Although long-term apartment rental operator Ziroom had claimed that, starting Sept. 1, it would remove from its platform all of the apartments offered for first-time rental in nine cities, including Shenzhen, a tenant in Longgang District said her room was tested and contained excessive levels of a chemical, Shenzhen TV reported yesterday.
It is not the first time that Ziroom has been accused of leasing apartments unfit for habitation. Previously, several tenants in different apartments operated by the company discovered levels of formaldehyde, a potentially carcinogenic chemical released by some paints and varnishes, were above acceptable limits.
The tenant surnamed Yang said she moved into the apartment one or two days after she signed a lease May 28. About half a month later, she began to experience symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and hemoptysis.
Yang was worried about her health, so she had her room tested by a qualified testing company. According to the report, the amount of formaldehyde in Yang’s room was 1.1 times higher than the national standard. In another apartment, the level was 2.3 times more than the limit.
According to the apartment’s safety liability statement, the renovations on the apartment were finished May 29, meaning that Yang had moved into the apartment immediately following the renovation.
Yang said she reported the problem to Ziroom, but hadn’t received a response. In an earlier statement, the company said that in the future all apartments would be tested before they were put on the market, and a test report would be displayed in the information provided on the Ziroom app.
A tenant surnamed Xiao in Bao’an District also said his room, which was provided by apartment rental operator Danke, also had safety problems. During a safety check, Xiao’s room was found to have been illegally partitioned.
Xiao moved out of the apartment due to the safety risks. He asked Danke to pay a month’s rent as a penalty for breaching the contract.
However, the company refused the request on the grounds that the apartment had been renovated according to the government’s requirements, which constitutes a force majeure.