Moving into your own place in Japan will require some deposits and other fees and it all depends on the landlord of the property you apply for. We also know of some tips on how you can save money on these initial fees to pay attention! 🙂

Management Fee

This fee is used to maintain common areas within the building. For example, elevator maintenance, hallway cleaning, landscaping, etc. This fee is sometimes included in the rent.

Key/Lock change fee

Landlords often charge tenants to replace locks and the keys of rooms. This fee needs to be paid separately. Usually, most agencies charge 15,000 yen plus tax. If foreigners are not worried about using the same lock, they can choose not to change the lock to save some money.

Of course, safety first is a good attitude and if asked we think it’s always best to change locks. 

Contract Renewal Fees

The housing contract for almost all residential condominiums in Japan is two years, plus a renewable contract fee. This does not need to be paid in the beginning but only if you choose to continue to live in your apartment after the two-year contract is up. Most contracts auto-renew.

The renewal fee varies depending on the area and the rental price, but the renewal fee for Ryowa House Real Estate is 11,000 yen for apartments less than 40,000 yen and 22,000 yen for those over 40,000 yen. 

Fire and Building Insurance

This covers your items and the building in the worst-case scenario of natural disaster or fire damages. This can cover items such as your bicycle being stolen or an accident with your bicycle near the apartment (see your specific insurance plan to confirm your policy’s guidelines).

Guarantor Company Fee

Japanese and Expats both used to need a guarantor person to guarantee your rent came in if you didn’t pay it on time but nowadays all landlords have shifted to using guarantor companies as it gives them more protection. There is an enrollment fee usually about half the cost of your rent (varies) and a renewal fee of 11,000 yen per year (varies).

Intermediary Fee

Our agency is paid through intermediary fees by helping customers find properties, act on your behalf as a go-between with you and the landlord, preparing the contract, helping with the language barrier and numerous other things to make your move successful. The intermediary fee is one month’s rent plus 10% tax.  

In conclusion, we see that the initial cost of renting an apartment on a daily basis is far more than we think. 

Proper selection of a rental agency can effectively reduce initial expenses.

Usually renting a 20-square-meter single apartment in Japan requires an initial fee of an amount 4-5 times your monthly rent cost! In addition, landlords have no legal responsibility to rent to foreigners and can deny them to avoid flight risks. This is where we step in.

There are a lot of real estate companies, and many like us are starting to devote themselves to helping foreigners. We especially have expanded our foreign staff to help people in many languages and make good communication with landlords showing them our experience working successfully with foreign residents in Japan so they will, in turn, let us rent out their properties to ex-pats.

Looking for a house in Hiroshima or Okayama, please come to Ryowa House as we have high-quality low-cost houses and hardcover apartments.

This year, Ryowa House managed to make 12,852 contracts and it’s increasing year by year even through the pandemic and we have the most managed properties in the Chugoku/Shikoku areas of Japan which means we have more landlords that know us and foreigner-friendly properties.

If you live in Hiroshima, please come to Ryowa Real Estate! Talking to us and looking at properties is free! No costs are incurred until you were to be approved for a property and make a contract to move. 

Reach out to us in English, Chinese, Vietnamese or Spanish at ryowainternational@ryowahouse.co.jp.