Housing Chinese — Viewings, Rent and Repairs

For housing, spoken Chinese is only the start. Use it to ask the right questions and to get a repair scheduled — but confirm rent, dates, deposit and conditions in the contract or an official written message. A friendly verbal “no problem” is not a term of your lease.

At a viewing

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
房租多少钱？	Fángzū duōshao qián?	How much is the rent?
押金多少？	Yājīn duōshao?	How much is the deposit?
包水电吗？	Bāo shuǐdiàn ma?	Are utilities included?
可以短租吗？	Kěyǐ duǎnzū ma?	Is a short-term lease possible?
附近有地铁站吗？	Fùjìn yǒu dìtiě zhàn ma?	Is there a metro station nearby?

包 (bāo) here means “included in the price”, so 包水电 (bāo shuǐdiàn) is “water and electricity included”. Ask the same way about internet: 包网费吗？ (Bāo wǎngfèi ma?) Whatever the answer, get it in writing before you sign.

Asking about the contract

You do not need to translate a whole lease to protect yourself. Point at the clause and ask one closed question.

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
租期多长？	Zūqī duō cháng?	How long is the lease?
可以提前退租吗？	Kěyǐ tíqián tuìzū ma?	Can I end the lease early?
这一条是什么意思？	Zhè yì tiáo shì shénme yìsi?	What does this clause mean?

For anything involving money or dates, ask the agent to send the answer by message so you have a record you can re-read later.

Getting a repair done

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
请派人来修一下。	Qǐng pài rén lái xiū yíxià.	Please send someone to repair it.
空调不制冷。	Kōngtiáo bú zhìlěng.	The air conditioner is not cooling.
厨房漏水了。	Chúfáng lòushuǐ le.	The kitchen is leaking.

Tenant: 我房间的热水器坏了。
(Wǒ fángjiān de rèshuǐqì huài le.)
Manager: 请告诉我房间号。
(Qǐng gàosu wǒ fángjiān hào.)
Tenant: 是三零二号房。
(Shì sān líng èr hào fáng.)

Room numbers are read digit by digit: 302 is 三零二 (sān líng èr), not “three hundred and two”. Swap 热水器 (rèshuǐqì, water heater) for 空调 (kōngtiáo, air conditioner), 马桶 (mǎtǒng, toilet) or 冰箱 (bīngxiāng, fridge) and the sentence still works.

Conversation: set a repair time

Manager: 明天上午可以来修吗？
(Míngtiān shàngwǔ kěyǐ lái xiū ma?)
Tenant: 可以，我十点以后在家。
(Kěyǐ, wǒ shí diǎn yǐhòu zài jiā.)
Manager: 好的，我给您安排。
(Hǎo de, wǒ gěi nín ānpái.)

If the proposed time does not work, offer an alternative instead of only refusing: 明天下午可以吗？ (Míngtiān xiàwǔ kěyǐ ma?) A counter-offer keeps the repair on the calendar.

Takeaway

Put room number, problem and preferred time in one message — it is the fastest route to a scheduled repair.
Do not rely on a spoken promise for contractual terms; get rent, deposit and dates in writing.
One closed question per clause is enough; you do not need to read the whole contract in Chinese.

Related: handle utilities and rent transfers with banking and payments, and a broken connection with IT support.

By the end of this chapter, you can say

房租多少钱？ (Fángzū duōshao qián?)

Practical note for this chapter

From arrival to transport, meals, housing and getting help when something changes. In this chapter, practice giving a short response and then checking what matters.

Use it in context

A: 您的房间有什么问题？ (Nín de fángjiān yǒu shénme wèntí?)
B: 房租多少钱？ (Fángzū duōshao qián?)

Phrase map for this chapter

Question or situation: 您的房间有什么问题？ (Nín de fángjiān yǒu shénme wèntí?)
Central response: 房租多少钱？ (Fángzū duōshao qián?)
Another natural way to say it: 热水器坏了，什么时候可以来修？ (Rèshuǐqì huài le, shénme shíhou kěyǐ lái xiū?); Use this variation in a situation you genuinely expect to handle.
How to use it: Listen to the model once, then say it again with one detail from your own situation.

Turn the model into three conversation turns

1. Open the situation您的房间有什么问题？ (Nín de fángjiān yǒu shénme wèntí?)
2. Say the central response房租多少钱？ (Fángzū duōshao qián?)
3. Add an alternative热水器坏了，什么时候可以来修？ (Rèshuǐqì huài le, shénme shíhou kěyǐ lái xiū?)

Before acting, check the point most likely to cause a misunderstanding. This dialogue is for practice. For important decisions, confirm official guidance as well.

A useful variation

Keep the same purpose, then change the person, time or place to make it your own.

热水器坏了，什么时候可以来修？ (Rèshuǐqì huài le, shénme shíhou kěyǐ lái xiū?)

Use this variation in a situation you genuinely expect to handle.

Listen to the model once, then say it again with one detail from your own situation.

A common trap

For important details, do not decide from what you think you heard; check written information when needed.

维修请求要说明房号、问题和可接受的时间。 (Wéixiū qǐngqiú yào shuōmíng fánghào, wèntí hé kě jiēshòu de shíjiān.)

This dialogue is for practice. For important decisions, confirm official guidance as well.

Three-step practice

Open the situation in one short phrase
Say the central response
Add one detail of your own