Short-term living situations in Dongzhimenwai-ish area.

[Mike N]

I'm moving to Beijing in a few weeks for a new job and I'm on the hunt for a place to stay for a short period of time (1 week to 1 month) while I search for a more long-term apartment. My office is in Dongzhimenwai only a few blocks from the Line 2 subway stop and I don't have to live super close ($$$) but nor do I want to live very far away (a 30 minute commute would ideally be the maximum).

I'm open to subleasing, extended-stay hotels, hostels, and really anything at all. I've been looking at the Beijinger's classifieds a little bit but not much has come up.

Any assistance that anyone can provide would be awesome. Thanks in advance.

[XiaoZhou]

I would recomend looking at the classified and the forums of TheBeijinger.com. There are loads of apartment adds there, and anything in the Dongzhimenwai area will probably cost upwards of 3000 RMB per month. It is a fairly pricey part of town.

[icebear]

I sub-let in that area last summer, using thebeijinger.com classifieds. The trick is you have to check CONSTANTLY and email new (worthwhile) ads immediately, as English-advertised apartments in that part of town go fast [this may be easier in the winter...]. In my first day I visited a half dozen apartments along the east 2nd ring, all of which had numerous other expats visiting at the same time and were always signed by one during the mass-viewing. Be ready to sign when you see one that meets your needs, keeping in mind its a sublet - you just want a place to lay while you look for something more long term!

Also, I'd say looking ahead of time is essentially useless. You should start emailing and collecting phone numbers/meeting times a day or two before arriving in Beijing. Anything worth renting that you see advertised now should be rented by the time you arrive in a few weeks (this was my experience last summer).

My monthly rent was 2500 RMB per month for a master bedroom, but I was definitely getting hosed since I was on a 2 month sublet and wanted to move into one within a few days of arriving. Rates for similar rooms for the long term subletters were around 2000 RMB per room. Most of my friends living in Beijing long term are paying around 2000 RMB for pretty comfortable accommodation (within 2nd ring, not necessarily DZM which is more pricey, as noted); some of that is through Chinese friends (which is to say that all prices will be inflated somewhat on expat websites...).

Of course if one is persistent/patient much better deals can be found; I have a friend living in newly redone/refurnished hutong studio (40m) for around 1200 RMB a month - small, but a great price for a nice area and a pleasant place to live. Those take more time to find, though, so I guess for a quick sublet you shouldn't be as picky about price. If you're really thinking of just a week you're probably best off renting a private room in a hostel since I imagine weekly sublet rates will be exorbitant.

[panpan86]

Hey Icebear,

I'm also looking for a place to stay and the prices you mention sound great, especially Y1200 for a renovated studio! The prices I've seen for a newish studio are 4000+ Do you think its better to use expat-oriented sites or local sites like Soufun to find a place?

Peter

[icebear]

I'm also looking for a place to stay and the prices you mention sound great, especially Y1200 for a renovated studio! The prices I've seen for a newish studio are 4000+ Do you think its better to use expat-oriented sites or local sites like Soufun to find a place?

That one is a unique observation, as I think most people find that price low. That guy speaks excellent Chinese and was sly enough to bargain the price down from what initially was asked, berating the owner over the quality of the furniture and managing to get new IKEA things put in. A huge caveat is that the toilet in the place is converted from some other type of plumbing, and thus for any big visits he needs to make his way to the neighborhood public bathrooms, lest he clog his own. That would be a deal breaker for most, but he's happily spending the money he's saving on rent elsewhere. Besides that one issue with the bathroom the place is nice, and he's in a courtyard where a few Chinese families live, which is a nice experience too. I think the key to getting anything close to this kind of situation is a willingness to search on the ground, in person and comfort in bargaining.

Even short of a comfort in bargaining, I think you're definitely better off avoiding the expat websites for anything but sublets. I've heard a lot of good things about just going to the complex or area your interested in and following ads/local agents as opposed to online listings; I plan on giving that a try during my next "tour" in Beijing.

[panpan86]

That one is a unique observation, as I think most people find that price low

By great I meant ’很棒‘ ^_^ not 'great big' haha... I would love to find such a cheap place, like I said the cheapest 1-bedroom or studios in good condition that I have found have been around the Y4000 mark.

I've heard a lot of good things about just going to the complex or area your interested in and following ads/local agents as opposed to online listings

Yes, you are probably right. I've found that often the ads you see on 搜房网 or 58同城 are very misleading, with fake photos etc. To the extent that some of the ads seem to be basically written to attract customers to the agent (and get your phone number, of course, so they can call you incessantly) who will then show you 'real' houses.

Peter

[roddy]

Any chance of follow-up on where you ended up staying, Mike?

[Hyejeong Kim]

If you can speak/read Chinese, you would really want to check out this website. http://bj.58.com/house.shtml There is very wide range of appartment/place to look. I found it's much cheaper than the beijinger.com since this website is purely for Chinese.

In fact, I'm looking for a place to stay for a short time period near Wudaokou for summer as well. IF anyone needs a flatmate in July, let me know!

[Lu]

In case anyone is still interested:

- You can try a hostel or hotel, if you stay for a somewhat longer period you may get a somewhat cheaper rate. This has the advantage of being very easy to find and get into.

- The Beijing classifieds are good, I think City Weekend or another expat mag also has classifieds. But it's a bit of an effort to find a good roommate and a sub-landlord may not be happy to do it very often, so if you're looking for a very short stay, this may not be the best plan.

- Like someone else said, just show up, find an agent and start looking at places. There are many places to choose from and almost as many agents willing to show them to you. It helps if you speak Chinese, obviously.

When I came, my work paid for a hotel for one week. After seven days I was staying in my new apartment. Could have been six days, if I hadn't spent all the money I got out of the ATM that day on the downpayment so I had nothing left to buy a blanket. For such short stays, a hotel is quite affordable.