Accommodation - 12000Y for 10 months in advance

[billhank]

Hi,

I will be studying at Wuhan University. I am trying to book a flat in the university's residence.

The procedure is that first, I have to send 10 months worth of rent (12000Y / 2000$) to their bank account then I'll have to send them a scan of the receipt via email.

After that, they'll send me a receipt to "guarantee" that I'll have the room I booked.

Do you think this is legit?? It sounds shady to me

Discuss.

Bill

[kdavid]

Dorm room or apartment?

I can't speak for Wuhan, but 1200 RMB/month will get you a decent apartment in an older building here in Harbin.

A dormitory, let alone a single room in a dormitory, would be much cheaper.

Also, shouldn't room and board be provided to university students? I'd highly doubt that Chinese students are paying 1200 RMB/month for room and board....

[fanglu]

Are you sure you're actually dealing with the university? Might be worth ringing to check.

[roddy]

Also, shouldn't room and board be provided to university students? I'd highly doubt that Chinese students are paying 1200 RMB/month for room and board....

Ha. Nice thought.

It's not too unusual for university accommodation to be paid up front by at least the semester, it doesn't surprise me that if you've said you want to stay for ten months that they're asking for ten months money. But there's no need to do that. First off, it's very likely that an apartment will be better value for money, so you might want to look into that. In that case, you'd probably want a week or two somewhere while you're apartment-hunting. For that, a hotel might be a viable option if the university won't do long term stays.

Even if you DO want to stay in dorms for the full ten months, ask them to give you a price for the first semester, or month, or whatever. I can't see you're going to need to pay the full year up front, and you'll be there in plenty of time to book for the second semester.

As for it being shady - doubt it, it's just a bit of a daft way of operating, but that's nothing unusual.

[imron]

A good general rule of thumb in China is never pay upfront for long-term accommodation you haven't personally inspected.

[Guest realmayo]

I think the price sounds normal for single room in a foreign student dorm. But it's not even clear if this is in such a dorm building, or is a separate flat?

What Chinese students pay is not really relevant, unless you're living in the same block as them. Depending on the situation at Wuhan University, booking in advance might be the only way to guarantee on-campus accomodation if there's a limited number of spaces available. I agree doing it at maximum length one semester is better than 10 months.

[roddy]

Also, see if you can find rules on refunds if you get offered a room in an apartment after a month.

[billhank]

Thanks a lot for your opinion guys, it's really helpful!