THE Shenzhen Municipal Housing and Construction Bureau recently released a revised template for housing contracts to standardize housing rental agreements and protect the legitimate rights and interests of tenants, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.

The new housing contract template standardizes the description of names in the contract, and the relevant content shall be selected by the parties concerned by checking boxes after negotiation.

The new model contract also provides materials, such as the confirmation of housing delivery, confirmation of housing return, notice of contract termination and the letter of authorization commonly used in the process of apartment leasing for the reference of the parties concerned.

Meanwhile, the template guides the landlord and tenant to set up a deposit of no more than two months’ rent to reduce transaction costs and removes the statement that the deposit will not be refunded if the tenant breaches the contract.

It clarifies that a deposit is to guarantee the tenant will perform the obligations stipulated in the contract and that the landlord shall not withhold the deposit without reason.

Additionally, the template guides the landlord and tenant to specify the charging standards and payment methods for water, electricity and gas bills, as well as property management fees, when signing the contract.

The new housing contract template went into use Nov. 5, and the old version will not be accepted for registration starting Jan. 1, according to the bureau.

(Zhang Yu)