5 Disadvantages Of Living Off-Campus At The Beijing Language and Culture University

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Having done the post on 5 Advantages Of Living Off-Campus At BLCU, this seemed like a natural follow up. So now I'm going to look at some of the disadvantages. Hopefully this will let you keep an open mind with regards to accommodation at the Beijing Language and Culture University and allow you make a more guided decision on where you want to stay.

Rent must be negotiated

Unlike with accommodation on campus, when renting an apartment you're going to have to do some haggling to get the cheapest price. Lanlords are going to be aware that you're a foreigner and probably try to overcharge you a little initially.

However, there are also a lot of landlords who have been renting to foreigners in the BLCU area for years and would rather have a continuous income than an empty apartment as the result of overcharging. These landlords will offer you the best price from the beginning.

It's really just about having a look around the area first so you know what you can expect to pay. Also ask friends who rent off-campus what they pay. This way you won't get caught out when the landlord offers you a price and you're unsure about whether it's a good deal or not.

You will find that most landlords will be open to coming down in price a bit, especially if you make it clear from the beginning that you think what they're asking is unreasonable. Be quite pushy in your negotiating and threaten to walk away if they don't budge on the price. Then, if you don't get a call within a day or two it will be a sure sign that the price they offered was their lowest.

Agent fees

My experience was that most agencies will try to charge you one month's rent as an agent fee. However, when I told them I was unwilling to pay this and walked away to look elsewhere, they came after me with the offer to drop it altogether. So you should do the same.

There's no need to pay agency fees although they will make it look like it's not open to negotiation in the beginning. Don't fall for the trap. My system always worked and I've always told others to do the same. At the end of the day, they want your business.

Some agencies, on the other hand, will not ask for any fee. So just make sure you get this point clear before you even start wasting your time discussing and viewing potential apartments with them. If they will not budge on the matter, simply go elsewhere.

I dealt with A LOT of agencies during my time at BLCU and I know how they work. If you don't pay the fee, the landlord will instead.

This section on agent fees as well as the previous bit on negotiating your rent just goes to highlight some of the stress of the apartment hunt, so do be prepared for that but don't let it put you off. Having your own apartment is definitely worth it in the end, especially after you're been living in a tiny room on campus.

No room service

You've been living on campus and have got used to the room service every day. They make your bed, clean your bathroom and empty your trash. Well, if you move off-campus that's obviously going to change. You're going to have to do all the cleaning yourself unless you hire a cleaner (as a lot of people choose to do).

I think you can find cleaners for as little as 15-30 RMB per hour. Have them come round to your apartment once a week or so and give it a thorough clean. You will definitely have to do a bit of negotiating for a good price though as they will probably offer quite a high rate at first.

So although you won't be getting free room service, this way still works out very cheap while allowing you all the benefits of living off-campus. Is this really even a disadvantage? Hardly, but worth mentioning.

Wake up earlier

This point is certainly true. You will have to wake up quite a bit earlier to get to class at the same time as those living on campus.

Most apartment buildings will have a lot of floors and probably only two lifts servicing them all. Apartments at Furin Jiayuan near BLCU's east gate, for example, have almost 30 floors. As such, you can be waiting a while before the lift arrives, especially if it's at a busy time.

You will also have to make the longer trip into campus. However, if you buy a bicycle (see my Ultimate Guide To Bicycles At BLCU) this should cut the commute time right down to a few minutes. Depending on where you live though, you may still have to factor in for a 15-20 minute commute to class each morning. Chances are that in the beginning you will probably be walking.

So compared to the 5 minutes or less it takes those living on campus to get to class, your trip might suddenly start looking a lot longer. Plus, in spite of all the Beijing weather, the -20°C it can drop to in winter or the almost 40°C it can climb to in summer, you're still going to have to do it. Every morning. Come rain or shine, as they say.

If I'm being honest, living off-campus probably did result in me being late to class more often than I would had I stayed on campus instead. I didn't mind it though as the advantages still outweighed the disadvantages in my mind.

Usage charges

Finally, living off-campus means you're going to be paying for your water, gas and electricity. For me, though, that usually amounted to no more than 100 RMB or so extra a month. On campus accommodation has already factored in your usage and that is reflected in the higher accommodation rates, so really you're still saving money or just paying the same.

One thing that IS a bother though is having to go and manually top up your electricity card. This can be done at a place in Wudaokou just across the road from Huaqing Jiayuan's west gate. The building is called something like "State Grid" and I think the writing is in green. It shouldn't be too hard to spot, just a bit further down from an estate agency.

The same street has a pharmacy on the corner of the crossroads where the Microsoft and Cernet buildings are located. Ganghes Indian restaurant that I talk about in 5 Restaurants Near BLCU You Might Not Know About is just round the corner from here too.

To top up gas, you will probably have to go to a bank as I don't think you can do it at the State Grid building, though it might be worth trying. The trouble is, not all banks do it. The bank where I used to top up gas is a bit hard to describe to anyone new to BLCU, but I will try anyway.

If you are at the crossroads in Wudaokou I just mentioned (having come from BLCU), take a right turn heading north. Follow the road straight and then round to the right. On the left a bit further along you should see a bank. Inside they have a machine which will allow you to insert your gas card and top it up. You might need to ask an assistant for some help though as it can be a bit tricky at first.

So really the disadvantage to usage charges isn't how much it costs but the awkwardness of always having to go out of your way to top up the various cards. Be smart and add as much cash to them as you will need for the foreseeable future and this will reduce the number of trips you need to make during the semester.

Well, that's it folks. These have been my 5 disadvantages to living off-campus at BLCU. I hope they were informative and helpful. I'd like to hear what YOU think are the main disadvantages in the comments section below, or if you have any further questions, please leave them there too.

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