I can easily second that Jack Balavadze, the head of Ziroom International Department, has lived up to his words quoted in this story. I had to contact him at the height of the coronavirus outbreak, and he has been tremendous help, dedicating not only his time, but also his entire team to solve my problem as a Ziroom tenant, which my months of previous attempts failed to resolve. He is extremely result-oriented, efficient and tackles the problems straightforward in a high manner of professionalism, and he, therefore, is the kind of the manager type the Chinese companies are in much need of, given my years of experince and dealings with them. I hope his intellectually stimulating managerial skills and knowledge, which I gathered during the course of him resolving my problem, will help many other foreign tenants and will surely upgrade Ziroom's quality and credibility. Therefore, it is my heartfelt voluntary duty to thank him in the hope of encouraging such professionals who are dedicated to keep up good work.
Ziroom Allows Foreigners Outside China to Terminate Their Lease and Keep Their Deposit
China's blanket ban on foreigners entering the country has meant that many expats who departed in the early days of the pandemic are now left stranded and unable to return to their life and work here, even as schools and businesses prepare their return to normalcy. Moreover, those with long-term leases have found themselves in a particular pickle, forced to pay rent on an apartment to which they cannot return.
Now, there is good news for stranded renters who are lucky enough to have signed through Ziroom. With no end to the entry ban in sight, over the weekend the real estate company announced a new policy aimed at allowing foreigners stuck outside of China the opportunity to cancel their lease without losing their deposit and remaining service fees.
For those who take advantage of the policy, Ziroom will also box up renters' personal belongings and hand them over to a designated entrusted person. How the belongings are handed off will be determined on a case-by-case basis, but the company will only ship the belongings domestically, deducting the shipping costs from the service fee prior to the refund.
The new policy comes as many Beijing expats report that some agents of Ziroom and other rental companies are unable or unwilling to rent to foreigners. As we previously reported, there is no municipal rule that requires companies to scrutinize foreign renters, but some agents or landlords may be forced to comply with the discriminatory rules of a local community.
Jack Balavadze, head of Ziroom's international department, which devised the above policy, told the Beijinger that if foreign renters experience discrimination or other hurdles when signing or extending a lease, they should contact his department for help (email: jack@ziroom.com; WeChat ID: JackBalavadze).
"Due to COVID-19, local communities have imposed restrictions upon newcomers into the communities and especially foreigners," says Balavadze. "Though, we have certain communities where we can move the customers in without any problem."
READ: Amid Reports of Rental Discounts, Should You Try to Renegotiate Your Lease?
Image: House Beautiful