Expat Property Tips

Noise

Downtown Beijing is noisy. Traffic and construction are the main causes. If you're sensitive to noise and the property is in a busy area, check before you lease the property. Here's how you assess noise levels.

Open the window. Listen. Close the window and listen again. Are noise levels acceptable ?
Do it in both the living room and the bedrooms.

Energy Consumption

Properties in Beijing are not very well insulated. Also, at some houses, the air-conditioning and heat distribution systems is not very efficient. So, expect utility bills to be high in Beijing's hot summers and cold winters. But energy efficiency is improving and expat properties have been upgraded with better windows and doors. Read about utility costs here.

Frozen Pipes at Beijing Houses

Don't turn off the heat when you go on holiday at Christmas or during the Spring Festival. Leave some heat in your house on to avoid burst pipes. Don't waste energy, just keep it warm enough to ensure the rooms don't drop below freezing while you're away.

Balconies

Because of Beijing's warm summers and cold winters, most apartments don't have balconies. Instead, Beijing's property developers choose to maximise living room sunlight (a balcony above you impedes it). Don't let a balcony be your main search criteria. You'll miss out on a lot of good properties.

Basements

Many houses in suburban Shunyi have spacious American-style basements. Despite Beijing's dry air, to prevent mould, it's important to have 1-2 dehumidifiers (depending on basement size) running at all times. The water collection container needs to be emptied regularly as the dehumidifiers shut-off automatically as soon as it's full.

Gardens

Land is at a premium in Beijing, so private gardens are small. Also, low rainfall and freezing winters means plants grow slowly. To avoid bare patches, lawns often need to be re-sown in the spring. Most of the properties in suburban Shunyi have large common gardens.

Gyms

At houses in the Shunyi suburbs, family gym (or club) memberships are for all your kids. At expat apartments in the city, family gym memberships are for the parents and one child. If you have more than one child, make sure they are included in the membership plan.

Drainage

Builders at some older Beijing properties (built before 2002) didn't include U-shaped reservoirs in the drainage system. Here's how to deal with it:

Don't turn on the ventilation fan for too long as that just sucks up even more smelly air from the pipes.
Keep it filled with water (in arid Beijing the reservoir needs to be refilled each week).

One solution is to install drainage covers with valves on them that allow water out, but are meant to keep smells in. The downside with these covers is:

Water drains slowly. This causes water build-up in shower areas.
It can cause flooding if there's a sudden water overflow from a burst pipe.
The floor needs to be broken to install a frame that fits around the new cover.

Rental Guide

CBD[39]

Central [8]

Haidian[0]

Sanlitun[40]

Shunyi[82]

Sanyuan Qiao[7]

North[0]

South[0]

East[12]

All Areas[238]

Apartment towers lining the edge of the city's largest park house many of Beijing's expatriates. They are well served by the cafes and restaurants clustered around Chaoyang Park's West gate. To the north there's the Lufthansa Centre and surrounding office towers. The German school is here, as is the new US embassy. The area includes Lady's Street, a flower market and bazaar.

One of the older expatriate neighbourhoods with the Holiday Inn Lido at its epicentre. A leafy area with good expatriate amenities. 798, a 50s era factory turned creative hub is here. To the northeast, there's Wangjing, a large mid-tier residential neighbourhood. Some larger corporations are building dedicated office complexes here.

The busy central business district contains a high concentration of office towers with China World at it's centre. Ritan Park and the surrounding leafy embassies afford a small green lung. Preferred by those wanting easy access to amenities and a quick commute to work.

Beijing's geographic and administrative centre containing Tiananmen, the Forbidden City and Houhai. Populated by government employees and tourists, few expatriates choose to live here due to a lack of quality homes and a dearth of amenities. The area includes Financial Street, to the West of Tiananmen, a commercial area that has attracted a number of financial institutions.

Although home to the city's top universities, this is not Cambridge. Promoted as a tech development zone, it isn't Palo Alto either. There is a vibrant student scene, but expatriates working here choose to commute from the eastern side of the city.

A large cluster of leafy embassies here, but the neighbourhood is most renowned for its bars, cafes and restaurants. The Bookworm, a literary cafe, and small independent boutiques add a bohemian flavour. The Workers Stadium and French School are also here. To the north there's Dongzhimen, a transport hub that includes the airport line.

Expatriate suburbia, minutes from the airport and less than an hour's commute to the CBD. The major international schools are here. A wide range of expatriate amenities have sprung up around the villa communities. This quieter and greener area is a family friendly biosphere.

Office and apartment developments have extended north along the 3rd Ring into Sanyuan Qiao. Few amenities here, but it's a short hop to Sanlitun and Chaoyang Park. The subway and airport line allow easy access to most parts of the city.

Home to the Olympic Stadium and its surrounding facilities. The vast park area is a boon for the neighbourhood but with no quality homes, few expatriates choose to live here.

Once the wrong side of the railway tracks, the south is still underdeveloped. Low property prices mean favourable rents for bargain hunters. No amenities, but some apartments are close to the CBD.

Just outside the East 4th Ring, the area was once an industrial hinterland. Some mid to low-end residential developments here. A short commute to the CBD, but few expatriate amenities in the area.

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