Finding replacement scam to keep deposit

Last activity 01 June 2016 by Priscilla

1664 Views

5 replies

Post new topic

mak.shanghaiMember01 June 2016 10:46:37

Hi! I have a problem with my housing agency in Shanghai regarding getting my deposit back. I signed a contract for 1 year but have to move out early as I communicated with them when signing the contract. They said it would be no problem as long as I find a replacement for myself, after being reassured I went for it and leased an room in a 3-bedroom apartment. So now to get my deposit back (2 months rent) I have to find a new person to rent my room. They said in March that the replacement needs to pay 4,100 per month, and have clarified to me now when I have already found a person to take over my lease that they raised the price to 4500 (three weeks before I need to move out). Could you please let me know if it's legal for the agency to increase prices like that on a monthly basis? I'm afraid that they did it to keep my deposit because even 4100 is a lot of money and most of my friends pay significantly less for a shared room in Jing'an. I was struggling to find anyone to take over the room for 4100 and after they told me that the price had increased to 4500 I think I will give up on looking for people to take over my lease. They have, however, just found a new roommate and he pays 4100 for a bigger more modern room than mine.

I have multiple problems with this agency and highly encourage everyone to stop using their services.

Other people have already mentioned other problems they were having with this agency, here are the links:
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 45#2826276 https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=435614

Best regards,
Mak.

FredIndonesia Expert01 June 2016 10:58:09

28132

You seem to be complaining because you broke the contract, so they kept your deposit.

Isn't that normal?

mak.shanghaiMember01 June 2016 11:19:20

I didnt break the contract. If i want to get my deposit back I need to find a replacement to take over my lease. I found a new tenant willing to pay 4100, which is the price they told me would be for a replacement this year two months ago. After I told them that i found a replacament they said the rent increased to 4500.

FredIndonesia Expert01 June 2016 11:37:57

28132

Did you find a person to take over the place, and did they take over the contract?

If you did, they were at fault.
If you didn't, you broke the contract (unless there was a clause stating the rent wouldn't rise).

mak.shanghaiMember01 June 2016 11:49:03

My question is more whether they can increase the price on a monthly basis. They told me it would be 4100 two months ago and now they have increased it to 4500. Is that legal? Last year the price was 4000 (what im paying now).

PriscillaViP01 June 2016 12:29:47

42358

Hi mak.shanghai,

I think that you should contact a lawyer for your case or an another real estate agency to know more about the laws of agencies. They are more apt to help you.

Do note that Expat.com is above all a website where members share their expat experience.

Here is a small list of lawyers : https://www.expat.com/en/business/asia/ … s/lawyers/

Thank you,

Priscilla

Articles to help you in your expat project in Shanghai

Buying property in Shanghai
Shanghai has continually appeared close to the top of the list of cities with the most expensive real estate in ...
Accommodation in Shanghai
Shanghai is a modern international metropolis that offers plenty of accommodation options for expats, both ...
Shanghai neighbourhoods
Spreading over 6,341 square kilometres and home to over 25 million people, Shanghai can get overwhelming ...
Accommodation in Jinan
Jinan is the capital city of China's Shandong province. It is home to over eight million people and is an ...
Accommodation in China
One of the first things you will need to do once you've arrived in China is to find a place to live. Renting ...
Finding work in Shanghai
Shanghai frequently tops the list of the most desirable destinations for expats in China — in no small part ...
Study in Shanghai
China's largest city is also the country's commercial hub and one of the trendiest cities in Asia. The ...
Student life in Shanghai
Studying abroad can be an exciting and eye-opening experience in a variety of ways. Especially if you have chosen ...