The city's first capsule apartments, which were built by a 75-year-old retired engineer in April, are facing a mini-wrecking ball after the city released new regulations that effectively outlaw them.
The draft rules for housing rentals were posted on the Beijing municipal government's website on April 30 and will remain online until May 15 for public comment.
According to the draft rules, the per-person size of a rental unit should be no less than 10 square meters and each person's individual living space should not be smaller than 7.5 square meters.
The news could mean curtains for the eight "capsule apartments" unveiled by Huang Rixin on March 1 in Liulangzhuang, Haidian district.
With units measuring 2.4 meters long, 2 meters tall and 0.72 meters wide, they each offer a living space far smaller than the new regulations allow.
"My capsule apartments fail to meet the required standards and I will have to move them to another place," said Huang, who had hoped to rent out the units as hotel rooms.
He said he may rent a single-story house in a rural area and install his capsule apartments in it but he has not yet made up his mind.
According to the city's draft regulations, per capita living space in a single story house should be no less than 5 square meters.
"I will build three rooms covering an area of 15 sq m, which just meets the requirements of the new regulations," Huang said.
He said his intention had been to offer compact and affordable homes to low-income Beijingers.
He is now questioning the draft, claiming the proposed standards could make some poor people homeless.
"Some low-income migrant workers or students can only afford the price of a small house and share the rent with four or even more roommates. If the draft is put into practice, house owners will have to rent homes to fewer people and that will surely add to the burden on those tenants."
Huang said he carried out a survey of more than 50 low-income people earlier this year and found that most would rent a house that was smaller than 10 square meters along with two or three roommates.
"I am worried that the new regulation will make some of them homeless. What I can do now is better plan a new capsule apartment, which not only meets the standard but will also be attached to shared areas, such as washrooms and kitchens."
Press officials from the Beijing municipal commission of housing and urban-rural development refused to comment on the draft.
