I want to ask everyone, how do you rent a house? Do you look online or go offline to inquire? How do you balance the location of your work and the rental place? What should you pay attention to when renting a house?
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Look both online and offline. Offline, you can ask security guards or elderly people in the community; in some places, you can also see rental advertisements. Online, you can check platforms like Wellcee, Xianyu, and others. Generally, first determine the area where you want to work (for example, look for regions with many factories, service industries, or prosperous capitalist economies), then check the surrounding houses. There are many precautions when renting a house, and most of them can be found on social media platforms.
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If you have enough time, it is recommended to first search online, then contact the agent or landlord, and finally go offline to view the specific conditions of the house. If renting through an agent, you might be able to view several houses in one day.
In fact, the normal process is a combination of online and offline methods. Online, you look at the rent and size of a good area, check the surrounding business districts on the map, and see if it’s convenient to buy daily necessities and commute to work. Offline, you then examine the appearance of the house, soundproofing, and whether the commonly used bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and balcony have any issues, and if they are convenient for daily life. Understanding some general rules helps in choosing a suitable house, comparing options, avoiding intermediaries, and negotiating with difficult landlords, which allows participation in labor reform. However, because most workers have low wages and can only afford to live far away in suburban areas with inconvenient transportation, it’s necessary to consider all factors comprehensively and select a relatively decent house. The most important thing is to fight—against difficult landlords and capitalists—without struggle, it’s impossible to survive even a day.
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In the past few days, I looked for a house myself. Although I no longer rent a house myself and my experience is not very extensive, I hope to improve the content of this post. I also hope more comrades will participate in the discussion.
Regarding the issue of renting a house, it should not be considered just a matter of method; Marx believed that to transform the worldview, one must transform the way of life. Renting a house is closely related to one’s lifestyle. This involves a question of ideological transformation. For example, living in a factory or workers’ dormitory versus renting a house alone outside—these are two qualitative differences, and they definitely have different impacts on one’s mindset. (I will discuss this in detail later)
The first is the issue of finding a job and renting a house.
You should consider commuting. I found a house after securing a job, but I was also fortunate that there was an apartment nearby.
The second is the details of the house.
First, you can look online at places mentioned by comrades above. Here nearby, most offline small advertisements are from agents, though it might be different in other provinces. This is clearly explained on Xiaohongshu. Generally, if the location is unclear, no specific position or phone number is provided, and the WeChat ID looks like an intermediary’s. That is, an agent.
Agents are especially tricky. Here, I would pay half of the rent as an agency fee at once, but you can negotiate the price. Additionally, rent can also be negotiated.
There might also be water and electricity fees. You need to ask clearly whether they are charged normally, and also whether to pay property management fees—let the landlord handle that.
Another issue is whether to pay a deposit first and then monthly rent (押一付一) or pay for several months upfront (押一付几).
For example, if my monthly rent is 1100, then with a deposit-first-and-then-monthly payment, I pay 1100 as a deposit first, then pay rent each month. When moving out, the landlord will return the deposit. This mainly prevents damage to the property and ensures the enforcement of some contractual clauses. Paying a deposit for three months (押一付三) means you pay 1100×3 + 1100 = 4400 initially, stay for three months, then pay 3300 for the next three months. Also, discuss with the landlord how much notice is needed before moving out.
Of course, paying a deposit first and then monthly rent (押一付一) is definitely good for comrades who don’t have much money at the start. Paying three months upfront is like a month’s salary—too harsh. Plus, you might not stay that long, so there’s room for negotiation.
The King of Hundred Tons (百吨王) said well: renting should focus on quality over quantity. Indeed, the more you look, the more options you have.
Another issue is串串房 (chuan chuan fang). I’ve encountered this many times.
Compared to most houses on the market, these houses usually have very low rent, for example, here, 1100+ is quite common, but串串房 typically costs around 600-800. The interior decoration looks good, even the beds are unopened, and the room size seems similar to regular houses. In reality, these houses are very risky because they use cheap furniture that releases formaldehyde. For example, I’ve seen many curtains in these houses that are the cheap curtains mentioned on Xiaohongshu—usually just a few single-color curtains. The furniture and cabinets are made of particleboard. How can this be a good deal? Be cautious, comrades.
They usually tell you to stay at least half a year or a year. Some comrades might just want to save money, work, and eventually move to another city, away from parental interference. In that case, renting a house should only be a transitional arrangement. Don’t rent for too long to avoid parental harassment.
I suggest living with workers. Unlike students in school dorms, which are messy, I’ve seen proper factory dormitories that are very clean! On the other hand, it can save money. The purpose of going out is for labor transformation, not for living a good life.
It’s best to become a formal worker in the factory and sign an employment contract, because that establishes a labor relationship. Some wages are even higher than those of dispatched workers.
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