If you hold an urban hukou and want to live in the countryside, only rent a farmhouse, and don't buy homestead land or a house built on it
- High value
- Evidence A
- Saves money
- Free
- Takes minutes
- Some willpower
In plain words
People with an urban hukou (城镇户口) cannot buy homestead land (宅基地), a farmer's house or a "small-property-rights home" (小产权房) in a village, and national documents expressly forbid it. It does not help if villagers say "just write a contract." You pay the money and the house still doesn't become yours. If you want to live in the countryside long term, sign a lease, which can run for up to 20 years at a time and be renewed when it ends.
Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 15, tip 9. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer