The procedure is as follows.
If you use a leasing and renting company they will act as the middle man between you and the landlord the advantage of this you can find a person that can speak a little English but the disadvantage is it will cost you more.
If you have a friend that can speak Chinese then you can get a much better deal from the landlord.
You book a appointment to go see the apartment that you want to rent and inspect it.
If you and the landlord agree on a price he will prepare a rental contract.
The contracts duration usually start off minimum 6 months ,more commonly 1 or 2 years. Most landlords require you to pay 6 months up front and 1 month rent as deposit so if your monthly rent is 2000 Rmb per month then you pay 12 000 Rmb + 2000 Rmb Then in 6 months time you pay another 12 000 Rmb if you rent for another 6 months.
The documents you need from them and need to check:
Their ID card and request a copy of it.
Their Registration booklet (a red a5 book that says they own the house) and a copy of it.(Check the name and ID number match , also check the address matches with the physical address you renting and the address on the lease.
The documents the landlord can ask for :
Your passport copy and a copy of your visa(I have only been asked once for copy of visa mostly just copy of passport).
Best get your employer to help you to rent a place for the first time, some places are cheap but a logistical nightmare ,because it might be far from work or always have traffic jams and no nearby subways.