Basement rentals target of safety blitz

BEIJING - More than 100,000 tenants could be forced out of basement rooms over the next three years because the Fengtai district has launched a campaign against illegal rental housing.

Authorities have determined that the tiny basement suites, most under high-rise buildings in residential communities, are illegal because they breach safety standards.

The two-story basements, designed for storage, were adapted into suites by real estate developers and rented to housing agents who find tenants.