[Kurokun] My Australian friend found an apartment on Xianyu. It came with a roommate he didn't order.

Kurokun

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.

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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?