Before you flyHow to read an English listing
How to read an English listing
English listing boards are an index, not a verification. Freshness is often a paid refresh. Photographs are often not taken by the agency that posted them.
- 01
Who took the pictures, and is there a date? If the board itself says the pictures were supplied by a third party, treat them as a brochure, not as proof the flat is still there.
- 02
Exclusive? Non-exclusive means someone else may already have taken it. Ask for a viewing day, do not fly a week later on a hope.
- 03
Listed versus refreshed. A refresh is not a visit. Ask when a person last walked in.
- 04
Are deposit terms, minimum stay, move-in date and the compound name actually written? Missing one item means the information is incomplete.
- 05
“English-speaking landlord” is a filter, not English-speaking management, and not help with police registration.
Housing We take you to units we have checked. When you send a board link, these five questions decide whether it is worth a car.
Official sources
Before you fly
- Choosing an area by commute and schoolShanghai is not chosen by district. A family is locked by the school bus first, then the office door, then the airport, then the spouse’s daily life.
- What ¥12,000, ¥20,000 and ¥35,000 rent¥12,000, ¥20,000 and ¥35,000 are conversation bands for an HR housing allowance. They are not a promise of what is listed this week.
- Agency fees and deposit termsThe cash pit in week one is not the rent itself. It is the stack on signing day. Put the numbers in the contract, not in WeChat.
- The cost slots, not a price tableHeadquarters approves a housing allowance. The family spends housing plus school plus insurance plus an ayi plus utilities plus food. Talking only about “what ¥20,000 rents” misses the bill that breaks a villa household.
- The housing brief to settle before viewingsA shortlist only works after the employer and assignee agree on the campus, door-to-door commute, lease party, reimbursement, accommodation registration, furnishing, signing-day cash and who may approve a trade-off.
Each guide gives the official process with source links and effective dates, plus the pitfalls we have recorded from real cases. Anything requiring a licence is referred to registered providers only.
Live near what you love.
Tell us the school, the dates, and the corridor you are looking at.