Tokyo Real Estate News & Information

Ordinary Lease Contract vs. Fixed-term Lease Contract

When renting out a real estate property to a lessee or renting from a lessor, you have the choice using either an “Ordinary Lease Contract” or a “Fixed-term Lease Contract” when making a contract. The “Act on Land and Building Leases” provides guidelines for midterm cancellations and contract renew…

The Jonan Gozan - 5 hilltop brand residential areas in Tokyo

The Jonan Gozan (go= five, zan= mountain) is a term used to define the 5 hilltop areas in the Jonan (Jo= castle, nan= south) district of Tokyo - the area from Meguro Station to Shinagawa Station. The 5 mountains are respectively: Ikedayama, Gotenyama, Shimazuyama, Hanabusayama, and Yatsuyama. Each…

English-speaking Realtors and Real Estate Professionals in Japan

We would like to introduce you to some English-speaking real estate agents and professionals located throughout Japan. When conducting a real estate transaction, it is often said that you should work with a real estate agent from the location of the property if possible. A local real estate agent w…

The Amendment of the Civil Code – Regarding the Guarantor of a Lease Contract

The Civil Code has been greatly amended for the first time since its establishment around 120 years ago. Some of the new amendments will start being enforced as early as April 1st of 2020. Among the amendments made at this time, the rules regarding the protection of a guarantor have been reinforced…

Housing Loan FAQ for foreigner’s real estate purchase

We receive many inquiries about getting a housing loan from a Japanese bank at a lower interest rate from foreign customers who are considering purchasing real estate in Japan. We contacted a bank loan representative–who has experience providing foreigners with housing loans–about some of the most…

My Tenant Died In My Property - When Tenants Become Sick or Die

The following article was written by Ziv Nakajima-Magen – Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific Nippon Tradings International (NTI) When Tenants Become Sick or Die While Japanese tenants, from a landlord perspective, are normally extremely docile and headache free, and while tenancies are g…

What to do if I can't find a tenant?

The following article was written by Ziv Nakajima-Magen – Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific Nippon Tradings International (NTI) The Income Stream Paradigm Investment properties are, generally, only as good as the rental income they generate. Sure, there are speculative markets and strat…

How to rent out a residential property in Japan – Long-term vs Short-term vs Minpaku (Vacation Rentals)

There are various lease methods in Japan for managing a real estate property (a house and an apartment room) for investment. These methods include a short-term lease called minpaku (lodging at a private residence for example Airbnb/Vacation Rentals), weekly apartments, monthly apartments, a long-te…

Insurance for Flood Disaster (water damage) caused by heavy rain, typhoons, and others

Over the past few years, large-scale flood damages have frequently occurred in various parts of Japan due to typhoons and local heavy rains. Almost every year in some part of Japan there is heavy rainfall the likes of which is only seen once every few decades and due to this heavy rainfall, the ris…

Renting vs Buying Which is better?

Which is better: living in a rental property and continuing to pay rent or buying a property for sale? This is a frequent question that many people are wondering about. It is very difficult to give you a clear answer because it depends on the person’s life plan, the way of thinking about his/her lif…