静安：企业为员工提供优惠租赁房 - 2017年03月14日

HAN Bohan has happily settled in her new home — a furnished one-bedroom flat on the 15th floor of an apartment block, equipped with television, air conditioning, microwave oven, refrigerator and washing machine.

“I love the location,” said the 27-year-old. “It’s convenient to work, to shop and to entertainment.”

Indeed, retail shops are just around the corner, and a Metro station is a kilometer away.

Han is paying less than 2,000 yuan (US$291) a month for the flat, half the cost of her former home in an old six-floor building, where she roomed with another girl. As an added bonus, she doesn’t have to pay property management fees in her new place.

Han is among 176 employees from China Everbright Bank who recently moved to the new apartment building at the intersection of Wanrong and Lingshi roads.

It is part of a new public rental housing program especially designed for Jing’an-based firms.

“We aim to provide inexpensive yet quality apartments to young workers of Jing’an-based companies to keep them firmly rooted here in Jing’an,” said Zhao Zhengxiang, an official from the Jing’an housing authority.

The program also promises efficiency in processing applications. Han said she moved in just a month after submitting the forms.

This project currently has 624 units in three apartment buildings. Everbright rented one building for its workers, while other firms have rented several floors.

“We are approaching more firms, hoping to get them rent a whole building like Everbright did,” Zhao said. “If there are still some units left, we may open the project to individual applicants.”

So far, nearly half of available units have been leased.

Zhao said rentals are about 10 percent below market prices. Tenants pay half the rent; their employers pick up the rest. Leases have a maximum tenure of six years, and most of the tenants are white-collar workers from out of town.

“Of course, there are some requirements,” he added. “Applicants are required to hold residence permits and have secure and fixed employment. Those who currently own homes that are 15 square meters or larger are excluded.”

According to the developer, Pengpu Industrial Co, favorable government policies, including tax breaks, are a main driver behind the project.