House Insurance for Shanghai China
As most tenants rent fully furnished apartments, they do not insure their homes, as most of the contents are the landlord’s. Those expats here for the longer haul do, however, fit their homes with their own furniture and fixtures. In these instances, being insured is highly recommended. Annual insurance costs for a typical Pudong villa will run about US $2,000.
Prominent insurers in Shanghai are:
- Pacific Prime International
15 Dong Ping Road, Suite 405
Shanghai 200031 China
Office: +8621 6467 1304
Fax: +8621 6467 0328
Mobile: +86 138 1650 5280 - American Insurance Association Company Ltd.
AIA Bldg.,17 Zhongshan Dong Lu
Tel: 6321 6698 Fax: 6329 6088
http://www.aia.com.cn - China Ping An Insurance Company
Shanghai Branch
3F, Jin Qian Bldg.,
2077 Yan’An Xi Lu
Tel: 6219 2900 Fax: 6233 9835
http://www.paic.com.cn - Manulife Sinochem Insurance Co., Ltd.
21F. Jinmao Tower, 88 Shiji Dadao
Tel: 5049 2288 Fax: 5049 1110
http://www.manulife-sinochem.com - Pacific-Aetna Life Insurance Company Limited
30F, New International Mansion,
360 Pudong Nan Lu
Tel: 6886 3183 Fax: 6886 3180 - The People’s Insurance Company of China,
Shanghai Branch
700 Zhongshan Nan Lu
Tel: 6377 3000 Fax: 6376 4678
http://www.piccnet.com.cn
Registering Your Address in Shanghai
All expats who stay more than 30 days in Shanghai must register their address with the local police station. This is a formality, but you could be fined in you do not do this. Read “Visa> Registration” for more information.
Utilities (if not paid directly by the landowner)
There are various ways to pay the bills and this is something that you need to discuss with your landlord when finalizing the lease. Some landlords have set up direct debits for the bills so they pay for all the utilities and then you, the tenant, add that amount to the rent which you pay every two or three months. The landlord will take care of dealing with the utilities companies as far as setting up the connection and the bills will arrive to your house every month. The prices are lower than in Western countries, but bear in mind that the electricity bills can increase significantly in winter, since there isn´t central heating and the air conditioning and electrical heaters are the only way to fight the bitter cold. If you pay the bills in person you can do so either at your bank, at the post office, at Lawsons, Alldays, Family Mart and Kedi. The latter four are Chinese convenience stores. To pay the bills online, you can do so via http://www.alipay.com. However, at this stage, the site offers only Chinese.
Postal Services
You do not need to physically go to the post office to let them know that you are in Shanghai. All mail will be delivered first to representatives of your housing area or apartment complex. Those representatives will then deliver the mail to your personal mailbox in your building or house. Post offices are open from 9 until 4:30, with an hour break for lunch.
Shipping Companies
All expats will use shipping or relocation company for moving their furniture and personal goods to Shanghai. There are several companies with excellent reputations:
- Allied Pickfords:http://www.alliedpickfords.com.cn/. Go to their website to see their services and rates. They are in 40 countries outside of China.
- Santa Fe Relocation Services: http://www.santaferelo.com/. The largest relocation company in Asia can easily take care of any family moving to Shanghai. This web link has all the phone numbers and email addresses.
- Asian Tigers Group: http://www.asiantigersgroup.com/location.html?office=cn. They have been moving executives to Shanghai for 25 years.
- Fedex: http://fedex.com/cn_english/. Puxi Station- No. 28, Lane 411, Shi Long Road. Tel: 54118333
- DHL: http://www.cn.dhl.com/en.html.
