Landlords in Beijing may face fines of up to 10 times the monthly rent if they fail to keep an eye on tenants and the use of their houses.
Sun Lifeng, a police officer in charge of population management in Dongcheng District, said strengthening supervision on house renting is an effective way to manage the influx of migrants, who now constitute one quarter of the city's total population.
Although there are long-standing outcries against the temporary residence permit system possibly discriminating against the group, Sun said such a system may not be abolished in the near future in Beijing. He said he hoped landlords could help local police check renters' permits as part of a campaign to crack down on crimes that can occur in the rented homes.
"Some people like to use rented houses as hidden places to commit illegal activities, such as selling sex, taking drugs and selling fake CDs," Sun said. "As they usually change residence every two to three months, enhancing supervision on rented houses is a must to crack down on such mobile crimes."
Li Ping, who did not give her real name, is one of the 8,000 landlords in Beijing who have been dragged into hot water by tenants who committed illegal deals from prostitution to taking drugs in their houses.
Li said she had never met her tenant before local police fined her 3,000 yuan (US$370) last week for her negligence in overseeing the use of her home.
The tenant was found selling sex in Li's house last month.
Li said she entrusted an intermediary agency to rent her house in Dongcheng District early this year.
"I knew nothing about the tenant or what she did in my house, except checking my bank account every month through which she transferred the rental to me," Li said. "I never expected the tenant would do such a deal in my house at all."
According to relevant regulations, house landlords in Beijing must sign a security contract with local police stations. The contract requires a landlord to check tenants' ID cards or temporary residence permits, and to keep an eye on the use of the house.
The requirement is in line with China's traditional public security concept to encourage every person to watch for illegal activities.
Many of the city's house landlords, however, do not have clear awareness about house rental regulations and fail to follow the requirements, according to the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.
In Dongcheng District, for instance, nearly 200 landlords still did not sign security contracts with local police stations after the bureau launched a campaign last month on house renting and urged landlords to check their houses.
So far, nearly 8,000 landlords around the city have been punished for their negligence during the ongoing campaign.
According to regulations, a landlord will be fined one to five times the monthly rent if he or she leases a house to a migrant without a temporary residence permit.
Non-Beijingers are required to apply for temporary residence permits if they stay in the capital for more than three days.
A landlord will be subject to a fine of one to 10 times the monthly rent if he or she fails to oversee the use of the rented house.
Those who report important information related to illegal activity in homes will be awarded.
An elderly landlord in Dongcheng District was awarded 500 yuan (US$60) last week for reporting several people who were taking drugs in his house.
(China Daily September 20, 2005)
