The single rooms partitioned off can only accommodate a bed and a computer desk.
In Building No. 4 of the Southern Garden Mingrenyuan in the Hi-Tech Zone, the small single rooms on the mezzanine level are very cramped.
More than 40 people live in one apartment, and have to queue up to use the toilet in the morning.
The small rooms are so tiny that they can only hold a bed and a computer… In an apartment of more than 200 square meters located at Southern Garden Mingrenyuan, 40+ people "live like snails" in 24 small single rooms that have been partitioned off. There are only 4 toilets and one kitchen. The neighbors downstairs have expressed their dissatisfaction with all the people going in and out upstairs: it's too noisy late at night! Yesterday, the person in charge of the property management office of this neighborhood said that they attach great importance to this matter, and have required the landlord to make corrections.
Each room is less than 10 square meters, and one apartment has been partitioned into 25 rooms.
Outside Building No. 4 of Southern Garden (Zone D) Mingrenyuan in the Hi-Tech Zone, there are shady green trees, and it is very quiet to live here. Unit 6-1 of Building No. 4, Unit No. 2 is a mezzanine apartment of over 200 square meters. Yesterday, the reporter saw inside the house that it had already been partitioned into 25 single rooms, each with an area of no more than 10 square meters, and each single room was numbered.
"Boss, the rent for a small room is 300 yuan, can you reduce it a bit?" At noon yesterday, a young woman came to look at the room under the guidance of a middle-aged man. The middle-aged man claimed his name was Shuai Chongyun, and he was the father-in-law of the landlord, Mr. Shi. "Only Room No. 4 hasn't been rented out yet, the other 24 rooms are all occupied." Shuai Chongyun told the reporter that his son-in-law bought this apartment last National Day. Since he usually lives in Jiangbei, he renovated this apartment into 25 small single rooms, and started renting them out gradually after the Spring Festival this year. He charges a monthly rent of 250-300 yuan per room.
Most tenants are couples, and are mainly working people.
One of the single rooms partitioned off in the mezzanine apartment.
Yesterday (April 11) was Sunday, and there were quite a few people in the small single rooms. Tenant Zhou Mingliang told the reporter that he works as a mobile phone salesperson in Shiqiaopu, and he and his colleague Xiao Yang rented two single rooms here. "It's close to our workplace, and the price is also cheap. We both come from rural areas to work hard in the city, we don't have money to buy a house, and we can't afford expensive rent either, so we temporarily live here." Xiao Yang laughed and said. The reporter saw that apart from a bed, Xiao Yang's room could also fit two chairs and a computer.
"Most of the people living inside are fresh university graduates, they are all working people, mostly couples, and some friends of the same gender also share a rental." Mr. Shi said that this apartment was bought on mortgage, and he has to pay the bank more than 4000 yuan every month. Renting it out can ease the economic pressure on the family. Partitioning it into 25 small single rooms allows the rent for each single room to be relatively low, which can facilitate these young people who come to the city to work hard to share a rental.
"How many people are living in the 24 small single rooms that have already been rented out?" In response, Mr. Shi did not answer; one tenant said that there were about forty to fifty people. Complaints from downstairs led the property management company to require rectification.
Yesterday, Manager Chen Guangqiang of the property management office of the neighborhood said that when Mr. Shi was renovating the house, he reported to the property management that he would renovate a few single rooms for himself to live in, but never expected that Mr. Shi would renovate it into 25 small single rooms. Previously, the property management company found something wrong and issued a notice for rectification. It was reported that since there were really too many people living in this apartment, Ms. Liu downstairs also complained multiple times to the property management company about the noise at night and inability to sleep well. The property management company has already notified Mr. Shi to negotiate this matter, but without result.
Manager Chen Guangqiang said that since the property management company does not have law enforcement power, if Mr. Shi still does not rectify, they will notify the Construction Committee, Planning Department, and other relevant departments to come and investigate. Lawyer Lian Yi from the Chongqing Jingbo Law Firm said that Mr. Shi changed the structure or purpose of the house without approval from relevant departments, violating the "Chongqing Property Management Regulations", and relevant departments can investigate him.
Awkwardness of living in a small space: queuing up to use the toilet and kitchen during morning and evening "peak hours"
Two other tenants, Xiao Zhou and Xiao Yang, are both from the "80s generation". Xiao Zhou is from Bishan County in Chongqing, while Xiao Yang is from Guang'an in Sichuan Province. Both have been working for less than five years. Why do they choose to rent such a shabby room? Both frankly admitted that they both belong to the "moonlight clan" and have no money to buy a house.
Xiao Chen, in his twenties, has a situation similar to Xiao Zhou and Xiao Yang. He works at a company in Dadukou. Xiao Chen said that he and his girlfriend live here. It takes 20 minutes by car from here to go to work. Xiao Chen thinks that a monthly rent of 300 yuan is affordable.
However, there are only four toilets for 24 "families", so problems arise: everyone has to queue up to use the toilet, especially during the "peak hours" in the morning and evening, where one might have to wait for around ten minutes. There is only one kitchen, so using the kitchen also requires queuing. All three indicated that they rarely cook at home because queuing is too troublesome.
Being careful not to disturb the neighbors, walking and closing doors quietly
Ms. Liu, who lives downstairs, runs a business in Shiqiaopu, and her two sons are both in primary school. She said yesterday that after this Spring Festival, more and more people moved upstairs, affecting the life of her family.
"Every evening, there are sounds of high heels walking, chopping vegetables, and closing doors upstairs. These sounds sometimes appear as late as 1-2 o'clock in the morning, and as early as around 5 o'clock in the morning," Ms. Liu said that recently, they haven't slept soundly much, and the learning of her two children has been affected.
However, Xiao Zhou and Xiao Yang, who live in the small single rooms upstairs, believe that they haven't disturbed the people downstairs. "We sometimes come back from work late, but we walk carefully, close doors gently, keep the volume of our computers low, and don't sing or play mahjong, how could we create noise?" However, both admitted that there are indeed too many people living inside, and it cannot be ruled out that there are individuals with poor quality.
Each small single room is no more than 10 square meters, with four shared toilets and one public kitchen, making a total of 25 rooms upstairs and downstairs.