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Home Insurance For Temporary Residences In Japan: Short-term Protection – What you need to know about renting a house or apartment in Japan: a comprehensive guide to real estate agencies and how much it costs
So you’ve decided that you might study Japanese or work, and you’ve decided to take the plunge and move to Japan. If there is one thing that most new residents of Japan have in common, regardless of where they come from, age, how long they intend to stay, and the reason for moving, it is to find a good place to live.
Home Insurance For Temporary Residences In Japan: Short-term Protection
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Renting a house or apartment to a foreigner in Japan can be complicated, especially if it is your first time and you are not familiar with the procedures, rules and language of house inspections. This article will help you rent a house or apartment in Japan; we will look at the advantages, disadvantages and costs of the main alternatives.
Finding a home in Japan for a foreigner can be very simple or very complicated. Several factors affect your range of options: mainly your Japanese language skills, but also the type of visa you have, or your employment and financial situation.
A person with good language skills, a stable job and arranged finances, perhaps even with a long-term visa guaranteeing a stay in Japan, will have no problem finding accommodation through regular real estate agencies, just like Japanese citizens.
On the other hand, a student who does not yet have a good command of Japanese will probably have to resort to one of the options specifically designed for foreigners, which is of course favorable from a logistical point of view, but much less so for their wallet.
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If you’re looking for your own house or apartment, or one to share with a friend, you have two options: contact a Japanese real estate agency (社区屋,
) or contact the agency for foreigners. In both cases, you can visit the agency in person or search for your apartment online.
Japanese real estate agencies offer more options than those specifically aimed at foreigners, and usually the rental costs are lower. However, there are a few things to keep in mind: the duration of the contract is usually two years (the time and costs of early termination and renewal of the lease are specified in the lease); the apartment will be handed over to you unfurnished, so you must be prepared to cover additional furniture costs; accessories not included; and finally, there are often “hidden costs” that a first-time renter might overlook, which we’ll cover in more detail later.
Real estate agencies can be found almost everywhere, and you will easily recognize them by the floor plans of the available accommodation displayed in the windows. If you have already decided on a neighborhood or area where you want to live, I recommend that you visit an agency nearby, as they will likely have a larger selection of properties that will suit your needs.
Can A Foreigner Buy Property In Japan?
The biggest online agencies are At Home, Chintai and Suumo, but there are many others. These portals are completely in Japanese, and if you contact an agent for more information about a house you are interested in, they will usually respond in Japanese.
Unfortunately, not all agencies “for Japanese” rent to foreigners. If you decide to visit an estate agency in person, you will be asked for some personal information and in some cases the agent will call the landlord on site to make sure they are willing to rent to a foreigner. As for online agencies, some allow you to filter the results to only show options that accept foreign tenants, but sometimes you will have to leave it to an agent to handle your request for information.
), who will fill out some paperwork for you and agree to handle any issues on your behalf if the agency can’t reach you, and cover any outstanding rent if you can’t pay it yourself. The guarantor can be a person or an organization and must be Japanese and a resident of Japan. There are also guarantee agencies that you can contact for a fee.
In Japan, for any problems with your property, you do not contact the landlord directly, but through
Ordinary Lease Contract Vs. Fixed Term Lease Contract
If the answer is positive, you will arrange a personal viewing of the house. If you’re happy with the property, it’s time to sign the contract. This is often done by another agency (管理会社,
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Foreigner agencies have several advantages: first, they provide support in multiple languages, so you don’t have to worry about missing out on some key information if you don’t speak Japanese yet; second, their contracts are much more flexible than Japanese ones, sometimes even offering one-month leases. Finally, apartments are often furnished (as in the case of Sakura House and Leopalace), and sometimes utilities and internet are included in the rent. Real estate agencies for foreigners would seem more convenient from every point of view… Of course, convenience comes with a priceー, rent! If an apartment on Suuma costs ¥68,000 per month (approx. US$545.00), the same apartment can cost as much as 99,000 yen (approx. US$790.00) through a foreigner agency. That’s 40% more! The presence or absence of the aforementioned “hidden costs” varies by agency.
However, foreigner agencies often offer the option of signing an online contract before you arrive in Japan (which is not the case with Japanese agencies): so it may also be a good idea to choose one of these accommodations as a temporary solution before moving on to a more convenient option.
Ldk Serviced Apartment For Rent In Roppongi, Minato Ku, Tokyo
So far we’ve talked a lot about apartments, but if you want to save some money, you can also choose to share your home with other people.
A guest house (or share house, ショーハース) is a cheap, furnished accommodation with monthly or even weekly rent. Rooms are usually private, but common areas are shared (often with other foreigners, although recently many young Japanese are opting for guesthouses). There are guest houses for all tastes: women only, foreigners and students, with Western or Japanese-style rooms, single or double.
Then there are the so-called social apartments, a much more luxurious (and expensive) type of guest house where residents have access not only to a common living area and kitchen, but also to movie theaters, gyms, billiards rooms, bars and more. within the same building. This accommodation is popular among young Japanese, but about 15% of the rooms are occupied by foreign guests.
Finally, there are also sharing options, where you will have to share a room and common areas with several people. Personally, given the absolute lack of privacy (which you’ll already have to fight for, especially in big cities), I’d recommend keeping this option as a last resort.
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The rent can vary greatly depending on the size of the house, the number of rooms, the area and the distance between the building and the nearest station.
In Japan, you will often come across terms like 1R, 1K, 1DK and 1LDK. These abbreviations indicate which rooms and how many rooms the house has, excluding the bathroom. Here’s a quick overview:
The number before the acronym indicates the number of rooms. For example, 3LDK will be a property with a kitchen, living room and three rooms.
But how much does it cost to live in Japan? There are several costs associated with renting in Japan, which are often difficult for foreigners to identify. In addition to the rent and housing costs listed in real estate ads, you will also have to deal with:
How To Rent A House Or Apartment In Japan As A Foreigner & Costs
This fee, usually equal to one or two months’ rent, is considered a “gift” to the landlord as a thank you (
The amount you pay the estate agent for acting as an intermediary between you and
If you decide to use a wedding agency, be prepared to pay between 50% and 120% of your monthly rent as a one-time wedding payment.
Usually equal to one month’s rent, this will be returned to you in whole or in part at the end of the tenancy, depending on the condition in which you leave the property.
Visas And Status Of Residence
This fixed fee of ¥20,000 will cover your home against fire and water damage for two years.
For security reasons, a new lock will be installed at your expense before you enter the house, between 10,000 and 20,000 yen.
) you pay if you want
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