My friend came to KM for a visit and fell in love with the place, decided to stay (can't blame him after four years in Hebei! Who wouldn't love KM after that ordeal! Haha) so found a job here.
Anyway, he's on a budget and is looking for a small studio flat/one bed place. He would rather not go through an agent and have to pay a months rent for the agent fee, so I'm wondering if any of you guys have any recommendations on where to look directly.? Adverts on this site are not cheap to say the least! My Chinese is not good enough to use 58.com, though conversational is not bad, I could probably manage dealing with landlords face to face.

Are any of you currently in a studio and moving or maybe your landlord has other studios for rent? Ideally it should be downtown as he has found a job in the centre, though a bus ride is possible if the place is right!

Thanks in advance for any help!

P.S. Not interested in a flat share. Thanks.

There is one other way to avoid (most of) the agent's fees, and that is to go and talk to security guards or the person who operates the bike shed in the xiaoqu or building you want to live in. SOMETIMES they will know which apartments are empty and can put you in touch with a landlord.

Of course then you should give them something, a few hundred kuai, usually. That said this is best done with a local friend.

Also my landlady did have a place right next door to mine in Moma on Beijing Lu, I just asked her if it's free and will PM you if it is.

Awesome, thanks Giraffe! : )

You can even check with the communities' management offices directly. Some offices will have either a notice board or a notebook with places that landlords have made available, with price, size and contact details.

I live in a one-bedroom apartment in Moma, very close to city center, and will move out at the end of august, I'm looking for someone to sublet it to after that. You can then sign a new contract in october. If your friend is interested, you can pm me.

@sbarella:
It's too late for my friend but it could be suitable for me depending on price.. I was planning to move out end of July, but could possibly stretch it for another month with my landlady if she doesn't have someone else in mind for the property.
Please PM me the details! : )

@Yankee:
Where would I find the management offices? At the front gate of the Xiao Qu?

As far as I know, my current place doesn't have a management office.. it's just one block behind a computer store on Yuantong Bei Lu, you wouldn't even know there was flats there. In fact nobody does know, hence the milkman, pizza delivery, postman or Fed-Ex guy can never find my address, which is a bit of a pain, lol!

I was thinking somewhere like my current place would be cheap as it's an old building, but in this building there are only two bed flats. Too much for me, I need to downgrade to a one bed place/ studio.

Little shops with notices in the window of flats for rent and/or sale all over the place - doesn't hurt to look.

"Where would I find the management offices? At the front gate of the Xiao Qu?"

Depends in the community, but it should normally be inside, in a place that's easily accessible for the residents.
Ask the guards for "wu4ye4" (物业) or "wu4guan3" (物管), or show them those characters.
In some communities, they might not let you in alone. You can ask them to send over a staff from the management to accompany you to their office.

And there is usually one of the small shops I mentioned near the xiaoqu in question.