How to rent an apartment in Tokyo

We have moved to Japan in late November 2017 and after 3 weeks were finally able to find a permanent place to stay. Renting an apartment in Tokyo is a different beast than renting in Poland or New Zealand. In this post, I will outline all the steps we went through to rent our first apartment in Tokyo.

Looking for an apartment in Tokyo

At first we tried to look for the apartments online, but ended up going to the real estate agencies. It quickly become clear that even if you are looking for the apartments online, usually the contact given is to the agent anyway.

The first agency we have tried, was advertising itself as having low fees and multilingual staff. On arrival, we were welcomed with a cup of tea and candies. The agent asked us about our preferences regarding the parts of the city we want to live, how many minutes of walking to the train station is acceptable, how many bedrooms and if we want a tatami room (traditional Japanese room with grass straw covered floor). After getting our initial requirements, the agent has printed floor plans of a few potentially interesting apartments. We have selected the apartments we would like to see, and the agent has called the owners/managers to check whether they agree.

After about an hour of arrangements we have visited the first apartment. It was small and very dirty, so it was a straight “no”. The second apartment was in Kichijoji, the ward in Tokyo we heard good things about (mainly from www.eatyourkimchi.com). We really liked it. It was freshly renovated apartment on the second floor, with dark wooden floors and cute cloud print wallpaper in one of the bedrooms. However, the price would really stretch our budget, so we have decided to continue looking. If we have managed to see a nice apartment after only two visits, it gave us hope that there is a place for us in Tokyo after all.

We did not have much luck with the second agent we went to however. The lady there seemed troubled by us and after 3 hours we left not looking at any apartments.

The third agency we visited was specializing in serving foreigners. We have found it calling the number on the online apartment listing. It took us only 3 meetings with our new agent (Mr Taka from www.tokyobestapartment.com) to find an apartment we were happy with. Our agent spoke very good English and asked us million questions on the first meeting, to better understand what we’re looking for.

Second time we met, was in front of a building in which he has found two apartments for us to have a look at. That day we saw 3 apartments in total, but we did not like any of them. On the third visit, we have seen two apartments, including the one we are renting now. The other apartment was very specious and had a huge (not joking, huge) balcony. We have passed on this one though, as the manager of the building shared with us pretty quickly that he was very worried about our daughter walking too fast and too loudly. The apartment we settled for has a tatami room and a balcony, which we really appreciate.

Even though Tokyo has plenty of renting properties, being a foreigner makes it hard to find a place. We were told that some managers have reservations towards people who does not speak Japanese, and therefore the list of choices shrinks.

Signing the lease agreement

Before we signed the lease, we had to formally apply for the apartment. The application process included providing the required documentation, for example proofs of employment stating how much we earn. Customarily, you have to earn three times the amount of the rent to be a “good” candidate to rent an apartment.

To sign a lease we had to go to the property manager office. We were welcomed with a cup of coffee this time, and spent about an hour signing (putting our seals on) all the paperwork: the lease and insurance agreement. This was super funny as neither me nor Tomek drink coffee. We drank these two cups though. After formalities were done, we have received one set of keys, and the other two were staying with the owner and the manager. We were able to easily duplicate the keys though. Our agent also called electricity, gas and water providers to get us connected to the city’s resources. This was very nice of him, as when you do not speak the language well enough, even a simple everyday task becomes a challenge.  

In summary, what you need to rent an apartment in Japan is:

• Hanko (a seal with your name); sometimes the hand signature can be accepted
• Money: preferably 3 – 6 times of 1 month’s rent
• Guarantor – a Japanese person who can support your application; less used nowadays

Costs of renting an apartment in Japan

Signing a lease is a costly process in Japan as it required us to pay a deposit (equal to 1 month’s rent), insurance premium (15% of a month’s rent), guarantor fee (¼ of a month’s rent), and the agent’s commission (chūkai tesūryō, 手数料 – worth of 1 month’s rent). Deposit, called shikikin (敷金) works differently in Japan than in other countries. The money is usually not refunded, at least not fully, after you move out. It is used to professionally clean the apartment after the tenants move out, and to fix all the wear and tear.

It is also worth mentioning that listed rent prices for an apartment sometimes do not include the management fee (kanrihi, 管理費 or kyōekihi, 共益費). In our case, every month we have to pay a management fee which is about 10% on top of  our rent.

Additionally, the lease agreement may require you to pay so called key money – reikin (礼金), which is basically a gift money to the landlord (1 – 3 months worth of rent). We did not have to pay key money, but had to pay the guarantor company for the insurance. Sometimes you may be required to find a Japanese person to guarantee for you, but nowadays using an insurance company is more common.

Of course additionally to your rent costs, you also have to pay for the electricity, gas, water, internet and telephone (if you decide to have one).

Our contract is for 2 years. After that time, some of the money will have to be paid again to extend the contract for another 2 years. This lease renewal fee  equals usually a 1 month’s rent. We can cease the contract at any point with one month written notice (interestingly the owner has to give us a 6 months notice).

Summary of the upfront rental costs:

• First month’s rent
• Deposit, usually 1 – 2 months of rent
• Key money, usually 1 – 3 months
• Agent commission, usually ½ – 2 month
• Guarantor fee
• Property or fire insurance
• Lock exchange fee

Moving in

After signing the lease in the office we have got the keys and were able to move in. As we have just landed merely three weeks before, it took us 3 trips by train with 3 suitcases, and a baby car seat. It was Friday. On Tuesday we met with our Japanese friend (huge thank you!) and went to the ward office.

The trip to the office aimed to register us under the address in this particular ward, and to get a list of available daycare facilities in the area. As we have learnt, the international schools/preschools/kindergartens are very expensive in Tokyo, so we figured out that it is no harm in trying to find a Japanese one too. The visit took us a couple of hours as we have slowly moved from one counter to another, from the first floor to the third. The process was very organised, but lengthy. The ward office also printed the address on our residence cards, and issued medical insurance numbers and cards.

Living in our Tokyo apartment

Living in the apartment in Tokyo is quite easy. The only things you really have to worry about are paying your rent and bills on time, and segregating and putting out your rubbish at appropriate times. Paying your rent (plus the management fees) and bills does not require explanation.

The rubbish collection on the other hand may be a bit overwhelming. Usually you have to separate your rubbish into pet bottles, cans, plastics called プーラ, and burnables. However each ward (district) has its own, slightly different rules. These groupings have to be disposed of on separate days of a week or month. Usually, you will have to take a prescribed rubbish type outside and leave it at certain time of month, week and day in a designated place close to your apartment building. The rubbish bags in our district have to be transparent, or semi-transparent for the burnable and plastics. Paper has to be folded flat in an A4 format and tied with a string.

If you have any problem with the apartment, an equipment failure for example, you can call the manager and he handless the matter. For example, in our apartment one of the light switches was playing out, so the electrician came, replaced it, and we did not have to pay extra for the repair.

Overall, finding our first place and renting was stressful, but mostly for the reasons not related to the process itself. We were new to the system, had a deadline to move out from a temporary accommodation, and did not really understand what we can and cannot expect.

What were your experiences? Would you have any tips how we should go about renting an apartment next time? Please comment, we would love to hear from you.