Advice on how to rent an apartment in Japan

How to rent an apartment in Japan

Most real estate agents in Japan do not offer English speaking services for those looking for apartments. It is quite common in Japan for foreigners to be denied an apartment on the grounds of either not speaking Japanese or simply because the owner of the apartment does not want foreigners because of prejudices (i.e. foreigners party too much, don’t know how to take the garbage out etc.). I was once denied an apartment where pets were allowed but foreigners were not.

Although things have improved a bit over the years, getting an apartment for a foreigner can still be a stressful and sometimes demoralizing event.

So what are the options for foreigners in Japan when looking for an apartment?

1. Regular Japanese rental Broker
If you are staying long term you can go through a regular Japanese real estate agent (Japanese rental broker) . I have had some good experiences depending on the real estate agent used. But, in most cases you will need to either speak Japanese or have someone who speaks Japanese go with you. Most of the rental brokers can be found near stations and they usually charge 0.5 to 1 months rent as a finders fee.

I have had problems in the past when trying to rent a place with a friend. I was told that if we were family there was no problem, but renting a place with a friend was out of the question. I re-applied and said I was renting the place by myself and was allowed in. Many places will not allow people of the same gender (unless they are family) to rent an apartment because the owner believes there is a higher probability that friends will argue and lead to one or both leaving the apartment.

2. Urban Renaissance Agency
Urban Renaissance Agency, or ‘UR’, was formerly known as the Japan Housing Corporation, formed in 1955. Using UR is one of the best ways for a foreigner to find a good, long term apartment in Japan. After living here for many years, I only discovered this sytems about 2 years ago and was pleasantly surprised. The only drawback is that it is quite popular and it can be difficult to reserve the place you want, but if you are persistent you will definitely find something. The site is only in Japanese, so unless you read kanji you will need a Japanese person to help you look through their listings on their web site.

UR basically buy up ‘idle land’ and create sturdy and comfortable apartments which promote a more comfortable way of living than traditional housing in Japan which is densely populated and an emphasis more on practicality than comfort. They are some great apartments in places like Odaiba which offer modern, large housing at reasonable rates.

The great thing about UR is that they do not discriminate against foreigners in any way and use a first in first served system and the apartments do not require ‘reikin’ (gift money). They do however require 2 months ’shikikin’ (deposit). They carry out campaigns sometimes and offer places with reduced or no deposit money.

The system is:
1. Find an apartment you are interested in by looking on their website
2. Check the availability of the apartment online. If it is available you can put a request for them to hold the apartment for you. This then gives you the right to reserve the apartment for 2 weeks, which gives you time to inspect it and make a decision on whether or not you want to buy it. If you don’t have internet access and can not make a reservation online, you need to physically go into on of their offices and make the reservation in person.
3. Once you decide on a place, you receive a contract for review and a specified date you must sign by before the apartment is put back into the system.

UR has offices in Ibaragi, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa and Tokyo (23-ku).