Entering ChinaOn March 1st, Ms. Yuan from Shenzhen posted a video claiming that she was subjected to “window inspection for dust removal” by a sub-landlord. The video sparked heated discussions. Ms. Yuan stated that before she was to vacate the lease, she contacted the sub-landlord and was asked to do more than just cleaning the rooms; she was required to clean the entire house, including but not limited to ensuring that no dust remained on each pipe and each side of the security mesh on the window frame, and that the bathroom floor be scrubbed with steel wool. Ms. Yuan completed the tasks as requested, but on the day of vacating, the sub-landlord refused to return the deposit on the grounds that the old tiles were not cleaned thoroughly.
In desperation, Ms. Yuan chose to call the police for help. When the police officers arrived to mediate, the second landlord directly removed the glass windows of the kitchen and the bedroom, claiming that there was dust in the gaps. The second landlord stated that the hygiene requirements upon the tenant’s departure were already stipulated in the contract. If the house was not cleaned up properly, a cleaning and sanitation fee of 300 yuan would be charged. Under the on-site mediation by the police officers, the second landlord finally deducted 100 yuan of cleaning fee from the tenant’s 2100 yuan deposit, and then deducted 88 yuan for water and electricity fees. In total, the second landlord returned 1912 yuan to the tenant.
The reason why this incident has attracted attention is because it has hit the pain point of the current rental market. According to the relevant laws, the tenant is only liable for man-made damage in excess of normal wear and tear, and the landlord is responsible for the repair of natural aging. However, in practice, many rental contracts are vague about key aspects such as damage to the property, hygiene standards, and conditions for the return of deposits, which also leaves room for some landlords to interpret the terms and conditions at will, and encroach on the interests of tenants.
Of course, during the leasing process, there are also some tenants who do not take care of hygiene, damage the housing facilities or even default on rent. These actions have disrupted the normal order of the rental market and exacerbated the crisis of trust between the two parties to the lease.
At present, the housing rental market is showing a good momentum of both supply and demand, which should be a positive sign. However, there is “lantern damage assessment” in the front, and “window removal and ash inspection” in the back, but these chaos have become a “stumbling block” on the way for young people to rent a house. For young people, renting a suitable house and living in it is the basis for them to settle down in the city. A stable and fair rental environment is not only related to their quality of life, but also affects their expectations and confidence in the future.
From a more macro perspective, the state has been implementing policies related to long-term rental housing in recent years, with the aim of promoting the healthy development of the rental market. In the next step, to rectify the chaos in the rental market, the relevant departments should strengthen supervision, make detailed requirements for the terms of the contract, compress the ambiguity as much as possible, and clarify the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. Tenants should also be legally aware, carefully review the terms and conditions when signing a lease contract, and seek help from a legal professional if necessary.
The lease relationship is based on trust and respect. We need to get renting back to what it was – it’s a warm place to stay for the tired body, not a game to test the wisdom of survival.
It’s late! After the address of “window removal and ash inspection” was exposed, the landlord wanted to negotiate a refund, but the tenant refused to report it
