Too risky to sublet in China?

[valikor]

Yes, bypassing the agency is sort of a bastard move; I am well aware of this. But no, I didn't sign anything. (I feel much worse about all the other agents who showed me lots of places and wasted hours of their time, finding nothing I liked). I was very surprised that I was unable to negotiate the agency fee to a level I considered reasonable, but as Roddy said above, the larger the agency, the less negotiable it is. All my Chinese friends said I should not pay more than 1,000. This is consistent with the agency fees I have paid in the past. I have never used this agency before, though.

I was also not sure if "sublet" was the right word to use. The person who I pay money to is not subletting it, but renting it directly from the landlord.

The reassurances about bank accounts and contracts - wouldn't rely on it. If the guy disappears you can take all that to the police and they'll be very sympathetic - but I can't see them doing much.

This was what I was worried about, and it's what my intuition told me. And it's what some Chinese friends told me.

Thanks for all the advice, as well as the grammar coaching -_-