The following explanations are from the company Miyoshi real Estate, so it can differ with other companies. The following contracts are our "Usual Rental Contract for foreigners" type, so long term contracts.
Except the "visa part", the requirements for making contracts are the same for japanese people.
If you are interested in renting a room or have any question, please do not hesitate to contact us through this website.
Find an apartment
In order to find an apartment staff in Smileplaza (Miyoshi Real estate rental agencies) provide services in english, chinese, korean and vietnamese.
After contacting them through emails, phone call, Facebook messenger, Line or Wechat you could book an appointment with an agent. The agent will listen to your apartment research criteria (surface, budget, area, room layout...) and will present you some apartments corresponding.
Then after you selected apartments you're interested in, the agent will bring you visit the room.
Once you've found the perfect apartment, the agent will give you an application form to fill in to apply fo rthe apartment.
Here is the Smileplaza website (in japanese only):
https://www.smileplaza-chintai.jp/
Contract Requiements (Miyoshi Real Estate)
For making a usual rental contract you need:
- 1 year visa (minimum) (※except if you have the Fukuoka Start-up 6 month visa)
- Japanese guarantor (※except if you have a student visa or if you have a work in Japan, you don't need it)
- Japanese bank account (as you need an address to open a japanese bank account, we let you make the rental contract first, but ask you to then open a bank account as soon as possible, and inform us once made)
- Japanese cell phone (same as above, as you need an address and a bank account to make a cell phone contract, we let you make the rental contract first)
* working visa without japanese guarantor are also possible, however, they will be ask to pay +2 month deposit.
Contract Duration
In Japan, usual rental contract are 2 year duration contract.
If you leave the room before the end of the 1st year, you will be charge of 1 month penalty.
If you leave the room after 1 year living in, you won't be charge of penality.
After those 2 years, if you want to continue to live in the room, you will be ask to pay renewal contract fee (10.800 JPY every 2 year).
Contract Cost
The following cost depends with room, so below is a usual example of contract cost:
1 - Keys/lock change
For your safety, before you move in, every lock and keys of the apartment are changed.
2 - Agency fee
Agency fee is the commission that the real estate company receive. It usually represents 1 rental month.
3 - Guaranty company fee
It is necessary to join a guaranty company.
4 - Household Goods Insurance
You have to renew your insurance every year.
Regarding apartments, other fees may also apply:
*5 - 1 month or the rent to pay in advance
If your contract starts the 1st day of the month (ex: the 1st of January), you will be ask to pay the first month (ex: January) when you make the contract.
However, if your contract starts during the month (ex: the 15th of January), you will have to pay the rest of the month + the next month in advance, with the contract fee (ex: from January 15th to 31st + February).
*6 - Deposit
It depends regarding apartments, but you might have to advance a deposit (shikikin-しききん-敷金). You will get it back at the end of the contract if there is no damage in the room.
*7 - Owner Thank you money
It also depends regarding apartments, but you might have to pay "Owner Thank you Money" also called Reikin (れいきん-礼金). It could be 1 month of the rent or more, and you won't receive this money back. In japanese culture, this is a kind of gift to thanks to owner to let you live inside his apartments.
*8 - After moving cleaning fee
It still depends regarding apartments. You might be asked to pay it in advance, when you make the contract, or in other cases, you also might pay it before leaving the apartment. Those fees are dedicated to pay a part of the cleaning, painting, floor wax... refresh of the room after you've lived in.
Monthly Cost
Of course you have to pay the rent every month, however there are other cost that you have to include in your budget :
- Water
- Gas
- Electricity
- Internet
There are few rooms in which water and/or internet are included in the rent, but usually it is not.
As water, gas, electricity, and internet are provided by different companies, there is no link with the real estate agency. So the tenant will have to make contracts by himself with each companies.
For water and electricity, you can open the line by a simple phone call, inform the address and from when you move in.
For the gas, you also can open it by a phone call, but they will send someone for the setting and the security check of the installation, so you will have to take an apointment with the company and wait for the person inside the room.
Concerning internet, you have to deal with companies, go there to make a contract. They will check your visa and probably ask for a japanese bank account.
Furnitures
Once you've received the keys of the apartment, you can move in the room.
Usually japanese apartments are not furnished: no fridge, no washing machine, nothing ! except the airconditionner that is furnished in 1R, 1K, 1DK, 1LDK room type.
You have several options left:
- buy new furnitures in usual shop
- buy second hand furnitures
- rent furnitures
(!) Do not forget that when you will move out, you will have to empty the room of everything, and return the apartment in the same condition you received it.
Move out
If you want to move out, you have to inform the management company at least 30 days in advance. You will be ask to take an appointment with an employee that will come to check the room and return him the key.
It depends of rooms, but in 80% of the cases, you will have to pay cleaning fee of the room before leaving. In the other 20%, you've already paid those fee in advance when you made the contract.
When you are moving out, you have to let the room in the same condition you've received the room: no damage, no furniture... every forgotten furniture will be charged, so this very important to totally empty the room.
In the case you've paid a deposit when you made the contract, if there is no damage in the room, you will receive it back.
Opening Hours
Mon. - Sat. : 9am - 17pm
Sun. & Japanese National Holiday : Closed