Renting while owning is preference of many

Seven million people in Beijing - about a third of the population, or the equivalent of Hong Kong - rented their homes last year, a recent report said.

Half the renters are under 30, while 17 percent are over 41, according to the report, which was released by Dingding Rent, an online rental service run by the city's leading housing agent company, Lianjia.

Those with a Beijing hukou, or household registration, account for 18 percent of the renters.