The apartment was partitioned into "capsule apartments", with corridors only wide enough for one person to pass through. It was rare for this apartment to have 18 electricity meters installed. Even the tiny capsule apartments were divided into bunk beds.
Yesterday morning, a resident reported to our newspaper at 96096 that in the 21st Century Modern City on Tianyuan Central Road in Jiangning District, Nanjing, a 200-square-meter duplex apartment had been divided by the landlord into 19 rooms and rented out to more than 30 people, mostly migrant workers. "This is absolutely the most incredible capsule apartment in Nanjing! We've reported it to the property management many times, but nothing has been done!" said the angry neighborhood resident.
Neighbor's Report:
The tenants are too noisy, making it impossible for us to rest normally.
After receiving the report from the residents, I rushed to the 21st Century Modern City residential area in Jiangning District. Under the guidance of an informed person, I came to what they called "the most incredible capsule apartment in Nanjing," which was Unit 602, No. 1, Building 38. Since no one answered the door, I could only visit nearby households. Whenever this matter was mentioned, the residents of the neighborhood shook their heads.
A resident downstairs reflected that their neighborhood was considered a high-end one in Jiangning. Many residential buildings' top floors were large houses of around 200 square meters, spanning from the 6th to the 7th floor. "There are many rental properties in the neighborhood, but we've never seen any room transformed like this - a single house accommodating more than 30 people living together. This is truly rare in Nanjing!" After saying these words, some residents calculated for me: "This house is about 200 square meters. After being divided into 19 rooms, excluding the corridors and walls, each room should not exceed 8 square meters. And when distributed among each tenant, the area is even less than 6 square meters. Therefore, such a rental property can be called 'the most incredible capsule apartment in Nanjing!'"
"This kind of landlord must be crazy for money! He didn't consider the safety of the tenants at all. The house has been divided into an ant nest-like structure. If there's a fire, the tenants upstairs might find it dangerous to escape. Even if we don't consider the composition of these tenants and the security of the neighborhood, does it mean that someone will only pay attention after these group renters encounter danger?" A resident expressed strong dissatisfaction with the property management's disregard.
Some residents pointed out that most of the people entering and exiting this group rental property were young girls or boys. They mostly rested during the day and returned home at midnight. Each time they went up and down the stairs, it made a loud noise. Some energetic young men and women sang continuously while taking showers late at night, creating noise that prevented neighbors from resting normally.
On-site Investigation:
The room passages are so narrow that only one person can pass through.
By 2 PM yesterday, because a young female tenant of the "most incredible capsule apartment" went out, I finally got inside and found that the living room and bedroom on the 6th floor had already been remodeled into 10 tightly packed rooms, leaving only a passage wide enough for one person to walk through normally. The 9 rooms upstairs were also door-to-door, and once a tenant opened the door normally, another tenant had to wait before they could leave. In case of a fire in this building, the survival chances for the tenants upstairs would be minimal.
I noticed that each of these separated rooms was equipped with a burglar-proof door. The small windows inside, which couldn't let light in, were all stainless steel burglar-proof windows. Perhaps the landlord had already considered that such a large number of tenants would disturb the neighbors, so he deliberately wrote on all the entrance burglar-proof doors, "Please close the door behind you, thank you! Please do not make noise while going up and down the stairs."
Subsequently, I learned from a property management staff member who came to check the scene that they had no idea about such a rental household in the neighborhood. However, a resident at the scene immediately pointed out that they had already reported multiple times. The property management's claim of ignorance was merely an excuse. The resident then pointed to three rows of 18 electricity meters leading to the 7th floor staircase and said, "With so many electricity meters, and cooking allowed in the group-living house, originally designed for residential use, if everyone starts using induction cookers simultaneously, and if it causes a fire due to overload, I really don't know how they will escape. Even if the landlord hasn't considered the potential dangers, aren't these children aware of the risks of living in such small prison-like rooms?"
Regarding the various concerns raised by the neighbors, I subsequently contacted the Jiangning Development Zone Police Station to inquire whether such rental properties were registered with the police station.
Police Officer Zhang from the Jiangning Development Zone Police Station, upon entering the group rental property, exclaimed that he had never seen such a capsule apartment. Regarding whether such rental properties posed safety hazards, Officer Zhang immediately stated, "It's very dangerous because all these small rooms have burglar-proof doors, and the small windows are also equipped with burglar-proof windows. Once a fire occurs in the room, the burglar-proof door may deform due to heat, leaving the tenants on the floor without any escape route."
Inside the group rental property, I met a university student who rented a room there. When the police asked her if she realized the potential danger of renting here, the girl innocently replied, "I haven't thought about it. We just think it's cheap to rent here. A slightly larger room costs about 650 yuan, and a smaller one costs less than 600 yuan."
The girl also expressed that they felt the rental conditions were good because every room had its own bathroom, air conditioner, water heater, and washing machine.
After visiting a boy's room, a homeowner in the neighborhood discovered that this less-than-7-square-meter bedroom housed a set of bunk beds, with the shower stall right against the head of the bed. There was also a space heater under the air conditioner for winter warmth. The homeowner immediately exclaimed, "If all 19 tenants turn on their appliances at the same time, don't they fear the risk of an electrical fire?" Upon hearing this, the girl who initially thought she lived comfortably suddenly changed her expression.
By Li Haiyong, text/photo
What to do? What to do?
The landlord doesn't answer the phone, the police can't do anything, and neither can the property management.
During the interview yesterday afternoon, the police, after discovering the hazardous situation, indicated they would immediately contact the landlord to handle the matter. But ultimately, due to the landlord's refusal to show up, the action was temporarily abandoned. For the property management responsible for managing the neighborhood, they claimed they just became aware of the issue and currently had no solution. I tried to contact the landlord Mr. Lin afterward, but despite my repeated attempts to call his mobile phone, the landlord simply refused to pick up. So, is this "most incredible capsule apartment" in the neighborhood unable to be addressed despite the existing hazards? I will continue to follow up on the matter.
By Li Haiyong
Are there regulations? Aren't there?!
In response to the governance of "capsule apartments," as early as February 1, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued the "Regulations on the Leasing of Commercial Houses," which officially took effect. The regulations clearly stipulated that "rental houses shall not be partitioned" and "the per capita living area shall not be lower than the minimum standard set by the local government."
However, I learned that this new regulation is difficult to enforce in practical operations.
Newly Issued Rental Management Regulations Stipulate:
The original design room as the smallest rental unit
In the "Regulations on the Leasing of Commercial Houses," I found that the new provisions mainly include three aspects:
First, rental housing should be based on the original design rooms as the smallest rental unit, thus stopping the phenomenon of "fragmenting entire units into smaller ones" in the rental market;
Second, the per capita leased housing construction area must not be lower than the minimum standard specified by the local government, consistent with prohibiting group rentals;
Third, within the lease contract period, landlords cannot unilaterally arbitrarily increase the rent level, protecting the fundamental interests of renters.
If there are violations, what penalties will be imposed? The Regulations clearly specify that violators who fail to correct their behavior within the prescribed time limit may be fined between 5,000 and 30,000 yuan.
Nanjing's Regulations from Seven Years Ago:
Did Not Involve the Smallest Rental Unit
From the Nanjing Municipal Construction Commission, I learned that regarding the management of house rentals, Nanjing had issued the "Nanjing Municipal House Leasing Management Measures" as early as November 2004. Among them, the description of "rental houses" includes seven items, such as not having obtained a property certificate, ownership disputes, belonging to dangerous houses, changes in house usage without approval, etc., none of which involve whether the original design room is the smallest rental unit.
"This document has been in place for seven years now, and it hasn't been updated, so it can be said to be relatively coarse-grained," said relevant personnel from the Nanjing Municipal Construction Commission. Currently, Nanjing has not established a "per capita minimum rental area" standard, and most cities in the country are the same, with no published per capita minimum rental area. He also told me that the new measures from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development were issued in response to new changes in the leasing market, and according to him, Nanjing is considering revising the city's house leasing management methods accordingly.
By Ma Zuobo
Difficult to Enforce! Isn't it?!
Unclear Who Should Handle Group Rentals
Whether to seek the Administration for Industry and Commerce, Public Security, or Housing Management Departments Remains Undecided
Since there are such regulations at both national and local levels, why do phenomena like "capsule apartments" persist despite bans?
"First, it needs to be clear who the enforcement subject is. Is it the housing management department, or the industry and commerce bureau, or the public security bureau? Now, there is no clear subject." The head of a large intermediary company in Nanjing, who has been paying close attention to the leasing market, believes that house rentals can generally be divided into two types: those registered and filed with the housing management department, and those not filed. If registered, relevant departments are responsible for supervising obligations and promptly dissuading any violations; if not registered, dividing one's house into several rooms for rental makes it difficult for the government to know and handle the situation. According to his understanding, although Nanjing's local leasing management methods have always required property owners to register and file with the housing management department, in actual rental processes, probably less than 10% go through the registration process. Those who do not register are hard to manage unless residents report them.
By Ma Zuobo
■ Related News
Shanghai Regulates Per Capita Rental Space Must Not Be Less Than 5 Square Meters
On the 13th of this month, Shanghai announced the newly revised "Shanghai Residential House Leasing Management Measures," clarifying the smallest rental unit and the minimum per capita rental area for residential houses.
The new measures clarified the "smallest rental unit," stipulating that the smallest rental unit must be a room originally designed for living space. At the same time, it emphasized that sub-dividing or constructing for rental or renting by bed is prohibited, and kitchens, bathrooms, balconies, and underground storage rooms cannot be rented out for people to live in. The Measures also clarified the "minimum per capita rental area," specifying that based on the living space of a housing unit, the per capita area must not be less than 5 square meters. It further stipulated that residential houses within residential property management areas cannot be rented out as collective dormitories for organizations.
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