The hashtag (标签), “Living in my home during the National Day holiday” is trending big time on social media platforms, with people living in popular tourist destinations such as Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen in Fujian province and Changsha in Hunan province offering their extra rooms to travelers. The eight-day holiday starts on Friday, which marks Mid-Autumn Festival.
According to China State Railway Group, the country’s railway operator, about 190 million passenger trips are expected to be made on the railway network from Wednesday through Oct 8, compared with 72 million trips during the same period in 2022 and 138 million in 2019.
On Xiaohongshu, a popular lifestyle-sharing platform, there are many posts by netizens offering to rent out their apartments during the holiday week. A post typically includes pictures and videos of the apartment, the time slot it is available for and its location. Unlike hotels, those renting out their homes are not charging anything extra for cleaning the apartment while it is occupied, no contract or deal needs to be signed and the ID information of the renters is not necessarily required.
Meanwhile, some netizens have expressed concern over this trend of renting out personal apartments. “It is so unsafe. What if the people install (安装) a camera in your home or make it a complete mess,” one asked while commenting on a post seeking tenants (租户). Another said, “Won’t you be afraid of people opening your computer and checking what’s inside?”
Fu Jian, a lawyer at Henan Zejin Law Firm, said that as there is no written agreement being signed between homeowners and renters, and the ID information is not registered, it would be very difficult for the owner to safeguard his or her rights should a dispute (争吵) occur. Moreover, if there is a theft or an accident involving the guests during their stay in the apartment, the owner will more or less be held accountable, he said. He advised owners to be aware of the rules and regulations before renting out their apartments, and added that renters should also choose carefully to avoid unnecessary risks.
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