Apartment Viewing Checklist for Expats in Shenzhen: 20 Things to Check Before You Sign
Updated: 2026-11-07 · 3 min read
Inside the apartment
Run the shower and both kitchen taps at full pressure; check the water heater age. Open every wardrobe — storage is the number one regret of renters in Shenzhen. Count power sockets where your desk and bed will be, and test the phone signal in the bedrooms.
In summer, ask how long the apartment takes to cool: west-facing living rooms with large windows turn into ovens without strong air conditioning.
Sound and light
Stand quietly for a minute with windows closed, then open them. Listen for the metro, the main road and — a classic — the compound’s own pump room or gym above or below the unit. Check whether bedroom windows face an internal courtyard or the street.
The compound
Walk from the gate to the unit with your future commute bag: five minutes can become fifteen with stairs and gates. Look at the gym and pool hours, the parcel room (you will receive a lot of deliveries), and whether food delivery riders can reach your door.
As a real example from our current catalogue: Modern 2-bedroom 2-bathroom apartment at Evergrande Tianjing, Nanyou Nanshan — Modern 2, 2 bedrooms, 83 sqm, ¥11,500/month. Every apartment we list is checked for police-registration eligibility before it goes online.
The people and the rules
Ask whether the compound is used to foreign tenants (registration paperwork goes smoother), whether pets are allowed in practice — not just on paper — and what the rules are on Airbnb-style subletting. Our agents keep compound-by-compound notes on exactly these questions.
Apartments you might like
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¥8,000/monthNanshan Cozy Two-bed Rentals
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¥8,500/monthNanshan Sunny Two-bed Rentals
Nanshan Sunny Two · nanshan · Line 1 · Daxin
Tous les logements dans le catalogue. Une question ? écrivez-nous.