What to expect when you rent an apartment in Japan
Renting an apartment in Japan seems to be quite a tedious business. Reason being, after reading up on the basics on renting in Japan, I realize that there many loopholes in tenures and agreements that comes with apartment rental. For example, the minimum apartment rental is usually 2 years and some foreigners do not stay in Japan for 2 years. Also, some landlords are very reluctant to rent their apartments out to foreigners who do not speak Japanese. The fear of “friction” is what they call it there.
But anyway, if you speak some Japanese and is determine to try looking for an apartment - we’ll walk you through some basics. As accommodation is an important factor in living just about anywhere at all, let’s be familiar with the know-how’s of going about renting an apartment in Japan. Bear in mind, the whole business is not very friendly to foreigners so you would need to go with the flow and do what the Romans do, when you’re in Rome. Or Japan, in this case.
Firstly, most apartments are rented out through a real estate agent. So you would need to look out for listing boards or real estate offices with apartment rental boards usually located outside of their offices. Considering you speak Japanese or your friend is Japanese, you will need to contact the real estate agent to view the apartment and if all goes well, you will be forwarded to these 4 steps of securing yourself a place to stay.
The first stage is the Reservation fee (tetsukekin), you would need to put a down payment to secure the apartment of your interest. It serves as a guarantee to you that the apartment will be reserved for you. The money is like insurance so to show that you are serious about the place - it is usually about 1 month’s rent and will be refunded as soon as the agreement is signed.
The second stage is the Deposit (shikikin) where it is paid as an insurance to cover future damages to the apartment should it happen during your tenure. If there is a damage done to the apartment, the deposit will be used to cover the cost for repairs and the rest will be refunded back to you. The deposit is usually worth a few month’s rent. Unused deposits will be returned.
The third stage of apartment rental is Key Money (reikin); this money is non-refundable and is usually worth a few month’s rent as well.
Fourth and final stage is Service free (chukai tesuryo), a fee for the real estate agent for going to and fro securing your apartment for you. It is non-refundable and the fee is worth about a month’s rent usually.
And here’s a little video about housing in Japan - similar stuff to apartment rentals I suppose :)
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