[Kurokun] My Australian friend found an apartment on Xianyu. It came with a roommate he didn't order.
Hey everyone — Kurokun.My friend Liam from Sydney needed a short-term apartment in Shanghai. Two months. He found one on Xianyu (the second-hand app) for ¥4,500/month.
Photos looked clean. Location was good. He signed a contract via WeChat, paid a deposit, and moved in.
Day 1:
Liam arrives. Opens the door. The apartment is fine.
But there's a cat.
Not his cat. Just... a cat. Sitting on the sofa.
He checks the contract. No mention of a cat.
He calls the landlord. Landlord says: "Oh, that's the previous tenant's cat. She couldn't take it. It lives here now. Is that okay?"
Liam is allergic to cats.
Day 2:
Liam discovers the "extra roommate."
Behind a locked door in the hallway (which he assumed was a closet), there is a small bedroom. With a person in it.
The landlord had sublet the second room to someone else without mentioning it in Liam's contract.
Liam now shares a bathroom and kitchen with a stranger who works night shifts and cooks fish at 2 AM.
The resolution:
Liam confronted the landlord. Demanded his deposit back. Landlord refused.
Liam threatened to call the housing authority. Landlord refunded 80% of the deposit.
Liam moved into a proper serviced apartment the next day. ¥6,000/month. Worth every yuan.
Kurokun's housing advice:
• Never rent an apartment you haven't physically visited.
• If the price is 30% below market rate, something is wrong.
• Ask explicitly: "Is anyone else living here?"
• Ask explicitly: "Are there pets?"
• Get everything in writing.
Liam's lesson: "I saved ¥1,500/month and lost ¥9,000 in deposit, stress, and hotel costs. Cheap is expensive."
Anyone else had a housing nightmare in China?
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