This article is reproduced from IT House. For young people in the 21st century, renting houses is inevitable in Shanghai and Hangzhou.
With the influx of population into first- and second-tier cities and rising housing prices, it is unrealistic for workers who have just worked in first- and second-tier cities to be able to buy houses, and renting has become the first choice.
In recent years, the rise of Internet renting has brought convenience to the traditional and huge offline renting market, but at the same time it has also caused more contradictions and problems.
Long-term rental apartments have experienced frequent thunderstorms and frequent breaks in the capital chain. Rent loans and platform runaways have become a major concern for renters in the past two years. In the first- and second-tier cities, the number of renters in the first- and second-tier cities will face non-refundable deposits, and the number of rent will be nowhere to be found for many months, and they will even live on the streets. It is a pit that is deeper than a pit.
As of March 13, 2021, in the black cat complaint, Lieyun.com has searched 20,606 matching results related to renting. The key words are mainly sublease, non-renewal, non-refundable deposit, and difficulty in withdrawing the deposit. False propaganda of poor rental quality, privacy infringement, data leakage, automatic rent withdrawal and deposit deduction, illegal renting of partitioned houses, and private price adjustments. The main complaints are Mushroom Rental, Baletu, Eggshell, and Ziruo.
On the occasion of 315, Lieyun.com found 4 young tenants working hard in first- and second-tier cities, and chatted with them about the pits encountered in renting a house, hoping to alert the wandering workers.
The contract terms of the platform have become an umbrella for the second landlord to deduct the deposit
Xiao Ning just arrived in Shanghai on the eve of Hangzhou G20. She took the cat and dog at home and took a ride to Songjiang all night.
Songjiang Dongjing in 2016 was a bit remote and barren all around. Under the introduction of the intermediary, Xiaoning signed a house in Zhuangjingyuan very quickly, with a rent of 2500 yuan per month.
For Xiao Ning, the house is rented, but life is his own. Although she does not know how to clean, she still arranges home cleaning from time to time.
A few years later, Xiao Ning never thought that after he expired, he would encounter the problem of random deduction or even non-refund of the deposit.
Xiaoning told the landlord in August 2020 that the lease will be renewed for six months, because he might move, the landlord expressed understanding. And this time, the electronic contract was also moved from Mushroom Rental to Baltu. The landlord once told Xiao Ning that because the Mushroom Rental App requires a fee and the effect of renting the house is insignificant for the landlord, the landlord used Baltu to sign the contract. .
However, what Wanwan made Xiaoning never expected was that the behavior of allowing the landlord to deduct the deposit non-refundable after half a year turned out to be permitted by the terms of the Baltu contract.
▲ Legend: Baltu contract terms
Before Xiao Ning moved away from the rental address on February 24, Xiao Ning asked the landlord if he wanted to see the house in person to take over. The landlord said that he did not have time on that day. In order to complete the delivery of the house with the landlord as soon as possible, Xiao Ning arranged for Ziruo cleaning on February 25th to carry out the overall cleaning work.
On February 27, the landlord stated to Xiaoning that he had the right to deduct 50% of the deposit if Xiaoning did not indicate a month in advance that he would not renew the lease. At the same time, because there are still cat hairs on the sofa, he asked for another 100 yuan cleaning fee to be deducted. However, for the previous 4 years, Xiao Ning has been using the network provided by the landlord, paying more than 500 yuan in network fees every year. In December last year, the landlord asked Xiao Ning whether he would renew the network. Xiao Ning said that he would not renew the network. The landlord also advanced in advance. Unplug the Xiaoning network cable within one month.
"I think that a modern person must use the Internet to live in. Since the Internet is disconnected, how can the lease be renewed?" Xiaoning believes that the landlord at that time should not renew the lease by default.
But because the utility bill on February 27 has not yet been issued, the landlord requires that the remaining deposit be settled by March 5. But on the morning of March 5th, the landlord sent another WeChat message saying that the sofa in the living room had been pissed by a cat. He threw the sofa and asked for another 600 yuan to be deducted from the deposit.
As a result, Xiao Ning's deposit was changed from 2500 yuan to 650 yuan.
In Xiao Ning's view, it was the landlord who did not return the deposit, but now he has given him back the reason for deductions again and again. "I didn't discuss the throwing of the sofa with me before. I said that I would be deducted 600 yuan for throwing it. If the sofa itself tastes great, it should be raised on February 27th. Why wait until March 5th?"
In Baltu’s contract, you can clearly see a line of words under the non-renewal rules on the attachment, “If Party B does not renew the lease after the expiration of this contract, Party B shall have 30 natural days before the expiry date of the contract. Notify Party A, otherwise, it will be deemed to be renewed."
Xiao Ning believes that as an adult, he is indeed responsible for the contract signed, but this clause is hidden in the attachment at the end of the contract, and it is not easy to notice by itself, and the content of the clause is beneficial to the landlord, which is unreasonable and has the overlord clause. Suspect. At the same time, Xiaoning also deliberately checked the previously signed mushroom rental and paper contracts, and has never seen similar clauses appear.
In this regard, Xiaoning consulted Baltu, and Baltu said that the terms of the contract were drawn up by the landlord and had nothing to do with Baltu. However, Xiao Ning learned from the Black Cat complaint that the attachment clause was not drawn up by the landlord alone, but the clause on the contract template provided by Baltu. Xiao Ning observed that only in black cat complaints, like Xiao Ning, there were countless tenants whose deposits were deducted in full because of this clause.
Xiaoning negotiated with Baltu customer service, hoping that they could send someone to coordinate the matter. Baltu refused to reply, saying that the disputes caused by this clause need to be negotiated by the tenant and the landlord.
But what puzzles Xiaoning is that since the contract was drawn up by Baltu, it was also signed on Baltu, and the monthly rent is also paid by Baltu. How could Baltu ignore it? "The special terms on Baltu's check-out on the 7th day were not enforced at all. At this point, whoever holds the deposit is a vulnerable group. The landlord does not refund the deposit, and there is no special person on the platform to urge the landlord to implement it."
For this reason, Xiao Ning deliberately ran to the Tangqiao neighborhood committee to ask for an explanation about the landlord’s non-refundable deposit. The staff of the neighborhood committee has looked at the non-renewal clause in the attachment on the Baltu for a long time, and said that this clause does not clearly state how the deposit should be handled if it is not notified one month in advance. But when the staff called the second landlord and said that when they communicated and negotiated together, the landlord still did not make any step backwards and did not come forward to communicate.
At the same time, in the process of coordinating with the neighborhood committee, Xiao Ning learned that the landlord had used the terms of Baltu to deduct the deposit more than once, and the previous time it was due to a 30-day notice that was communicated and coordinated to the neighborhood committee.
▲ Caption: Screenshot of the interview between the interviewee and the landlord (partial)
Up to now, Xiao Ning said that her deposit is still unrefundable, and the landlord said that there is no need for an interview, whether it is to report to the police or litigation, whatever she does.
The lawsuit filed by Xiao Ning was also returned by the court because the second landlord entered the name of Party A in the contract of Baletu as his wife, and the court "has not provided real-name evidence of the legal relationship between the plaintiff and the defendant." Xiao Ning She said that she knew that the two were married and were the legal person and supervisor of Shanghai Junwu Real Estate Brokerage Co., Ltd., so when signing the contract, she did not specifically request adjustments, but unexpectedly this was another invisible pit.
"I thought that the contract signed on the platform would have at least a third party, and it would be safer. Who knew it would accelerate to become a cut leek, so what is the significance of the platform?" Xiaoning smiled bitterly, "rent a house, stay away from the second landlord, and stay away from Pakistan. Happy Rabbit."
Intimidation, swearing, lock picking... I was harassed by the landlord for more than a month
One night after the National Day in 2020, Zou Zou, who had moved into his new home only three months ago, received a phone call. A rough male voice asked Zou Zou to move away, claiming that the rental platform was thundered (Xiaoying Rental).
At that time, the intermediary who signed the contract with Zou Zou had run away, and the landlord had not received the rent for a month. The phone said that according to the contract, the landlord has automatically terminated the contract with the intermediary. Therefore, the contract signed by Zou Zou and the intermediary is no longer legally valid and should be withdrawn immediately (Later, the lawyer confirmed that this statement is wrong, and the contract cannot be unilaterally terminated. , And there are many ambiguities in the contract), if there is any problem, she can call the police at any time.
Not long after hanging up the phone, there was a loud knock on the door outside the house. Zou Zou, who was at home alone at the time, did not dare to speak. After a long time, the people outside the door were willing to give up. But this was only the beginning of the pain, and the tug of war that lasted more than a month caused Zou Zou a huge distress.
After paying a rent of more than 60,000 yuan a year, Zou Zou panicked all of a sudden when he was driven away after only living for 3 months.
The next day, Zou Zou began to communicate with the landlord far away to try to solve the problem, but Zou Zou soon discovered something was wrong. She pointed out that the landlord should communicate with the intermediary to resolve the matter, rather than drive away the tenant directly, and hoped The two parties were able to talk face-to-face, but the landlord rejected Zou Zou's proposal.
After the communication failed, the landlord said that she wanted to change the lock. Soon she rushed in from outside, took the locksmith and two male relatives in the local area, and broke the door open regardless of Zou Zou's prevention. On the same day, the landlord was still sitting at the door yelling. From 1 o'clock in the afternoon, until 6 o'clock in the afternoon, the landlord shouted hoarse.
Zou Zou said that this is the most vicious curse she has ever heard. The electronic doorbell recorded the entire process and was handed over to the police by Zou Zou, but the police were also helpless because the landlord did not break into the house or hurt the tenant.
In the police station, many landlords and tenants who also came to report the incident were also gathered because of the platform thunder. But in the end, everyone only received a receipt. If the case can be handled and the money can be recovered, everyone can recover part of the loss. As for when the case can be solved, there is no promise. Now, almost half a year has passed since the incident broke out, and Zou Zou still has not received any notification.
The next day, both parties came to the neighborhood office to seek a solution. However, the trainee lawyer in charge of mediation only warned both parties of their responsibilities and consequences. The atmosphere became more tense and the attitudes of both parties became tougher, which eventually led to the failure of mediation.
In the week that followed, the landlord’s male relatives knocked on the door almost every day at midnight and verbally intimidated them. Zou Zou told Lieyun.com: "There are also some landlords who have done more to cut off the water and electricity for the tenants, or even unload the door directly. The tenants are really helpless. The money and home are gone. Every day. Fearful.” During this period, Zou Zou also received a lawyer's letter from the landlord.
It was the landlord's elderly father who made Zou Zou's decision to give in. The old man had a major operation not long ago and decided to visit him after learning about it.
One afternoon, the landlord’s parents came to Zou Zou’s residence at the time. After waiting for a long time, the old man was a little physically exhausted. The video of the electronic doorbell showed that the landlord’s mother suggested to enter the password directly to enter the door to rest, but the landlord’s father refused, and the two left. For a while, Zou Zou learned that he had found the property and entered the room under the witness of a third party.
When Zou Zou returned home after working overtime at night, he was really startled by the two strangers in the living room, and then he was abused by the landlord’s mother.
Zou Zou recalled that the landlord’s father was the only one who was sensible. After explaining the whole story, the landlord’s father solemnly apologized to Zou Zou for what happened during this period, and hoped that both parties would have a reasonable solution. Zou Zou thought of his parents, feeling sad, and finally chose to give in.
In the follow-up negotiations, Zou Zou agreed to move out after 5 months and signed a new agreement. After that, the landlord and the male relatives mentioned above stopped harassing Zou Zou.
At the end of the chat, Zou Zou's mood is still very low: "I can't bear to tell my parents about this experience...", but "Life still has to go on, I still have a job, compared to other victims of thunderstorms." Or, my situation is relatively good."
Almost "bankrupt", in just 7 days, I stepped on the pit of renting a house all over the place
Lele, who is about to graduate, would not have imagined that the beatings from the society would come so unexpectedly. Recalling the midsummer when the city was looking for a house, she was still in a cold sweat. In just 7 days, she almost trampled on the pit of renting a house, and was even harassed by one of the intermediary brothers.
Perhaps because of her fledgling, she still has unrealistic expectations for renting a house. Seeing the various well-decorated, well-located, convenient transportation and cost-effective rooms on the rental platform, she couldn't restrain her inner excitement. After getting a reply that "the room is still in kind, and the landlord rented it directly," Lele quickly set a meeting time with the other party.
However, the small and beautiful in the picture has become the old and small in front of us, and the price is four to five hundred higher than the standard on the platform. Facing Lele’s doubts, the intermediary was accustomed to it, “(at the picture) such a room and location, at least five or six thousand.” When it comes to serious discrepancies between the pictures and the text, the little brother’s explanation is “we all mark like this”.
After returning from disappointment again and again, Lele took a fancy to another set, but Lele was very hesitant because of the budget. At that time, the intermediary in charge of taking the watch proposed a "solution" that could reduce the price, but it needed to be paid annually.
He said that his company (a well-known rental platform) does not support annual payments, and Lele needs to transfer the money to a reliable third-party company he knows to sign a contract with the other party. Lele didn't understand the twists and turns, but the annual payment was still a lot of money after all, and Lele decided to look at it again.
I was very happy to find a house of the same type in the same community, but the monthly rent was nearly 1,000 cheaper. But the answer I got this time is that it must be paid annually. As for why it is so cheap, it is because "college students rent a house during the season, the company engages in activities, and the new leader takes office, the incentives are large." In the end, Lele was persuaded by Nianfu. She should be grateful that she escaped a disaster because she was ashamed of her pocket. A few months later, many parents rented an apartment for a thunderstorm, and she came into contact with the one with the largest amount of money involved. . This is Lele's closest approach to "bankruptcy".
Lele, who was looking for a house alone, also encountered harassment from the agency's brother. Constantly inquiring about Lele’s personal privacy, if there is any physical contact, coupled with a slightly remote community, Lele thinks of the vicious events broadcast in the news, and then thinks that she doesn’t even know his name or company. Lele broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly ended the inspection.
That night, Lele also received a blatant "greet", which was so scared that she quickly blacked out the other party. She turned pale when she told Lieyun.com about this experience of viewing the house.
Jumped out of the second landlord’s pit, but did not escape the explosion of the apartment
Xiao L works at Tencent, so she has been looking for a suitable house in Nanshan District, Shenzhen.
In the middle of last year, he used Baltu to find a good house, but when he was about to sign a contract, he found that the landlord was unable to provide relevant information such as the real estate certificate. To this end, Baltu provided a lease contract between the landlord and the second landlord, but what made Xiao L puzzled was that the name of the second landlord on this contract was inconsistent with the name of Party A on the contract provided by Baltu.
Baltu said that the two second landlords are husband and wife, so the contract names are different, but it does not affect them. Little L randomly asked Baltu to provide proof of the relationship between the three, but Baltu said it could not provide it. So Xiao L gave up the house decisively, but what he didn't expect was that although he escaped the pit of Bale rabbit, he jumped into the pit of the eggshell without hesitation.
▲ Caption: Screenshot of the chat between Baltu and the interviewee
“Because the rent paid for half a year can be reduced by about 200 yuan per month, so I paid the rent for half a year and a deposit of 1 month.” Xiao L said that after moving into the eggshell house in August 2020, In November, he was driven out by the landlord because of a thunderstorm.
“The landlord did not receive the rent for the eggshell in November and wanted to stop the loss in time, so he came to negotiate with us immediately.” At that time, Xiao L's monthly rent was less than 3,000 yuan, and a total of 17,000 yuan was paid to the eggshell. The landlord said that he could bear half of the loss, so he immediately paid nearly 5,000 yuan in cash to Xiao L and his roommates, and asked them to move out as soon as possible.
After Xiao L moved out, the eggshell platform showed that the remaining amount was more than 7,000 yuan, but in fact, the remaining 3 months rent plus 1 month deposit should be nearly 10,000 yuan, but the eggshell was deducted for various reasons. Displayed as 7 thousand dollars.
Even so, Xiao L's application for cash withdrawal was still unsuccessful, and the customer service phone was completely unavailable. Even the intermediary who took him to see the house back then joined the eggshell rights protection group. According to his understanding, the intermediary also has more than 10,000 wages in arrears.
"Many human rights defenders lined up to pick up numbers on the spot, but in the end they said to wait for notification. So most people gave up."
Little L said that the reason why he did not renew the lease of the original owner’s house was because the house price he rented on the eggshell was lower than the rent given to the landlord by the eggshell. “The whole house’s eggshells were rented out for less than 10,000 yuan, but the eggshells were given to the landlord for 11,000 yuan. Eggshells directly signed a five-year contract with the landlord, and the landlord was exempted from renting the eggshells for one month each year.”
From Xiao L's point of view, half-year and annual payments are similar to rent loans. The platform uses a slightly lower rent to tempt the tenant to cut off the leek and run away. The remaining disputes and risks are all thrown to the landlord and tenant.
After moving out of the eggshell house, Xiao L found the pitted Shenzhen owner of the eggshell among the eggshell refugee group, and once again rented the house in Nanshan directly at a price of about 3,000 yuan.
"I will never rent an apartment again, or rent directly from the owner, or buy a house."
(Lele, Xiao L, Xiao Ning, and Zou Zou in the text are all pseudonyms.)