Cheers all! My son and I just arrived in Kunming yesterday, Any advice on renting? negotiating agency fees, things to avoid, things to consider? How negotiable are the rents? Thanks in advance. Also, is there an agency that is preferred to another? So many questions, I know!!

Welcome to Kunming.
Renting is straight forward.
1. Decide which neighbourhood you want to line in. This is perhaps the hardest part.
2. Visit the agents in that neighbourhood. All of them, to get a feel for prices. Most people put their property in all of the local agents, but only one will have keys, and so don't be surprised if you are shuffled around a bit, or if the agent disappears for 20 mins to get the keys, when you want to view.
3. You can usually negotiate the rent, but usually with the landlord is better than with the agent. Negotiation is not just on price. You can often get them to switch in/out furniture, and sometimes add the cost of new furniture to the rent (a good bed and mattress).
The agent probably won't speak English, and the Landlord may not speak mandarin well.

You may have a problem negotiating the fees. The agent is just a sales guy working for a hard boiled employer.
4. Rent and deposit, be prepared for a variety of demands. Some landlords will want 6 month or a year rent upfront. Others are happy with a 2 month deposit. This is often negotiable.
Some landlords are lazy and greedy, they will want too much rent, and or too much in their favour. Think of everything as a negotiation. If they ask for the moon, then negotiate hard downward and see what they come back with. Also ask the agent how long the property has been empty.

You will probably need a local helper, trust no one. Some people will look upon helping you as a chance to earn some money (kick back from the agent). This is why it helps to look at all the property cards in the agent's windows, to understand the market.

I saw the ad you posted - I responded, but ad responses go to your email and you mentioned trouble accessing that. If you have gmail, you'll need a VPN to access it reliably. We recently rented a place near Green Lake, and the main trouble we had is due to our short-term stay. For only 7 months the pickins were slim and we had zero negotiating power.

my friends and relatives rent house at New Asian Real Estate in Kunming, which is one of formal house rented center in Kunming. There are many branch stores in Kunming that could be searched in Google Map or Tencent Maps online. I think you could get some help from there.

Hi,
I am looking to move in a couple of weeks. Please post your experiences here. Agent or not? Good or bad?
Thanks!

I think, it's better to ask for help from official and formal agencies than personal ones. In formal agency, They will sign a formal contract with you, if some unexpected thing happens, you could ask for their help or even protection by law.

It's accurate to rent a house from formal agency.

i always go to the 小区 and speak to the real estate places that are inside. you can haggle a l. more.

I'd really rather not have to go to an agent, and save myself a months rent, I'm on a tight budget.

So my Chinese is pretty awful, I've been in to two agents with no hopes of communication. Let's see how tomorrow goes......