Signing a lease in China is where language stops being academic. The agent talks fast, the contract runs three pages of formal Chinese, the landlord wants to know your salary, and every number has a name you have never heard. Then someone says 押一付三 and everyone looks at you.
This guide is the vocabulary that actually comes up: the words printed on your lease, the phrases for the phone calls before and after you move in, and the sentences that protect your deposit. All of it is real-world Mandarin — the kind tenants in Shanghai and Beijing use every week.
The Lease Words You Cannot Avoid
Chinese rental contracts are formal written documents, but the terms inside them show up in spoken conversation constantly. Learn these ten and half the fear goes away.
| Term | Pinyin | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 租房 | zūfáng | To rent a home / renting an apartment |
| 合同 | hétong | Contract, lease |
| 房东 | fángdōng | Landlord (the owner) |
| 中介 | zhōngjiè | Agent / middleman |
| 押金 | yājīn | Security deposit |
| 押一付三 | yā yī fù sān | “One month deposit, three months rent paid up front” — the standard arrangement |
| 房租 | fángzū | Rent (the monthly amount) |
| 水电费 | shuǐdiàn fèi | Water and electricity fees |
| 物业费 | wùyè fèi | Property management fee |
| 发票 | fāpiào | Official invoice — your employer needs one if the company reimburses rent |
押一付三 is the single most useful pattern to memorize. It means you pay one month’s rent as a deposit (押金) and three months of rent up front, then pay in three-month chunks after that. Some landlords accept 月付 (yuè fù, monthly) or 押二付二 — but if a listing says nothing, assume 押一付三 and budget for four months of rent on signing day.
Two more contract words worth knowing before you read anything: 甲方 (jiǎfāng, Party A — usually the landlord) and 乙方 (yǐfāng, Party B — you). Chinese contracts frame the deal as an agreement between Party A and Party B, and renter guides will use the shorthand constantly.
Finding the Place: Agent Conversations
Most foreigners rent through an agent (中介), because listings on platforms like Lianjia (链家) or Beike (贝壳) move fast and landlords rarely want to show apartments themselves. A few phrases get you through the search:
- 这个房子还在吗？ (Zhège fángzi hái zài ma?) — “Is this place still available?” — the first sentence of every agent chat, because listings go stale within days.
- 可以看房吗？ (Kěyǐ kàn fáng ma?) — “Can I come see it?” 看房 (kàn fáng, “look at the room”) is the word for a viewing.
- 有没有电梯？ (Yǒu méi yǒu diàntī?) — “Is there an elevator?” Walk-up buildings without one are common and cheap for a reason.
- 离地铁站多远？ (Lí dìtiě zhàn duō yuǎn?) — “How far is it from the metro?” Distance to the metro (地铁, dìtiě) is the main price driver in big cities.
- 中介费怎么算？ (Zhōngjiè fèi zěnme suàn?) — “How is the agency fee calculated?” Standard is half a month to a month’s rent — and it is negotiable.
One negotiation line that works: 能不能便宜一点？ (Néng bù néng piányi yīdiǎn?) — “Could it be a bit cheaper?” The same phrase you would use in a market applies to rent, especially for longer leases.
Signing Day: What the Contract Says Out Loud
When you sit down to sign (签合同, qiān hétong), the agent will walk through the terms. Listen for these:
- 租期两年，从 X 月 X 号开始。 (Zūqī liǎng nián…) — “The lease is two years, starting on [date].” 租期 (zūqī) is the lease term. One year (一年) is the default.
- 押金 X 元，退房时退还。 (Yājīn… tuì fáng shí tuìhuán.) — “The deposit is X yuan, returned at move-out.” 退还 (tuìhuán) — “refund, return” — is the verb your deposit story turns on.
- 每个月 X 号交房租。 (Měi gè yuè… jiāo fángzū.) — “Rent is due on the Xth of each month.” 交 (jiāo) — to pay, to hand over — is what you do with rent every month.
Read the deposit clause yourself, even with an agent translating. China’s first nationwide Housing Leasing Regulation (住房租赁条例, effective September 15, 2025) now requires the contract to state the deposit amount, the return terms, and the conditions for deductions — and forbids arbitrary deductions. If the lease does not say when and how the deposit comes back, that is a red flag, not a detail.
One practical habit that saves arguments later: photograph everything on move-in day. 现状照片 (xiànzhuàng zhàopiàn, “condition photos”) of walls, appliances, and any existing damage, sent to the landlord on WeChat so the timestamp is on record.
Move-In Day and the Police Registration
After you get the keys (钥匙, yàoshi), there is one errand that surprises every newcomer: temporary residence registration (临时住宿登记, línshí zhùsù dēngjì). Foreigners must register their address with the local police station (派出所, pàichūsuǒ) within 24 hours of moving in — hotels do it for you; an apartment does not. Bring your passport, your lease, and ideally the landlord or agent, and expect a short form and a stamped registration slip.
That slip is not bureaucracy for its own sake: you need it for visa extensions, residence permits, and most official paperwork. Two phrases for the errand:
- 我来登记住宿。 (Wǒ lái dēngjì zhùsù.) — “I’m here to register my accommodation.”
- 房东的房产证复印件带了。 (Fángdōng de fángchǎnzhèng fùnyìnjiàn dài le.) — “I brought a copy of the landlord’s property certificate.” Some stations ask for it; some do not. Ask your agent to check first.
If a landlord refuses to let you register — which happens, usually because the apartment is rented out informally — walk away. Without registration, your own visa paperwork gets complicated.
When Something Breaks
Rental Mandarin earns its keep on the phone with the landlord. These five sentences cover almost everything:
- 马桶堵了 / 水管漏水了。 (Mǎtǒng dǔ le / shuǐguǎn lòushuǐ le.) — “The toilet is clogged / a pipe is leaking.” 堵 (dǔ) and 漏水 (lòushuǐ) are the two repair words you will use most.
- 能找人来修一下吗？ (Néng zhǎo rén lái xiū yīxià ma?) — “Can you find someone to come fix it?” 找人来修 (zhǎo rén lái xiū) — “find someone to come repair” — is how repairs actually get arranged.
- 这个费用谁出？ (Zhège fèiyòng shuí chū?) — “Who pays for this?” 出 (chū, “to put out, to pay”) settles the money question before the repair, not after.
- 合同里写了房东负责维修。 (Hétong lǐ xiě le fángdōng fùzé wéixiū.) — “The contract says the landlord handles repairs.” 负责 (fùzé) — “to be responsible for” — is the word that points back at the lease.
- 押金什么时候退？ (Yājīn shénme shíhou tuì?) — “When does the deposit come back?” Ask this in writing (WeChat counts), a week before move-out.
Move-Out and Getting the Deposit Back
Move-out is called 退房 (tuìfáng, “return the room”). The ritual: agree on a date, clean the place, do a walkthrough (验收, yànshōu, “inspection and acceptance”) with the landlord, take the same kind of photos you took on move-in day, hand back the keys, and settle utilities.
Three sentences that make the end smooth:
- 我们约个时间验收吧。 (Wǒmen yuē gè shíjiān yànshōu ba.) — “Let’s set a time for the walkthrough.”
- 水电费结清了，这是账单。 (Shuǐdiàn fèi jiéqīng le, zhè shì zhàngdān.) — “Utilities are settled; here’s the bill.” 结清 (jiéqīng) — “to settle up” — is the word landlords want to hear.
- 押金请退到我微信 / 银行卡。 (Yājīn qǐng tuì dào wǒ Wēixìn / yínhángkǎ.) — “Please send the deposit back to my WeChat / bank card.”
Under the 2025 regulation, the deposit must come back on time and deductions must follow the written terms. If it does not, the phrase to know is 协商不成可以起诉 (xiéshāng bùchéng kěyǐ qǐsù) — “if negotiation fails, I can take it to court” — which, said calmly and in writing, resolves far more deposit disputes than it starts.
Why the Language Matters
Chinese rental culture runs on relationships and clear expectations in equal measure. A landlord who hears you say 我想把押金条款写清楚 (“I’d like the deposit terms written clearly”) does not hear an argument — they hear a tenant who will not cause trouble later. Agents respond to it too: the tenants who know 押一付三 and 退还 get treated like adults.
Renting is where a foreigner either becomes a person who lives in China or stays a person who sleeps there. The lease words, the phone calls, the police registration, the deposit conversation — that vocabulary is the difference.
And when the paperwork is signed and the keys are yours, there is one more small project worth doing. Settling in means answering to a name your neighbors can say. ChineseToolkit’s personal name checker is worth a look before you pick one — a name that reads well to a landlord, a delivery driver, and a future colleague is part of moving in properly.
租房 is a process, not an event. Learn the words once and every lease after the first one is paperwork instead of panic.
