How did you end up paying the loan when you were obviously paying the rent?

“One deposit, one payment” and “no agency fees”. Are these two conditions very attractive to tenants? Recently, many tenants in Nanjing reported online that when they rented an apartment from the apartment operator Meiliwu, they discovered that the rent they paid was actually repaying the loan. When they wanted to quit the rent, they were required to pay a large amount of money. Liquidated damages. What's going on? Modern Express reporters launched an investigation into this.

Deeply trapped in a rent loan, you have to pay liquidated damages when you cancel the rent

At the end of 2018, netizen Xiaoyue (pseudonym) came to Nanjing. She found a one-room suite online with a monthly rent of 900 yuan, so she contacted her to view the apartment. It was only when she was looking at the house that she realized that it was the agency of Meiliwu who had posted the rental information. She told the reporter of Modern Express that she was anxious to rent a house at the time. Although she felt that the apartment was quite different from the photo, she still rented it and chose the one-deposit-one-pay rent method. Including water, electricity and other expenses, Xiaoyue has to pay 1,230 yuan every month.

When signing the contract, Meiliwu’s sales staff said that if you want to deposit one payment, you must get a loan from the third-party platform "Huimeihui". "They also told me that this loan would not affect my personal credit report, and I really didn't have the money to choose quarterly payment, so I had to apply for a loan." After renting the house, Xiaoyue also worked in Meiliwu for a period of time. . During this period, a customer reported that the loan taken out when renting a house had affected his personal credit report.

Xiaoyue decided to check out, but found it difficult to cancel the loan. The intermediary told Xiaoyue that if she wanted to cancel the loan midway, she would need to pay a penalty equivalent to two months' rent; or Xiaoyue could sublet, but she would have to pay a sublease fee of 300 yuan. However, Xiaoyue discovered that the apartment she lived in No one is willing to rent the place. Now, Xiaoyue has paid the loan for 7 months and can't find anyone to sublet. "Now that I have taken on a loan, my credit report will be affected if I don't repay it, and no one at Beautiful House paid attention to my appeal. I don't know what to do next."

Renting a house is "one deposit, one payment". There are traps

A search found that there were many problems with Meiliwu’s loan and rental services. Some people know that they have a loan, but when they check out, credit checks, liquidated damages, etc. become obstacles, and more people are completely unaware that they have a loan. One of the netizens @“Youth’s Corner 72” said that he signed a contract for one year at that time, and the rent was deposited and paid. However, one month later he discovered that Meiliwu had used his personal information to process 14,000 yuan without his knowledge. of loans. And he didn't see a loan clause in the rental contract.

Netizen @"want to graduate smoothly" said that she chose to deposit one and pay three. Before she signed the contract, the agency of Beautiful House asked her to take her ID card and enter the information. When she checked in, she found that the environment was too noisy and wanted to cancel the lease, but the agent told her that liquidated damages would be deducted according to the contract. It turned out that the agent had already used her ID card to make an electronic contract. "I haven't signed yet, so I say I have signed a contract. Is this contract valid?"

On June 17, a reporter from Modern Express visited the beautiful apartment on Yudao Street in Nanjing in the name of a renter. house branch. A staff member showed reporters two houses, both with rents of 1,600 yuan/month. The reporter found that the two rooms were separated by wooden boards and the sound insulation effect was very poor. When the reporter expressed that his financial conditions were limited, the staff told the reporter that generally landlords require a deposit of one to pay three, but here they can also deposit one to pay one, but according to the company's regulations, a loan must be obtained first, and the rent must be for one year. If the later tenant wants to quit the lease midway, he or she needs to find the next tenant before the loan can be cancelled. The staff also said that there is no agency fee for renting a house with them, and if you choose to apply for a loan, there is no interest. You just need to pay the rent normally, and it will not affect your personal credit score in the future.

Untimely repayment may affect personal credit reporting

Regarding the problems encountered by netizens, on June 25, a reporter from Modern Express contacted the Beijing headquarters of Meiliwu, and the brand public relations department of the marketing department Hao Rui said that for tenants who want to pay monthly rent, Meiliwu has indeed launched a "financial monthly payment" (that is, installment loan) method in some cities.

Regarding some netizens claiming that they were unaware of being “loaned”, Hao Rui replied: “We will fully fulfill our obligation to inform, provide tenants with loan confirmation letters, conduct phone reviews, and send text messages to remind them of the repayment date before each term expires. Waiting for information." Hao Rui said that they have also received some complaints about "unknowingly being loaned."

Are the tenants worried that their personal credit reports will be affected as a result? Hao Rui said that during the rental period, if the tenant pays the rent normally and on time every month, or applies to cancel the rent in advance at the Meiliwu Signing Center 7 days before the repayment date, there will be no bad credit impact. However, if Failure to repay on time may result in repercussions. "For groups who have just entered society, their financial capabilities are limited, and monthly financial payments can help them reduce their pressure; from a company's perspective, monthly financial payments are a method of renting a house adopted by joint credit institutions because the cost of tenant default is too low. But the choice lies with the tenants,” Hao Rui said.

Forced loans infringe on consumer rights

Regarding the practices of Meiliwu, Zuo Yingchun, a lawyer at Jiangsu Zhongli Law Firm, believes that if a tenant is granted a loan without his knowledge, , then the intermediary is a kind of fraud. In addition, Meiliwu requires tenants to deposit one deposit and pay one to use the loan, which infringes on consumers' right to choose. Lawyer Zuo analyzed that in fact, it is a trap for intermediaries to provide loans to tenants. The loans have already invisibly locked the tenants in the house, causing the tenants to be restricted from returning the rent and safeguarding their rights. In this case, renting a house The contract becomes a kind of overlord contract, and the tenant can protect his rights through legal means.