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Keep the contract, deposit proof, inventory, photos, messages and payment records together.
For RMB 10 million in rent, repairs or risk of losing the deposit, small missing evidence can matter.
Separate what the agreement says from what actually happened.
Use Caira to draft a landlord, tenant or tribunal-ready document checklist.
If your Chinese landlord or agent will not return your rental deposit, start with the lease and the evidence, not with an angry threat. The strongest practical position is usually built from the 房屋租赁合同, 押金收据, payment records, handover evidence, photos, videos, and WeChat messages. The official sources validate a national deposit-rights angle through the 2025 housing rental regulation and the SAMR model urban housing lease, but local filing, complaint, mediation, and court routes still vary by city. Keep the article national unless you have a verified local source for the city.
Who this applies to
This guide is for tenants in mainland China whose landlord, apartment operator, or intermediary refuses to return the deposit after move-out, delays without explanation, or makes vague deductions for cleaning, utilities, damage, missing items, or early termination. It is also useful before moving out, because deposit disputes are easier to prevent when the handover process is documented. It does not cover every commercial lease, hotel-style stay, short-term platform booking, or city-specific filing procedure.
What to check in the contract
Find the clause that deals with 押金. A useful clause should identify the deposit amount, what the deposit secures, when it should be returned, and what deductions are allowed. The official materials highlight the 2025 housing rental regulation because deposit amount, return time, and deduction circumstances should be agreed in the lease, and unjustified deductions outside the contract should not be treated as normal. The SAMR model lease is a practical checklist source because it separates rent, deposit, handover, repair, payment, and return details instead of leaving them to memory.
If the lease is vague, stay calm, but do build the surrounding file. Who received the deposit? Was it the landlord, a housing rental company, or an agent? Was the money labelled rent, deposit, service fee, or something else in the transfer note? Was there a handover sheet listing furniture, appliances, meter readings, and existing damage? Those facts can matter as much as the label.
Ask for a written breakdown
When a landlord says the deposit is being kept, ask for specifics. For damage, request photos, repair invoices, and the contract clause relied on. For utilities, request the bill or meter basis. For cleaning, ask why ordinary cleaning is being charged and what evidence supports the amount. For early termination, separate a contract penalty or unpaid rent issue from unrelated claims about wear. A landlord may have a real claim for a documented deduction, but a round-number deduction with no explanation is easier to challenge.
Evidence checklist
Save the signed lease, deposit receipt, rent payment records, WeChat and SMS threads, agent service agreement, ID or company details of the counterparty where available, move-in photos, move-out photos, videos of appliances, utility readings, repair requests, handover checklist, and key-return proof. Export chats before leaving a group or losing access to a work phone. If you used cash, write down who received it, where, when, and whether any witnesses were present.
A Simplified Chinese refund request
Use a calm, document-focused message:
您好，[房东/中介姓名]：我于[日期]退租并交还了位于[地址]的房屋钥匙。根据我们的租赁合同及付款记录，我已支付押金人民币[金额]元。目前我尚未收到押金退还。请您在[日期]前将应退押金退还至以下账户/付款方式：[账户信息]。如您认为需要扣除部分押金，请提供具体扣款原因、金额明细及相关证明材料，例如照片、维修发票、物业费用或水电费用明细。谢谢。[姓名]
Practical next steps
If the landlord gives a breakdown, compare it against the contract and evidence. If the dispute is small and the city has a mediation, housing bureau, community, or court route, check the official local source before filing. If the agent, not the landlord, took the money, keep the agency agreement and payment trail because the correct counterparty may be contested. Avoid copying city complaint instructions from another city; China rental filing and dispute-handling workflows are local in practice.
Common mistakes
Do not move out without photos, utility readings, and written key-return proof. Do not agree in chat that the landlord may deduct a vague future amount. Do not delete WeChat evidence. Do not assume the national regulation gives you a single national complaint form. And do not threaten a lawsuit before checking the defendant's identity, amount claimed, evidence, and local process.
Where Unwildered fits
Upload the lease, deposit clause, payment proof, handover checklist, photos, and landlord or agent messages. Unwildered can help organise the timeline, spot missing evidence, and draft a clear refund request before you seek local advice or use an official local route.
Official context to check
The useful official hook is not a national rent average; it is the 2025 housing-rental framework. Treat the State Council regulation and the SAMR model lease as document-quality signals: identity, authority to rent, deposit wording, repair allocation, handover evidence and local filing should all line up.
Sources
State Council official portal: 2025 housing rental regulations
SAMR: 2025 model urban housing lease
local housing bureau or rental filing platform
This article is general information, not legal, financial, medical or tax advice.
