There are many kinds of renting styles in Japan but apartments are still the most common way to live. However, in spite of its popularity, the process is far from simple and there are many steps you should carry through.
This articles for those who
・Plan to live in Japan
・Don’t know what to do to rent an apartment in Japan
・Want to make the initial cost as low as possible
How to rent an apartment in Tokyo
1.Schedule it
When you want to find a place to live in Japan, the first thing you should do is scheduling!
A recommended move-in span for Japanese people is two months, so you’d better start to look for a place three months in advance if you are a foreigner. Also, keep in mind that real estate companies can get busier than usual in January, February, and March because it is a move-in season in Japan. Therefore, if you want to move in these months, then you should start looking for one as soon as possible.
2.Make sure what you want
Once you know when to move to Japan, the next step is you should figure out what you want. These are the conditions you should think about.
Location
It is always better if you can find a walking distance apartment from your company or school, but it wouldn’t be recommended in Japan unless they are not located in the central area or you can afford expensive rent.
On the other hand, the farther from the center, the cheaper the average rent becomes. Thus, what people normally do is pick one station in a suburb from which you can take a train to the closest station to your company. Some trains such as Chuo-line are so popular that the average rent does not fall as much as other lines even if the station is far from the center.
As well as stations, distance from a station is something you should consider carefully.
Although apartments are more likely to be expensive as they get closer to a station, within 10 minutes’ walk distance from the closest station is recommended because you might use trains literally all the time and shops are usually around the station. Trust me, living close to the station eases the commuting stress and is definitely worth it unless you’re a huge fan of walking every morning.
Size
Unless you are willing to pay a whole lot of cash or are okay living in a rural area, you won’t get a spacious apartment. The size of normal apartments for a single person is 18~30m2, which is called 1K or 1Rin Japanese. You can probably barely put furniture and electronics. If you are from a western country, it would be a tight fit.
Building condition
What you should check when looking at building conditions are; how old the building is, which direction the building faces (if you can get sunlight), and what type of structures the building has (if it is an anti-earthquake structure). These factors could affect the comfortability and safety of your life in Japan
Security
There is no doubt Japan is one of the safest countries in the world, but it doesn’t mean you do not need to worry about security, especially if you are a woman.
Some apartments introduce an auto-lock entrance, with which non-residents can not go in the building at all.
Rent
In Japan, it is said the rent should be less than 25% of your monthly earnings. You won’t even be able to rent an apartment if the rent is more than 30% of your monthly earnings.
Just don’t push the envelope because the initial costs proportionately go up as the rent gets more expensive and on top of the rent, the cost of living in Japan is far from cheap.
Initial cost
This is one of the craziest parts when renting an apartment in Japan. Long story short, you have to pay between 4.5 and 5 times the rent just to move into an apartment. This cost does not include the furniture.
If you want to make it lower, check this.
3.Go to websites
Once you figure out what you want, you go to a search site and look for an apartment that matches your condition. Then, send an email to the agent. Don’t hesitate to apply to apartments because they are not going to charge you until you finally make a contract.
4.Going for the viewing
Before you decide which apartment you live in, you can ask the real estate agent to take you to see the apartment. It will be a good opportunity because you will be able to actually feel the atmosphere of the apartment and imagine your new life there.
Also, “This apartment is different from the pictures on the website“ can often happen so you’d better do it if you have time.
5.Screening
Prior to the application to an apartment, you have to go through the “screening” process where the real estate agents evaluate your income level and decide if they let you rent the apartment.
Generally, your income should be more than 3 times the rent.
6.Pay the upfront cost
Once your application is approved, you are going to make a final contract. You are going to decide when exactly to move in and pay all the initial costs.
7.Set up the utility and internet
The next thing you need to do is set up the utility and internet. The first thing you need to do is make sure who is paying the bill because the utility fee is sometimes included in the rent. If you are responsible for it, you need to apply for the utility (electricity, gas, and water) yourself. Ask your real estate agent which company is available and make a contract with it by at least 4 days before the move-in date.
8.Buy furniture
Since Japanese apartments are mostly not furnished, the next thing you would do is buying furniture or anything you need to start a new life.
If you do not want to spend a lot of money on it, go to a second-hand store or use an online website so you might get used-ones at a much lower price.
5 things you should be careful when renting an apartment in Tokyo
1. A normal apartment is not furnished
Although there are exceptions such as share houses and monthly apartments, most apartments in Tokyo are not usually furnished, unlike other countries. You have to buy pretty much everything from small things such as a light bulb to a laundry machine and a bed.
Therefore, when looking for an apartment it is very important to include the cost of the furniture. Some luxury apartments include furniture but the prices are mostly very steep.
If you want to avoid these costs or stay temporary, the best alternative option would be to share houses or monthly apartments because they are usually furnished.
Room sharing with friends
Room sharing with friends is not a common thing in Japanese culture, unlike western cultures. Apartments with more than1 one bedroom are usually very expensive and in most cases, you won’t be allowed to rent an apartment unless your earning is more than 3 times of the rent.
What you should know about this three times of the rent rule is that you cannot combine your earning with your friend’s, which means if you want to share a 2 bedroom apartment with your friend, your monthly earning itself needs to be 3 times more than the rent.
The only case where you can combine your earnings with other people is when the person you want to share a room with is your family member.
Though some companies such as UR offer apartments for room sharing, the number of the options is limited so check it out as soon as possible if you really want to do room sharing.
Plan carefully when moving in
As described above, there are many fees you have to pay when renting an apartment.
The Move-in fee itself is already very expensive but you also have to take furniture into consideration. I would say if you want to rent an 80,000 yen apartment, you’d better prepare at least 600,00 yen (400,000 for the initial cost and 200,000 yen for the furniture)
If you want to avoid all troubles, sharehouse or monthly apartment is better,
Apply ASAP once you decide
Tokyo is the world’s most populated city and there has been a rapid increase in the number of people who move to Tokyo every year. If you are thinking of moving here, especially close to the central area of Tokyo, you would end up renting an unsold apartment.
It is not unusual that good apartments are taken as soon as they are put on the market.Thankfully, an apartment application fee does not exist in Japan, and applying to it doesn’t mean you have to pay the initial cost. So never hesitate to apply when you find one suits what you want.
Language barrier
Japan is one of the least English spoken countries in the world and this fact, of course, makes your apartment hunting much more difficult.
Except for some foreign-friendly real estate agencies, you are going to find it difficult to deal with the application process if you do not speak Japanese. Some companies deal with only Japanese customers because they want to avoid troubles caused by the language barrier.
If you do not speak Japanese and have a Japanese friend, I recommend you to use foreign-friendly real estate agents such as Apts.jp.
Renting an apartment in Tokyo
Renting an apartment is not a fun thing to do in Japan but knowing the procedure will help you go through it. If you become worried about something, do not hesitate to ask your agent and they will help you. If you are not a Japanese speaker, use an agent that has multilingual staff. Get a good apartment and have a wonderful life in Japan.
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