Qualified Beijing families with more than 1 child soon to choose public housing

Beijing's Chaoyang district announced recently that families with more than one child on the waiting list for public rental apartments can skip the line and choose locations soon.

According to the district's announcement, of the families who have already qualified for public rental apartments before Sept 30 and are still on the waiting lists, those with more than one child can stop waiting and choose apartments from two residential projects.

Those families will still need to pay rent — but much lower than the average market price.

Rent is calculated by areas of the apartments, from 1,915 yuan ($295) to 3,913 yuan per month.

"The central government has clearly required in July that local governments should carry out related supportive polices in sectors including housing, education and healthcare for the third-child policy," said Zhai Zhenwu, president of the China Population Association.?

"Beijing's Chaoyang district has implemented the policy in the housing sector, which is the first of its kind and has a guiding significance for other parts of the country," he said. "The new policy in Chaoyang has solved the real difficulties of families with more kids, which should be encouraged."

It would be a trend that more districts in the capital will carry out similar policies to support the country's third-child regulations, he added.