Get a written lease matching the title owner — agent WeChat promises do not protect your deposit.
Residential renting is everyday practice with Civil Code lease rules on term, subletting and landlord obligations. Foreign tenants should verify landlord identity and registration expectations. The live expat lease-rights guide stays deep — this wiki is the atomic map entry. Security deposits and lease registration are related pages. Commercial leases are a different negotiation culture.
4 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
Landlord is title owner or authorised?
Authority.
WhoWritten term and rent clear?
Contract.
ContractDeposit terms documented?
related pages.
DepositExpat deep guide opened?
Twin.
DeepWorking rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
Can landlord enter anytime?
Generally no without agreement/legal basis. Quiet enjoyment matters.
Where is the expat deep page?
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.