Are furnished apartment apps more trouble than they're worth?

HelloRF

While I was studying my masters, either living on campus or in a cheap hotel near university, I would sometimes browse through furnished apartment rental apps and dream of a better life. The constant sounds of my neighbors arguing, coughing, and even using the toilet through the thin walls was one of my biggest gripes. 

After my financial situation began looking up — that’s usually the plan, after graduation — I was finally in a position to look for a decent home. The first place I turned to was a furnished apartment app called Ziru (Ziroom). 

While I love my new home, there are a few issues that make living in a Ziru apartment a bit of a headache (sometimes even literally). Mostly it’s to do with terrible service, coupled with high annual service fees which lead you to believe, in the beginning, that you might actually get help resolving issues when they come up. 

These kinds of apartments have seen a spike in the number of complaints recently, with Shanghai’s consumer council saying the number has nearly tripled. More than half of the issues people reported included problems getting deposits back, but some have even suffered health issues after poor renovations led to high levels of formaldehyde and benzene. 

I’ll break down some of the issues I’ve encountered, and some issues friends have encountered, so you can decide for yourself if these kinds of rental companies are suitable for you. 

Bad service

When I first moved in I was put into a WeChat group — its name was my exact address — with about 10 Ziru staff members who were, theoretically, dedicated to helping me and answering any questions that might come up. 

With an annual service fee of one month’s rent, I wasn’t too surprised. “This is totally worth it!” I thought. How wrong I was. 

It turns out the staff are either extremely overworked, dealing with multiple tenants at one time, or they’re extremely lazy and highly skilled at fobbing people off. I like to think it’s the former. 

It takes an extremely long time to get simple issues resolved, for example I told the agent when I first moved in that I would need a tax receipt each time I paid rent — after nearly half a year, that has yet to happen. 

Isn’t it a legal requirement to provide receipts when money is taken? Apparently not, because the Ziru staff just keep telling me that “these things take time.” I’ve given up on that. 

Another issue that I’ve been pressing staff on since I moved in is the fact that I don’t have a buzzer in my door which can unlock the front security door, six floors down, whenever a friend or a food delivery guy comes. 

The latest is that I need to pay for it myself, which I finally agreed to (why am I investing in the apartment for the landlord?), but I’m still waiting for any action there. 

In the meantime I am getting stronger legs, I guess, climbing up and down six flights of stairs.

Ziru can be bad for your health 

As I mentioned earlier, Ziru has been accused of using substandard workers or poor building practices (or both) in the renovation of their rental properties. 

In case you don’t know, basically Ziru take over the management of apartments from landlords, and then “renovate” the properties and add new furniture (usually from IKEA) in order to be able to charge top dollar. 

But that has meant that formaldehyde and benzene have been found in many apartments, including that of a friend who asked not to be named here.

He told me that he and his flatmates — there are four in total — started feeling unwell in their new Ziru apartment in Baoshan recently. 

They then saw online and in the news that some of the company’s apartments were unsafe, so they actively contacted Ziru who came to test the apartment and found that, as suspected, there were unhealthy levels of formaldehyde. 

Ziru never once apologized, didn’t offer any reparation, and told my friend that they would have to move to another Ziru property. They declined and have since moved into a different apartment in an older building. I think it’s terrible that tenants are having to become sick and then actively contact Ziru for answers. Come on, guys!

You can’t get rid of furniture you don’t like

Ziru apartments come furnished, but the decor may not exactly be to your liking. Ziru will not allow you to have any pieces removed or swapped unless it’s at your own cost. I really hate the little coffee table in my lounge, and it’s going to cost me 600 yuan (US$86.65) for the privilege of removing it myself. I’ve made do with the ugly, for now.

Annual power and water bill

Perhaps one of the most insane things I have discovered after living in a Ziru apartment for nearly half a year is that power and water bills are apparently supplied and paid for on an annual basis. You read correctly: once a year. 

When I first moved in I was told that my power and water bill would appear regularly in the Ziru app, but that’s absolutely false. They like to talk up that app as this almighty place where everything can be done, which is, in reality, just crap. After asking and asking for months, I was finally told that power and water is settled at the end of each one-year contract. I feel like I don’t need to explain just how unbelievable that is. How am I meant to monitor my usage? Adjust my air-con time to save a bit of coin? I’m literally terrified at the idea that I’m going to be slapped with a bill for an entire year of power and water in one go. This can’t be normal! 

So, is it worth it? To be honest, I really, really love my new home. The size is perfect, the location is perfect, the furniture and decor is mostly to my liking, and I can’t hear a single peep from my neighbors. I really appreciate that the walls and floors and windows are new and fresh, especially after my last two places being moldy, damp holes. Sure, there are huge issues with the service quality, but maybe I can make do. 

I’d love to hear your experiences! Please flick me an email.