My landlord in Beijing wants me to pay rent through AliPay. How safe is it for future documentation?

Because AliPay is so widely used and has built-in security features like transaction records and digital receipts, using it to pay your landlord's rent in Beijing is generally safe and convenient. In the near term, these can be helpful for recording payments. Still, there are a few things to think about in terms of upcoming documentation:

Although AliPay offers digital transaction records, these might not be as reliable or easily accessible in the future as conventional paper receipts. For their own record-keeping needs, your landlord may require physical records, particularly in cases of multi-year leases.

You could suggest a combination strategy to deal with this: keep using AliPay for ease and real-time tracking, but also ask your landlord for paper receipts or monthly statements. This guarantees you have a fallback in the event that you later need to confirm payments or gather information about your rental history.

Alternatively, you could look into other documented payment options like bank transfers if your landlord is amenable to it. This might offer a more thorough paper trail that meets the needs of both parties for future documentation.

If you have more insights or details to share, feel free to do so in the comments or file your complaint.