住建部发布通知就《住房租赁条例（征求意见稿）》向社会公开征求意见。

 

The draft regulation is designed to protect the lawful interests of tenants and landlords. One of its provisions says the interior decoration of apartments should meet national standards and not pose a risk to tenants' health.

 

Landlords should not rent kitchens, bathrooms, balconies or basements for tenants to live in, and landlords should show their ID and real estate ownership certificates to tenants before a lease is signed. Tenants should also show their ID to landlords.

 

Landlords who collect deposits from tenants should include the amount and its time of refund in contracts.

 

Landlords should not enter a rented apartment without the tenant's consent, the draft says.

 

Landlords should also take on the responsibility of apartment maintenance unless they have agreed otherwise with tenants.

 

Tenants should abide by laws and regulations and not damage or dismantle fire safety facilities or make alterations to apartments' load-bearing structures, it says.

 

The lease between tenant and landlord should be registered in the online real estate rental system.

 

Real estate agents should not coax or force tenants into applying for loans to pay rents by offering rent discounts or other measures, and they must not include any mention of such loans in leases.

 

Commercial banks that grant such loans should make sure the length of maturity does not exceed the duration of the lease, the draft regulation says.