Renting

Quick Answer A guarantor company (保証会社, hoshogaisha) guarantees your rent to the landlord so you don’t need a personal guarantor. Cost: 50–100% of one month’s rent upfront, plus ¥10,000–20,000/year renewal. Nearly all foreigners renting in Japan use one — landlords choose the company, you pay the fee, and screening takes 1–3 days. The apartment listing looks perfect. Then the agent explains you need a guarantor — a person in Japan who legally promises to pay your rent if you can’t. You’ve been in the country three weeks. You don’t know anyone who would sign that, and honestly, you wouldn’t ask them to. ...

Quick Answer Beyond rent, deposit, and key money, Japanese rental contracts commonly add: guarantor fee (50–100% of rent), lock exchange (¥15,000–25,000), fire insurance (¥15,000–20,000/2yr), “24-hour support” (¥15,000–20,000/2yr — often refusable), disinfection fee (¥10,000–20,000 — usually refusable), renewal fee every 2 years (1 month’s rent), and a move-out cleaning fee. Ask for the full 見積もり (itemized quote) before applying and challenge the optional lines. The listing said ¥80,000 a month. The agent’s quote says your move-in total is ¥427,350, and half the line items are things you’ve never heard of — 安心サポート? 消毒施工料? You don’t know which numbers are real, which are padding, and which you’re allowed to question. ...

Quick Answer No job doesn’t mean no apartment. Working paths: pass guarantor screening with a bank balance (roughly 2 years of rent in savings), use a job offer letter (内定通知書) before starting work, have a parent act as contract holder, use UR Housing’s savings rule (100x monthly rent deposited), or skip screening entirely with a share house or monthly mansion. What fails: applying for regular apartments with no income, no savings proof, and no documents. ...

Quick Answer Zero-zero (ゼロゼロ) apartments charge no key money (礼金) and no deposit (敷金). Find them by filtering 礼金なし on SUUMO/Homes, checking UR Housing (never charges key money), or using share houses. Trade-offs to check: higher rent, cleaning fees due at move-out instead, and lock-in clauses with penalties for leaving within 1–2 years. Key money (礼金, reikin) is the fee that shocks every foreigner: one or two months’ rent, paid to the landlord as a “thank you,” never returned. Add a deposit, agency fee, and guarantor fee, and a ¥80,000 apartment costs ¥400,000+ before you get the keys. ...

Quick Answer Japan’s guarantor (保証人, hoshounin) system is a major barrier for foreigners who have no Japanese contacts. The good news: rent guarantor companies (家賃保証会社) replace the personal guarantor — you pay 0.5–1 month’s rent upfront (+ annual renewal fee), and they guarantee your rent instead. UR Housing requires no guarantor or deposit. Share houses (like Oak House or Village House) also skip the guarantor system entirely. You found a great apartment in Japan. The landlord said yes. Then the real estate agent asks: “Do you have a Japanese guarantor?” ...

Japan’s rental market has some of the most unique requirements in the world — guarantors, agency fees, key money, and landlords who sometimes decline foreign applicants. Understanding the system gives you a real edge. Here’s a practical guide to renting in Japan as a foreigner. Overview of the Process Search for apartments online or through an agent Visit properties with a real estate agent (fudōsan-ya) Apply — submit documents and get screened Sign the contract and pay upfront costs Move in Where to Search Site Language Notes Suumo (suumo.jp) Japanese Largest listing site in Japan Homes (homes.co.jp) Japanese Also very large GaijinPot Apartments English Foreigner-friendly, bilingual support Sakura House English Share houses and apartments, no key money Tokyo Apartments English Tokyo-focused, English support UR Rental Housing Japanese/partial English Government housing, no key money, no guarantor Tip: UR (都市再生機構) apartments are excellent for foreigners — no key money, no agency fee, no guarantor needed. Downsides: older buildings, limited availability in central areas. ...

What you'll learn in this guide The main apartment search platforms in Japan — and which ones foreigners can actually use How to read Japanese apartment listings without fluent Japanese What “foreigner OK” (外国人可) means and how to find these listings GaijinPot Housing, UR Housing, and share house platforms explained How to contact landlords and schedule viewings as a foreigner Quick Answer The main apartment search websites in Japan are SUUMO, Homes.jp, and AtHome. These are in Japanese but Chrome’s auto-translate makes them navigable. For English-language platforms, GaijinPot Housing and Sakura House are the most foreigner-accessible. UR Housing offers guarantor-free, no-key-money apartments through a Japanese government website. ...

Quick Answer Key money (礼金, reikin) is a non-refundable payment of 1–2 months’ rent made directly to the landlord when signing a Japanese lease. It is not a deposit — you get nothing back. Combined with security deposit (敷金), agency fee (仲介手数料), and guarantor insurance, move-in costs in Japan typically reach 4–6 months’ rent before you spend a yen on furniture. Key money has no legal requirement — many apartments, especially newer ones and UR housing, no longer charge it. ...

Quick Answer Japanese landlords can legally refuse foreign tenants — and many do. Your best path: use foreigner-specialist agencies (GaijinPot Apartments, Sakura House, Able), look for UR housing (government-run, zero discrimination by policy), or go for share houses while building rental history. Having a Japanese guarantor or using a corporate guarantor service (e.g. GTN, ORIX) dramatically increases your acceptance rate. You found a great apartment, submitted your documents, waited — and then got the politely worded rejection. Or the agency told you upfront: “The landlord prefers Japanese tenants.” It’s one of the most common frustrations foreigners encounter in Japan, and it’s not something most expat guides prepare you for. ...