Shanghai is a cosmopolitan city where chic western lifestyles compliment its timeless oriental heritage. On any given street, high-rise apartment buildings sit alongside authentic concession-era villas and old lane houses, and gleaming SUVs grace the same lanes as peddlers on rusty bikes.

As an expat one of your first challenges on moving to Shanghai will be finding a suitable home. A home that provides you with all the comforts you need, but also allows you the opportunity to experience all that Shanghai has to offer.

Understanding the City
Before you plunge head first into your search it is important to understand a bit about Shanghai and its sprawl. West of the Huangpu River is Puxi, home to the Bund, People’s Square, and the French Concession. Puxi is Shanghai’s historical centre, about which many colourful stories have been told.

Across the river, the glistening glass towers of Pudong glare at Puxi’s Art Deco façade; the riverbank rivalry illustrating the contrasting worlds. Pudong is the city’s newest and largest district, home to multinational headquarters, massive residential developments and Century Park, one of the world’s largest urban parks.

For more specific information on the charms and challenges of specific districts in Shanghai, have a look at our guide on Where to Live in Shanghai.

Getting Help

1) Real- estate Agents
Finding an agent is easy enough; just Google ‘Shanghai rentals’ or any such configuration, and a vast number of real- estate agencies will pop up. But it’s important to know exactly what you want before you contact them; and wise to have a rough idea of districts and lifestyle needs.

Some of the more established real estate agencies offer comprehensive services where they will pick you up from your hotel or office in a mini-bus and take you to inspect five or six properties. This service allows you to see a variety of buildings, layouts and furnishing styles. The more you see the more definite you can be in what you what and what you need.

Alternatively you can try your luck with any of the local real-estate agents. These agents will have listings for apartments in the immediate area, and many speak English. Of course, being able to speak Chinese is advantageous as it will ensure that all your questions or queries are answered correctly.

The following agencies come particularly highly recommended:

Shanghai Phoenix Property AgencyView In Map
Add: Unit GH, 11F, Yujia Building, 1336 Huashan Lu, near Pingwu Lu华山路1336号玉嘉大厦11层G-H座Unit G-H
Tel: 021 - 6252 2742
Website: www.shanghai-realty.com

Hunter RealityView In Map
Add: Suite 802, 500 Xiangyang Nan Lu, near Fuxing Lu 襄阳南路500号802室
Tel: 021 - 5456 0007
Website: www.huntershanghai.com

2) Classifieds
Apartment listings and flat-mate listings can be found on a number of Shanghai expat sites, including our very own classifieds section. Classifieds have rental advertisements that are listed by the landlord directly. It is a completely legitimate way of renting, though does require you a degree of foreknowledge about how much a certain type of apartment is typically worth.

Flat- sharing advertisements take up the bulk of classified listings. It is a great option, well worth considering, with benefits extending to meeting new people, lowering rent costs, and perhaps even improving your Chinese. Make sure you know what you are getting yourselves into and have a clear agreement with your flat-mate about what your contribution to the flat will be before signing the lease. 

Housing Styles
Whether you live in Puxi or Pudong there is a huge variety in Shanghai’s housing and accommodation styles, from high-rise apartment complexes and serviced apartments to old houses and villas. Most residences will come fully furnished and as the tenant you may be able to negotiate with the landlord or agent on furnishing styles (modern, Chinese, IKEA, etc). You can also come to specific agreements regarding particular pieces of furnishing and utilities extending to dryers, ovens and satellite TV.

A word of warning: be sure to test the comfort factor of potential beds – Chinese beds are renowned for being rather hard! This ‘problem’ can be easily solved with a visit to IKEA, where you can invest in a mattress overlay, priced between 600 and 900 RMB depending on the size of your bed. It’s also a very good excuse for a well-deserved massage!

1) High-rise Apartments
High- rise Apartment buildings are found all over the city, they are an easy and comfortable place for expats to call home and include most, if not all, of the mod- cons of buildings back home. Apartments generally are two to three bedroom residences with at least one bathroom; each apartment will vary in size and layout quite dramatically so it is worth seeing a few different places before settling.

High-rises can be part of a complex with common services extending to gyms, swimming pools and tennis court facilities – these may or may not be included in the rent so be sure to check with the landlord or agent.

Don’t be scared off by the idea of a monstrous complex; apartments can also be stand alone buildings that are close to the shops and restaurants. All high-rise apartment buildings will have a security guard and a receptionist/concierge to manage the building and keep the peace!

2) Old Lane Houses
As an expat many agents will immediately warn you off living in an old house; there is a common misconception that Westerners are just not cut out for it! Old houses are known to be cold during the winter months and often have problems with damp. And some even have shared kitchen facilities – your can of baked beans could look a little out of place!

In spite of this negative introduction old houses can be great places to live, allowing for complete immersion in the Chinese way of life. Many have been done up with trendy interiors and modern necessities, some even have roof top gardens!

3) Villas
Villas are free-standing houses, which vary greatly in their features and presentations. Most modern villas are found in Pudong, in grand and gated residential development complexes, they are a fantastic place for growing families in need of lots of space. Other, colonial-era, villas are scattered within the more exclusive districts of Puxi. Be warned though, villas come with a hefty price tag!

4) Serviced Apartments
Serviced apartments have been designed for the workingman or woman; they cater for people with heavy work and travel schedules, offering hotel-like services. They provide regular shuttle bus airport transfers, and some provide office transfers –definitely preferable to a tin-can taxi in peak hour traffic.

Lifestyles
Outside your apartment, old house or villa you need to gauge a sense of what is going on around your potential new home. From transportation to proximity to your office and schools, and convenience of local supermarkets, shops, restaurants and bars – all these things need to be taken into account.

Use the three L’s as a guide to confirm whether each place is really right for you - a forewarning in case of pushy agents; stand your ground, know and be clear on what you want:

1) Location – Is it close to public transport? How can you get to work or schools? Is there car, scooter or bike parking?

2) Lifestyle – How close is the nearest supermarket? Fresh grocers? Where is the closest gym? Tennis court? Local park? Most importantly, are there any good restaurants and bars close by?

3) Do you Love it? Don’t settle for second best, there are too many good places in Shanghai to settle for somewhere ‘not quite right’.

How Much to Pay?
Prices obviously vary dramatically depending on the area you choose to live, the style, size and condition of the apartment or house, and even, in the case of high-rise apartments, how high up you are! The best bet is to ask your friends, or take some time talking to agents, and reading up online. For what it’s worth, young expats on local salaries typically pay between 2,500 and 4,000 RMB per person per month for a room in a shared apartment; whereas a four-bedroom renovated villa in the French Concession can go for as much as 150,000 RMB a month.

Contracts are typically for 12 months, though in some cases you may be able to negotiate a shorter lease, particularly if you’re willing to pay up front. If you don’t need the fapiao, or receipt, some landlords may (unofficially) be willing to knock a couple of hundred RMB off the monthly rent, too.

Deposits are usually for one month’s rent, though you’ll likely to be asked to pay for the first two month’s up front – meaning that if your monthly rent is going to be 3,000 RMB, you’ll be paying 9,000 RMB in your first instalment (2 months’ rent plus one month’s deposit).

Registering with the Police

Once you’ve found the place for you, signed the contract, and paid the deposit, there’s one more hurdle you need to jump. Officially you have 24 hours to register with the police at the local station, although they’ll usually give you a few days leeway.

If you have an agent they will help you with this registration and often they will actually take you to the station themselves. If not, be sure to ask your landlord. You need to bring your passport, as well as photocopies of the passport photo page, the visa page, and the front and back pages of your rental agreement in order to complete the registration; the process will generally take about half an hour.

Remember – you need to re-register every time you re-enter the country, and of course if you move house! Failure to register can have heavy penalties. The strict rule is that you should also carry the stamped registration form with you at all times.

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