(Photo/Shenzhen Evening News)

Local authorities in Shenzhen, Guangdong province have pledged to get to the bottom of several 6-square-meter apartments that reportedly sold for 880,000 RMB each.

The special design of the micro-apartments went viral in late July, when word got out that a residential compound in the Nanshan district of Shenzhen would sell “ant houses” with a minimum area of 5.73 square meters.

The ant houses were recently unveiled, boasting an additional 6-square-meter living space offered for free by the real estate developer. Each apartment contains an actual usable floor area of 12 square meters. Only nine such apartments were made available, and they allegedly sold for nearly 900,000 RMB each, Securities Times reported.

While the sales team in charge of the apartments insisted that each unit was properly licensed with property certificates, local authorities denied in August that such rooms were approved as residential living spaces. Authorities claimed they were intended for offices instead, according to Shenzhen Evening News.

“The apartments’ saleable area is far larger than its property area. The management bureau of Nanshang District is looking into the matter this afternoon. We will make public the results in a timely manner,” wrote the Urban Planning, Land & Resources Commission of Shenzhen on its official Weibo on Sept. 25.

In 2012, the city instated a regulation that properties intended for residential use should be no less than 22 square meters. However, micro-apartments continue to be available in the city, especially near prestigious primary and high schools, according to Securities Times. 

(Photo/Shenzhen Evening News)