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Getting a grip on property ladder

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-13 08:13

'Landlords hold all the power'

Shao Leyuan admits she still holds a big city dream in her heart - but after "living in limbo" for two years, she has little idea how she will make it come true.

The 24-year-old is among millions of graduates who have flocked to Shanghai in search of wealth and happiness only to find the path to success barred by sky-rocketing property prices.

Since college graduation in nearby Jiangxi province in 2008, she has lived in four districts of this East China metropolis - Hongkou, Zhabei, Jing'an, Xuhui. After repeated clashes with landlords and real estate agents, she said she feels better than most what it is like to "live in other people's apartments".

"Renters in Shanghai are a vulnerable group because it's a landlords' market," said Shao, who grew up in a village in Zhejiang province. "There are so many people who want to rent.

"If they want to raise the rent and you can't afford it, you go. If they don't want to rent their apartment any more, you go. If they don't like you, you go. The contracts are useless as the compensations are always too low."

If anything breaks or is damaged, it often results in a tug of war with the landlord - a battle the renter usually loses, said Shao, who earns 3,000 yuan ($450) a month as an office clerk.

She recalled that the "most ridiculous" landlord she ever dealt with was a man who arrived at her apartment out of blue, threw some money onto the table and asked her to leave within five days.

"It was lucky I found another place on the last day - but that day I have to carry my luggage to the office," she said. "It was really embarrassing as I had to explain to everyone what had happened. When someone asked if I was going traveling, I almost cried."

Despite all the difficulties, Shao said she never once thought of leaving the city to go back to home.

"Once you have seen the beauty of Shanghai and learned about the splendid big-city life, going back to the countryside is not an option," she said.

Shao has started weekend English classes at Shanghai International Studies University, hoping some day she can get a better job and afford a mortgage. She pays 2 yuan every day to play the lottery.

"First thing I'd do if I hit the jackpot: Buy a three-bedroom apartment," she added.