“What is the procedure for moving in/out a share house?”
In most cases, a share house requires less documents than an apartment.
Let’s take a look at the share house move-in/out procedure this time.
5 Steps to Move-in a Share House in Japan
1. Find a Share House
The first thing you should do is figure out your condition such as your budgetand location.
Once you decide, use a search website for share houses and find some share houses that meet your condition.
Then, from the inquiry form on the website, contact the company that manages that share house and let them know the date and time you want to visit. You will get a reply in a day or two, but if you do not receive a reply within a few days, try to contact them again.
Also, when you find a share house on a search site, it is safer to check the homepage of the operating company. Actually, search sites only gather information on many share houses and do not actually manage them.
2. Go for viewing
Once you have decided on a date and time to visit the share house, go check the property. By actually visiting, you can see whether the share house really suits your requirements.
To prevent “This is not what I thought” from happening, I highlly recommend you to go for viewing and check at least these points as follows.
There are three points you should check.
・ Cleanliness and Size of the Lounge
・ Room
・ Atmosphere
・Whether you can invite your friends or not
The atmosphere of the share house determines whether you can actually enjoy living there or not. If you can’t go for viewing, at least contact the share house manager to know what people live in and the atmosphere of it.
3. Make a Contract
What you need for a share house contract depends on the share house. Some share houses ask you to submit only your passport while other ones ask you to bring several official documents.
You will possibly be asked to submit these documents. (though it’s pretty rare that a share house require you to have all of these)
・Passport
・Residence card
・Emergency contact
・ Alien Registration Card
・ Bank account
・ Guarantor
・Japanese Skill
In some share houses, a passport is all you need. It depends on the property, so it is important to contact the share house manager. Once these documents are submitted, the result of the move-in screening is often notified about 3 to 10 days after submission.
In some share houses, conversational level Japanese may be required to get this process done.
4. Pay the upfront cost
Once the contract is signed, pay the initial cost. In the share house, the following total cost is called the initial cost.
・ Rent for 1 month
・ Common Service Fee
・ Contract Cost
In Tokyo, the total amount is about 100,000 yen on average.
5. Move in
When you are ready to move in, receive the key and go to the share house. Tell the real estate company or operating company the date you will move in advance, there will be no problem anytime after the move-in date.
Move out of a Share House in Japan
However, some people may want to move out because of “I’ve had trouble”, “Some people didn’t fit my sharemates”, or “It was different from the share house life I imagined”.
Let’s see how to move out
Process
This is the basic process for moving out of a share house. However, it really depends on the share house, so talk to the manager as soon as you decide to move out.
Move-out Process
(1) Notify the person in charge such as the operating company or the owner that you will move out (basically up to one month in advance)
(2) Submit documents (if necessary)
(3) Pack by the move-out date
(4) If you need to move out, pay the fee by the due date
(5) Ask the person in charge to check the room after cleaning up the items on the day you move out.
(6) Return the key and leave the room
If you are in an apartment, you need to cancel the utilities. But share houses don’t require you to do these process.
Potential moving out cost
There is basically no cost to pay when moving out of a share house. However, a “penalty” will be livied in the following cases.
・ Moved out earlier than the contract expiration date
・ If you contact the contractor later than the deadline for contact and move out
Penalties are to be paid if you break the rules such as contract period-related matters. Most people don’t have to pay if they don’t forget to contact them.
However, in these cases, you might have to pay the repairing fee.
・ The walls and floor were dirty
・ The floor was scratched due to the movement of furniture.
・ Destroyed share house equipment
In such cases, you might have to pay the repair fee. Also, when you move out, clean the room before you go.
Can I get the Deposit back?
Some share houses return the deposit when moving out. On the other hand, if you break something and have to pay some fees such as a cleaning fee or repair fee, the payment will be offset by the deposit you paid when moving in.
※Contract fee or admistrative fee are not deposit.
If you think you can move out smoothly, look for the next place to move in. If you are considering moving to another share house, it is easier to find one through a search site. In case of temporary move-out, it is possible to move back in the same share house again as well.
Move-in/out of Share House in Japan is Not Complicated.
This time, we have summarized how to move in and out of Shehaus. It is also important to take early action so as not to violate the rules. If you don’t understand, ask immediately.
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