Many people may feel surprised to find that the rental prices may be so different for the same type of property shown by different agents. This may leave people to feel quite confused about whose quotation is correct, and even after move-in, they may find their neighbours’ rental are lower than theirs. Here are some points to be considered when judging the rental prices.

Different landlords: Some landlords are very eager to start getting returns on their property investments while others may be waiting only for an “ideal” tenant and be content just to watch the property price increase and keep the unit in clean condition where it may be liquidated quickly should they want to cash out. Every landlord will have different expectations, some reasonable and some not.

Location: Compound/Property location has played very important role in the rental price. If the compounds are in downtown, or popular areas of expats, or if the house is in middle location of the compound, the price usually is much higher.

Floor level: Higher floor usually has better view of the city and brighter, so the price usually is much more expensive.

Property condition (furniture/appliances/decoration): If the property has good taste and good-quality furniture and decoration, with good brand of appliances, or with bigger garden (for villa), the rental will be higher.

Supplies and demands when negotiating/signing the contract: If the demands of the target customers are not that much, price will be easier to negotiate. Besides, concerning the number of the expats to China, the leasing market has peak season (usually around March to September, more expats relocate to China) and low season (usually around October to February, fewer expats relocate to China), usually the rental level is higher in peak seasons as more demands from the market. And, China’s government sales policy will also affect the leasing market, when the sales policy restricts, local people may tend to rent properties as well, this will cause more demands to the leasing market.

Rental inclusive package and tenant’s personal requirements: The more items included in the rental and the more personal requirements from tenants, the higher rental will be.

The lease starting date: As a metropolitan city with large population, with an important economic growth, a middle-class who see its purchasing power increase, Shanghai’s residential leasing market is very dynamic. It is for that reason that a nice property in a great location which has many advantages such as: good price, amenities, cleanliness and overall conditions can be rented out immediately after it is released in the market, though the average cycle to rent a property is around 1 month (it can be very different in different locations). So if you start the lease in 2 months later for a property which is already available now, you may have to pay higher rent compared those “quick tenant”.