With Japan’s borders open, the surge of the demand for long term rental apartments in the country is felt most especially in major cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Sapporo, Nara, Kobe, etc.  Therefore, any foreigner who is eyeing to go to Japan for a long term period must be prepped with the Japanese way of renting apartments.  For a convenient and hassle-free rental transaction, go to KaguAruoo.

Below are the things you need to know when renting an apartment as a foreigner in Japan:

Foreigners who are interested in renting an apartment in Japan face another dilemma due to the language barrier.  There are certain landlords who do not accept foreign tenants hence, communication plays an important role in finding out if the landlord would accept foreigners.  In addition, communicating with the landlords of the listings is important so that you can freely express your needs and certain arrangements before signing the lease.  You are fortunate enough if you know someone in Japan that can communicate on your behalf, otherwise you will need the help of a real estate agent.

Apart from giving aid in terms of communication, the real estate agent will be the one to introduce you to different available apartments that will suit your needs.  Most of the information they will be asking is the type of apartment you are looking for, size of the apartment, the location of the apartment, your preferred price range, distance from the station, etc.  Through your real estate agent, you can request to view the apartment.  Once the landlord agrees to show you the apartment, your real estate agent will go with you to the location and guide you through.

Once you have decided on a particular apartment, your real estate agent can draft the contract and provide you with the total cost of the rent along with the miscellaneous fees.  The fees that you are inclined to pay to move-in are the following:

Key money: This is a fee that is paid to the landlord and is considered a gift and is not refundable.  The amount of the key money is corresponding to a month’s rent.

Security deposit: This is a fee that you pay to the landlord for the repair of any possible damages to the property after moving-out.  The security deposit will be completely or partially refunded to the tenant right after he/she moves out.

Broker’s fee: This is the fee that you pay for the real estate agency’s service. The fee is equivalent to 1 month’s rent plus consumption tax.

Guarantor’s fee: Some landlords in Japan will require a guarantor.  Someone who can pay the rent in cases when the tenant can not fulfill its financial obligations to the landlord.  These guarantors must be Japanese and have good credit standing.  For foreigners, this requirement is difficult.  So, your real estate agent will introduce you to a guarantee company (hoshonin-gaisha) – a company that performs the role of a guarantor in exchange for their service fee.  The guarantor’s fee is usually 1 month’s rent and is non-refundable.

Your real estate agent will also be requiring you to provide documents such as your residence card, proof of employment (if you have a working visa), health insurance card, payslips, employment contract, tax withholding certificate, proof of enrollment (if you have a student visa) and passport.  The average duration the paperworks will normally take is more than a week.  After submitting the required documents and getting the quotation from your real estate agent, you are now ready to sign the lease contract.  You must personally meet up with the landlord in signing the contract.  Of course, if you do not know Japanese, your real estate agent must be present at the same time.  After the documents are submitted, payments are completed and the lease contract is signed, you are now ready to move-in.

You can secure a furnished apartment in Tokyo conveniently with KaguAruoo. A website that lets you search, pick and rent furnished apartments in Japan online. Due to the worldwide pandemic, transactions done face to face are highly discouraged.  Online platforms became a sensation overnight and now an integral part of everyday life.  A breakthrough brought to you by KaguAruoo, where you can secure your desired apartment online without any hassle of the conventional apartment leasing procedures.  All transactions are completed online.  Not only can you search for beautiful furnished apartments in KaguAruoo, but you can also communicate with the landlord for any specifics you wish to discuss before signing the leasing contract online.  The website is user friendly and provides you with excellent customer service in Japanese and English language.

In KaguAruoo, you do not need to look for a real estate agent to move you through the rental process. All transactions are done online – from searching a listing, sending an inquiry to the landlord, signing the lease contract and paying for the rent.  Make sure to visit KaguAruoo and rent a furnished apartment in Tokyo in just a few clicks.