I initially came to Shenzhen for a day to view some apartments, after viewing I put a deposit down on a property I liked with the agreement i would move in, in 2 days time and we also agreed we would start the lease from that date.

On arriving and bringing all my belonging I sat down to sign the lease with the realtor and home owner who couldn’t speak English. At this point the realtor told me the rent had increased due to to me being a foreigner and the rent was back dated to the day i gave my deposit. This was my first day of living in Shenzhen, I had all my belongings in the lobby and I had little option but to agree or i would loose the deposit. 

After completing the term as agreed in the contract and after a successful inspection from the homeowner, the homeowner paid the deposit back in full to the realtor. From this date the realtor has gone in hiding, not returned any of the deposit and is ignoring all message from myself, the home owner and the police.

Due to the circumstances my girlfriend became friendly with the homeowner who is doing everything she can to help. We discussed the rental increase at the start of the agreement which she was shocked by, the home owner had no knowledge of this and showed us her the copy of the agreement. 

What had happen was - the realtor had forged the amount and each month she had pocketed the extra amount she had added.

The home owner also confirmed the rent wasn’t back dated and this additional payment was also pocketed by the realtor.

I am now several thousand out of pocket, I would advise to stay clear of this agency. They are targeting foreigners, please be vigilant.

The relaters name is : Gloria You