Q. How should I find a place
to live?
A.Search for vacant rooms in rental condominiums and apartments on real estate information websites. If you find a room you like, contact the real estate company using the contact information provided on the website. You will be given a tour of the room, sign a contract with the landlord, then move in. Depending on the room, you may not be able to move in for one or two months, so be sure to confirm the move-in date when talking to the real estate agent at the enquiry stage. Some real estate agencies have multilingual staff or provide multilingual contract documents.
Types of housing
| Share house |
A single house in which multiple people can live. The initial cost to move in is inexpensive and many share houses are furnished with home appliances and furniture! |
|---|
Share houses generally consist of a single entrance, shared facilities such as the kitchen, living room, toilet and bath/shower, and individual bedrooms for each occupant. They are increasingly popular with singles in their 20's and 30's, and persons living on their own for the first time. You will have many opportunities to interact with the other occupants of the house, so you will be need to be considerate, but it should be a good chance to make new friends in Tokyo.
Monthly rent: Approx. 30,000 - 70,000 yen
Initial expenses
| Example) Mr. A, living in the city center |
|
|---|---|
| Rent | 55,000 yen |
| Common service expenses |
10,000 yen |
| Deposit | 30,000 yen |
| Total | 95,000 yen |
| Rental housing |
Rooms rented in condominiums and apartments, etc. |
|---|
A room consisting of a separate toilet, shower/bath, kitchen and bedroom is referred to as a 1K. In a 1DK room, the kitchen is larger and combined into a dining room. In a 1LDK room, there is a separate living room in addition to the kitchen/dining room. Generally, rental rooms are unfurnished, but can sometimes come with a cooking stove, refrigerator and air conditioning. Rent gets cheaper the farther the room is from the city center and train stations, and bigger rooms on higher floors are more expensive.
Monthly rent [For a 1K room]:
Approx. 50,000 - 90,000 yen
You will require the following
when signing the lease agreement
Deposit |
Equivalent to 1-3 months' of rent. The deposit is kept for security and returned to you after moving out, minus repair and cleaning costs. |
|---|---|
Key money |
Equivalent to 0-2 months' of rent. This money is paid to thank the landlord. It is a unique Japanese custom. |
Brokerage |
Equivalent to 0-1 months' of rent. A fee paid to the real estate company. |
Insurance |
10,000 - 20,000 yen, to insure the room against disaster such as fire, etc. |
Guarantor |
A person liable for paying the rent on your behalf if you are unable to pay the rent. Concluding a lease guarantee agreement with a company that provides guarantor services is also an option if there is nobody you can ask to act as your guarantor. |
Initial expenses
| Example) Mr. B, living in the suburbs | |
|---|---|
| Rent | 75,000 yen |
| Common service expenses |
5,000 yen |
| Deposit | 75,000 yen |
| Key money | 75,000 yen |
| Brokerage fee | 75,000 yen |
| Guarantor fee | 60,000 yen |
| Total | 365,000 yen |
Taiwan,
・32, service industry
When I first came to Tokyo, I lived in a share house for one year. I then wanted my own rental room with a loft, so I searched real estate companies on the Internet. There was an English-speaking staff member working at the Japanese real estate company, and English documents were also available, so I was able to complete the necessary procedures smoothly and sign a contract. I'm really happy to be able to have my own room in Tokyo!
