Precautions for Buying Container Houses

When purchasing container houses, it is essential to focus on property rights legality, quality and配套设施 (ancillary facilities), contract terms and costs, be vigilant about hidden parameter traps, and pay attention to wall panel material requirements.

I. Property Rights and Legality
Before purchasing, verify the ownership of the house by requesting to see property certificates such as the house ownership certificate and land use certificate to ensure clear and undisputed property rights. Additionally, confirm the legality of construction by checking for approval documents such as the construction land planning permit and construction project planning permit to avoid buying illegal structures or houses involved in legal disputes.

II. House Quality and Ancillary Facilities
Conduct on-site inspections of the structural safety,装修标准 (decoration standards), and waterproofing of the house. If necessary, commission a professional agency for quality testing. Pay special attention to hidden parameter traps:

• Steel Wall Thickness: Columns labeled as 1.5mm may actually be only 1.0mm, reducing wind and earthquake resistance levels. Caution is advised in coastal areas prone to typhoons.
• Core Material Density: Rock wool core material labeled as 50kg/m³ may actually be only 25kg/m³, significantly reducing thermal and acoustic insulation performance.
• Floor Load-Bearing Capacity: Floors labeled as 2 tons/㎡ may actually support only 800 kg/㎡, leading to cracking and collapse when storing heavy goods.
• Sealing Process: Using ordinary sealant instead of special weather-resistant sealant can result in sealant layer cracking after 3 months, causing the core material to absorb moisture and mold.
• Rust Prevention Treatment: Products from small factories often lack overall spray rust prevention treatment, shortening the service life.
  For ancillary facilities, confirm the availability of water supply, electricity supply, gas supply, heating, and property management services, as well as the convenience of public resources such as transportation, schools, and hospitals in the surrounding area.

III. Contract Signing and Costs
Sign a detailed house purchase contract that clearly specifies house information, price, payment method, delivery standards, and liability for breach of contract to avoid ambiguous terms. In addition to the house purchase price, clarify the standards and payment methods for契税 (deed tax), maintenance funds, property fees, and other costs to prevent hidden charges.

IV. Wall Panel Material Requirements
The thickness of the outer wall panel iron sheet should be less than 0.4 millimeters, filled with rock wool in the middle (avoid using glass wool), and the inner iron sheet should meet corresponding standards. Poor-quality wall panels are prone to water leakage and deformation, with a leakage probability exceeding 60% during the rainy season in southern China. Strict control over material quality is necessary.

V. Common Counterintuitive Phenomena

• Container houses with similar exterior dimensions can have significantly different usage effects. Poor-quality products are prone to wall water leakage and door frame deformation.
• Low-priced products may have insufficient frame load-bearing capacity, posing safety hazards when stacked more than 3 layers high.
• Thermal and acoustic insulation effects vary greatly. Products with poor-quality core materials can have indoor temperatures more than 5℃ higher than the outdoor temperature in summer and close to freezing in winter.
• Non-standard white-label products may experience irreversible deformation of the frame after being disassembled and reassembled twice, making them unusable again.