Chongqing - Chongqing’s property-management overhaul shows how megacities can improve everyday governance through greater transparency and faster services.

Across all 8,349 professionally managed residential communities, companies must now disclose income, service standards and performance while responding promptly to repairs, complaints and other resident concerns.

Introduced in 2025, the “three disclosures and three prompt responses” mechanism achieved a 100% disclosure rate after more than a year of targeted implementation. Residents say clearer accounts have strengthened confidence in paying management fees, while China’s housing ministry has recognized the Chongqing model and promoted it nationwide.

The "three disclosures and three prompt responses" bulletin board at Yulong Tianfeng residential community in Liangjiang New Area. (Photo/Yulong Tianfeng)

Making community funds transparent

Much like disputes over service charges and homeowners’ association fees elsewhere, China’s property-management challenges often center on money generated from shared spaces, such as parking and advertising. Residents may have little visibility into how this income is collected or spent, making transparency a longstanding concern.

Large residential communities can generate substantial income from parking facilities, advertising and other shared spaces, often leaving property companies with considerable discretion over how the money is used.

Making these funds transparent was therefore the first step.

Last year, Chongqing’s housing authority introduced standardized guidelines requiring property companies to display key information prominently at least every six months, or quarterly where possible.

Some companies initially posted notices only during inspections, prompting housing authorities to require regular reporting and time-bound corrections. Those withholding information or submitting false records faced penalties, while suspected misuse of community funds was referred to the relevant authorities.

In Yuzhong District, a special task force was established to clarify the ownership and sources of community shared funds and verify individual income items.

At Shuanggang Road residential community, income-and-expenditure statements and QR codes are posted on the bulletin board every quarter, allowing residents to check the details with their phones.

Across Yuzhong District, 238 communities with shared income have brought more than 59 million yuan under standardized management this year, while related complaints have nearly halved.

At Yulong Tianfeng, each income entry now shows its source, amount and date, including 36,000 yuan (approx. 5,000 U.S. dollars) from elevator advertising last month. Residents can also view the original one-year advertising contract through Smart Property Services on Yukuai Ban, Chongqing’s one-stop digital government services platform.

Setting clear service standards

Transparency over community funds is only part of the reform. Property companies must also set measurable service standards and disclose whether residents are receiving the services they pay for.

At Yulong Tianfeng, for example, the disclosed standards include having at least 70 percent of security guards under 35 and cleaning common areas at least once a day. Prices for additional services are also made public, such as 20 yuan for light installation and 40 yuan for pipe unclogging.

Property companies also regularly report their performance against the disclosed standards, allowing residents to see whether promised services have been delivered.

"Once the standards are made public, failure to meet them constitutes a breach, and residents can file complaints directly," said a resident surnamed Li.

At Binjiang Garden, a residential community in Lianhua Subdistrict, Banan District, built in 2003, residents had complained about slow responses, poorly maintained facilities and an untidy environment. Satisfaction with property services stood at just 38 percent.

The community now publishes its service standards and evaluates property management across six areas, including service quality and response times. Reviews combine assessments by community and neighborhood committees with resident ratings submitted by QR code.

"Every resident's feedback matters. It pushes us to improve our day-to-day work," said a property company manager surnamed Lei.

The changes have also improved the collection of property management fees. During this summer’s flooding, property workers at Shuanggang Road inspected lighting, cleared drains, repaired loose tiles and cleaned drainage outlets. Seeing their efforts, an elderly resident surnamed Li paid a full year's property management fees at once.

"The staff have been very good to us. We should pay what we owe," she said.

The community's property fee collection rate has now risen to more than 95 percent.

Responding faster to residents' concerns

Greater transparency has also led to faster responses to residents' concerns.

Residents once struggled to identify the right authority for complaints, which sometimes went unanswered. They can now use facial recognition to link their property on Yukuai Ban’s Smart Property Services platform and submit complaints directly.

Cases are routed to the appropriate municipal, district or subdistrict authority, which must respond within 24 hours. Authorities report a 100% response rate for residents’ complaints and suggestions.

At Binjiang Garden, the average response time has been cut from 48 hours to two hours, while the repair order completion rate has reached 100 percent. Standards for cleaning and security have also been upgraded, with common areas cleaned regularly and security staff on duty around the clock.

"Now, I just need to tap my phone when I spot a problem, and someone comes to fix it soon. We no longer have to wait several days," said longtime resident Liu.

At Yulong Tianfeng, the community's steep terrain had previously made access difficult for elderly residents and wheelchair users. After residents repeatedly raised the issue, the property company invested nearly 200,000 yuan to build an accessible ramp last year.

Since the targeted campaign began in April last year, Chongqing has identified more than 20,000 problems, rectified 98 percent, and taken more than 550 enforcement actions.

By combining greater transparency with closed-loop oversight, the reform is giving residents a greater role in monitoring property services. It has helped reduce disputes and mistrust while improving service quality and residents' satisfaction and trust.

(Li Jiayan, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)