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china national radio beijing, september 13 (reporter zhu guanan, intern reporter liu yinuo) "air conditioning rental is too expensive, where can i go to seek justice? the price has increased to 550 yuan a year, and i can buy a new one in three years." just after the start of the school year, du meiling, a graduate student at capital normal university, posted a post on the "campus market" that went viral, with more than 2,000 classmates following and complaining about having to pay rent to get air conditioning in the dormitory. "last year's rent was 420 yuan, and this year it increased by 130 yuan, but the air conditioner has not been replaced. why is the price increased?" the students who posted the post expressed their dissatisfaction.

posts posted by du meiling (photo provided by the interviewee)

when du meiling was an undergraduate at another university, the air conditioning in the dormitory was free to use. they only had to pay the electricity bill. after coming to capital normal university for graduate studies, she was "greatly shocked" by the "new student accommodation notice". the "notice" stipulated: "the air conditioning in the student dormitory is not uniformly equipped by the school. students who need to use air conditioning are not allowed to use it without authorization. please sign a lease agreement directly with the air conditioning manufacturer and pay the rent before using it. the electricity bill for the air conditioning is borne by the dormitory members themselves."

regulations on the use of air conditioners in the accommodation instructions for freshmen (photo provided by the interviewee and released by china national radio)

junior student li xiao and her roommate had a dispute over the air conditioner rental fee. li xiao felt that paying 550 yuan for the air conditioner rental fee was not worth it, and the electricity bill was a considerable expense, not to mention that they could have used an electric fan. but her roommate thought that the 550 yuan rental fee was only 130 yuan per person, and there was no need to save this part of the expense. when they were arguing, the management staff came to the dormitory and said to them: "if you don't rent it, the air conditioner will be removed tomorrow."

posted by a student from capital normal university (photo provided by the interviewee, china national radio)

the school admitted that it had not received financial support and had insufficient funds.

like du meiling, many students are puzzled by the "paid air conditioning rental": isn't air conditioning an essential infrastructure in the dormitory? why do we have to pay extra rent? regarding whether dormitories should be equipped with air conditioners, staff at the student apartment service center of capital normal university told reporters that according to the accommodation standards approved by the education commission, air conditioning is not an essential infrastructure in dormitories. in order to meet students' demand for air conditioning, the school began to adopt the "student rental model" in 2016, introducing third-party suppliers to provide air conditioning rental services for dormitories in need.

a bidding document for an air-conditioning rental supplier published by capital normal university shows that in june this year, a supplier named beijing jingxi technology co., ltd. won the bid for the "capital normal university student dormitory air-conditioning rental service project" with a winning amount of 550 yuan per unit per year.

announcement of the winning results of the bidding (screenshot from the official website of capital normal university)

zhai dong, a person in charge of beijing jingxi technology co., ltd., introduced to reporters the four modes of using air conditioners in university dormitories: the school purchases air conditioners for students to use; the school pays to rent air conditioners for students to use; the school introduces air conditioner rental suppliers and students pay to rent them; the school purchases air conditioners and students pay to use them. currently, capital normal university belongs to the mode of "the school introduces air conditioner rental suppliers and students pay to rent them", while capital university of economics and business, another customer of jingxi technology, has chosen the mode of "the school pays to rent air conditioners for students to use".

"which model to adopt mainly depends on whether the school has the funds and the amount of the funds." zhai dong introduced that among the universities in beijing, capital normal university is not the only one to adopt the model of "the school introduces an air-conditioning rental supplier and students pay for the rental", but also universities such as beijing jiaotong university.

a staff member of the student apartment service center of capital normal university admitted: "the school's financial conditions are not very good. the various charging standards for student apartments need to be approved by the education commission every year. since the school does not receive this part of financial support, it can only meet students' demand for air conditioning by introducing third parties."

why are rents rising? suppliers: operating lease costs fluctuate

at the beginning of this school year, students at capital normal university received a notice of an increase in air conditioner rental fees. in the previous air conditioner rental plan, the one-year rental fee was 420 yuan, and there were different degrees of discounts for consecutive rentals of 2, 3, and 4 years. however, now it can only be rented at 550 yuan per unit per year. many students are dissatisfied with the increase in air conditioner rental fees and want to know the real reason for the price increase.

capital normal university air conditioning rental price list from 2016 to 2024 (photo provided by the interviewee, sent by china national radio)

du meiling raised questions on the capital normal university's campus complaint handling service platform "first handle", and received the following reply: the original price was the 2016 price, and the air-conditioning contract with the original air-conditioning manufacturer will expire in august 2024. after the expiration, a new contract will be signed through public bidding. the price will be determined by the rental market. please understand.

the capital normal university student apartment service center responded to du meiling (photo provided by the interviewee, sent by china national radio)

"the manufacturer's labor costs and transportation costs are increasing year by year, so price increases are inevitable." a staff member of the student apartment service center of capital normal university explained to reporters that the school selected a supplier with medium prices and good quality from multiple bidding companies to provide services to students.

zhai dong told reporters that air conditioning leasing is not a simple item leasing, but also includes a series of services, such as transportation and installation, cleaning and maintenance, replacement, etc., which is an "operating lease". each link has costs, and they are rising year by year. it is not as simple as "three or four years of leasing fees can buy an air conditioner" as students say. in addition, this year jingxi technology purchased the "haixiangzu" system, where students can pay rent online, and "haixiangzu" is also more convenient to manage.

the payment page for du meiling to pay her rent (photo provided by the interviewee and released by china national radio)

the above staff member emphasized to the reporter that the school does not charge any fees from any party. the school only plays a supervisory and coordinating role in this matter. on the one hand, it supervises the products and services of suppliers, and on the other hand, it coordinates the relationship between students and suppliers and solves the problems encountered by students when renting and using air conditioners. zhai dong told the reporter that the school does not charge "management fees" or other behaviors, but it does collect deposits.

"i think this model is a transition, which first solves the problem of 'whether or not'." zhai dong said that the situations of each school are different and cannot be generalized. the air-conditioning rental model is to provide a compromise solution for schools that are unable to purchase air-conditioning.

"we hope that students understand the school's difficulties. we are also working hard." a staff member at the capital normal university student apartment service center said that the school applies for funds every year and is also working hard to allow students to use free air conditioners. at the same time, the school will supervise air conditioner rental suppliers to provide good services to students.

(at the request of the interviewees, du meiling, li xiao and zhai dong are all pseudonyms)