Pudong
People who move to Pudong tend to be North American and European families with children who prefer to live in large homes with housing budgets of $5,000 to $15,000 USD per month. Typically they appreciate the calmer, quieter and slightly cleaner aspects of Pudong. Many enjoy golfing activities at Shanghai Links or Tomson Golf, the onsite facilities at their villa complexes or at the world's 3rd largest city park - Century Park.

Since Pudong is a relatively new area, the development has been done with the future in mind. The roads tend to be wider and straighter, the buildings are all newer and generally the area is cleaner. Most of Pudong is well designed for convenient grocery shopping.
Pudong also attracts business people and couples without kids who prefer to live in apartments that are easily commutable from their office. These clients tend to be people who prefer not to live in the middle of the city, but perhaps consider traveling to downtown restaurants, bars and cultural events less then twice a week.

Puxi
Puxi itself is comprised of several distinctive communities, which we address later. In general our clients who move to Puxi's western suburbs tend to be North American and European families with children who prefer to live in large homes, large apartments or townhouses and have housing budgets of $3,500 to $15,000 USD per month. Unlike Pudong, Puxi's suburbs have expat appropriate houses which were built in the late 1980's and early 1990's, as well as houses built within the past years.People who move to Puxi's suburbs tend to have offices in the Puxi area and have children enrolled in Puxi's numerous International schools.

Western Puxi's industrial areas are slightly closer to the residential areas then they are in Pudong. Some people find that Puxi's suburbs are noisier then Pudong's, however this strongly depends upon which housing development you are in. The western suburbs of Puxi tend to be convenient for grocery shopping, after school activities and expatriate organizations. There are more housing choices and more expatriates in the western suburbs of Puxi then there are in Pudong,

The overwhelming majority of People who move to Puxi's downtown areas are business people or families without children. 95% of these clients rent private or serviced apartments, and typically tend to remain in the same apartment for their entire relocation period. some people rent old renovated properties within Shanghai, however people vary considerably in these sorts of properties. Living in downtown Shanghai is very convenient for people who like to sample Shanghai's wonderful restaurants, cultural events and nightlife. For many people these experiences are worth the trade off of living in more dense neighborhoods that are noisier and possibly dirtier. In newer buildings, double paned windows and high floors offer quiet refuge from noise, as well as breathtaking views.

Price
Generally, the longer the term, the lower the price. For larger properties bringing your own furniture can also lower the rental price somewhat, however if units are only available pre-furnished, this can cause difficulties.
Nearly all properties charge management fees of around 5% per month. These are meant to be used for upkeep of the public areas, the facilities and security.

In addition to management fees there are utilities fees such as telephone, water, gas and electricity. Sometimes a utility allowance can be included in the lease. Depending on the compound there may also be car parking fees.

Deposit
A security deposit of the equivalent of one to two months rent is paid by the tenant to ensure that the full term of the lease is carried out and any damages are compensated. The security deposit is fully refundable at the termination of the lease as long as there are no outstanding issues. You will also need to pay the first month's rent in advance. These should be paid into a specified bank account in RMB or US Dollars in Mainland China. The landlord will provide you with an official tax receipt.

Short Term Leases
Short Term leases are available in some serviced apartments, however generally not in villas or privately owned apartments.

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