Rentals

These articles contain an assortment of information useful for those renting a room in Japan. Topics covered include how to choose a room, what a lease agreement in Japan entails, things to be careful of when living in Japan, and more. These articles are a must read for foreigners who are living in Japan for the first time.

Renting Property with a Pet in Japan

It is common practice that residential properties in Japan have very strict rules regarding the ownership of pets. These rules are decided and enforced by the building owner and or management. If you would like to have a pet in a rental property or already have a pet that you would like to live wi…

Is it Possible for a Foreigner to Rent a house in Japan?

With an increase in the number of foreign workers in Japan, the housing needs of foreigners in Tokyo and regional cities are increasing. When foreigners rent apartments or houses in Japan, they may come across some problematic situations due to the language barrier, Japanese business customs, or d…

Expat Housing in Tokyo

Moving to Tokyo as a foreign expat involves finding a house and settling in, which can be complex. Securing long-term rental housing in Tokyo requires tackling various tasks, such as property selection, area orientation, coordinating with movers, completing registrations, and handling administrati…

Tokyo’s high class residential areas with the historical names not shown on a map

Though there are many high class residential areas with historical prestige scattered throughout Tokyo, their names cannot be found on any maps. The names of these places no longer exist–as they have been changed due to address unifications or the changing of town names–they are still known locally…

Real Estate Notary in Japan

Real estate companies in Japan have staff who with the national qualification called Real Estate Notary / Real Estate Transaction Agent（宅地建物取引士）, more than 1 out of 5 of all employees. Those who are qualified as Real Estate Notary have a broad knowledge of real estate transactions and should, by a…

About the Handling of Keys for a Lease House

What should you do if you lose a key for a lease house? Here we provide guidance about how to handle losing a lease housing key and how much it costs for recovery or compensation. What should you do if you lose a key for a rental housing such as a rental apartment or a rental detached house? Her…

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 rene…

Restoration and cleaning fee when moving out of rental housing in Japan

How much of the deposit will be refunded when vacating a rental apartment? The Lease contracts used when renting housing have a clause defining the restoration requirements for a property when moving out. Most contracts will state that “the lessee shall restore the leased property to it's origina…

Tokyo Interior Design Services with English-friendly Agents

If you’re living or working in central Tokyo, you’ll likely find that housing and office space is more compact than what you may be used to in your home country. That said, layouts are often designed with ease of use and practicality in mind. Be it your home or office, you can customize your space…

The 3A Areas in Central Tokyo – The Allure of Azabu, Akasaka, and Aoyama

Minato-ku lies at the center of Tokyo and its allure attracts many big domestic and foreign companies looking to establish their offices there and business people with high incomes looking for a place to live. Within this ward are the areas of “Azabu”, “Aoyama”, and “Akasaka”. These three location…