apartment you want. If you don’t mind living in an older apartment tends to be cheaper. Modern apartments, especially in the downtown area, can cost up to 6000 a month for a good looking one bedroom. If you are going to university there are likely other students who are also looking for a place. If you’re looking to save some money, we recommend that you can try and share an apartment. Sharing a 2,3 or 4 bedroom apartment can not only save you a lot of money. But, it’s also a great way to make friends and experience the new city together.

When renting alone there are 2 main choices, a studio apartment or a one bedroom apartment. Studio apartments consist have the living room and the bed all combined into a single room. Depending on the location, a studio apartment can cost anywhere from 1500 to 3000 RMB. If you’re not planning to invite people over, studio apartments are a great budget option. Single bedroom apartments have the main benefit of having a living room all to yourself for if you ever want to invite your friends over.

Ways to Rent

There are a tremendous amount of houses and apartments for rent in Chengdu. And navigating the rental market can be a tricky ordeal. There are several ways you can find an apartment. Firstly, you can contact A-House and let us help you find an apartment. We also help you make all the other arrangements for your apartment. Secondly, if you speak Chinese you can go to a local housing agent such as LianJia. They will find an apartment for you. However, bear in mind that going with a local agent also costs you 1-month rent.

Local agents, however, don’t provide the supporting services A-House does. Thirdly, you can monitor housing groups on Wechat. There are several apartments and housing groups on WeChat, where people who are leaving and arriving exchange apartments. The benefit of this is that there is no agency fee. But, the disadvantage is that there is unreliable because there might not be an apartment in the location you want.

Local agents, however, don’t provide the supporting services A-House does. Thirdly, you can monitor housing groups on Wechat. There are several apartments and housing groups on WeChat, where people who are leaving and arriving exchange apartments. The benefit is that there is no agency fee. But the disadvantage is that there is no steady supply so there might not be an apartment in the location you want.

Budget

When you have decided on what sort of apartment you are looking for, you have to keep your budget realistic, we often get people who want a palace but have the bud with which they can get for a shed. It is important to be realistic. Below are some estimations for what sort of budget will get what sort of apartment . all of the prices are starting prices in, what are considered “cheap” areas, they can be up to 2-3 times more expensive in different areas. Time is a thing you have to consider in a budget. If you are staying less than half a year, some landlords will either outright not want to rent it out or want a higher rent. On the other hand, if you plan to stay a year or even longer than that you may even be able to get the price down a little.

A studio apartment on the outskirts of Chengdu starts from around 1500 RMB in the outskirts of Chengdu

A single Bedroom apartment starts from around 1800 RMB on the outskirts of Chengdu

A two bedroom apartment starts from around 2500 RMB on the outskirts of Chengdu

A three bedroom apartment starts from around 3200 RMB on the outskirts of Chengdu

Four bedroom apartments are rare. They are usually 3 bedroom apartments where part of the living room was converted to an extra room and they start at around 3500 RMB on the outskirts of Chengdu

You’ll also have to bear in mind that Chinese apartments are different from western apartments. If you want a western styled apartment that you are generally going to pay extra.

To-Do List

After renting an apartment there are several things you have to do. if you decide to find an apartment through A-House we help you with every step of this.

The first thing you have to do is go to the local police department to register, this is a mandatory step for all foreigners in China. Police registration has to be completed within 24 hours of landing in China. With the exception of staying in a hotel.

To install wifi you need to pick a local internet service provider(ISP). We recommend that you ask the guards at the community which ISP has the best connectivity because this can vary greatly between different communities. then you need to go to a shop of that ISP and select an internet package. Depending on their schedule a service representative will come to the apartment to install your Wifi

If you are on anything other than a tourist visa, we recommend that you go to the bank to open a bank account so that you can use Alipay and Wechat Wallet.

After you’ve signed the contract we also recommend you go and purchase whatever essentials are missing from the apartment, think of everything from bedding to cups and glasses.

You’ll have to ask the management office how your specific community pays for your utilities.

Lastly, we recommend you visit a HongQi(Red Flag) convenience store and buy & charge it. This allows you to quickly and easily take the bus and metro around Chengdu.

This is only a brief summary, for more in-depth information you can check out our handy introduction guide to Chengdu.

In Conclusion

If you’re interested in apartments for rent and would like to rent an apartment in Chengdu. Don’t hesitate to contact us on WhatsApp or WeChat