{"id":169,"date":"2026-05-27T20:31:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T11:31:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/japanreadycheck.com\/guide-2\/housing\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T21:18:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T12:18:00","slug":"housing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/japanreadycheck.com\/en\/guide\/housing\/","title":{"rendered":"How to choose housing support in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When looking for housing in Japan, rent is only one part of the decision. You may also need to check guarantor requirements, initial costs, contract terms, move-in date, utilities, and move-out costs. Foreign residents may also face difficulties with language, residence status, employer information, contact information, and rent guarantee screening. This guide explains what to review when choosing housing support.<\/p>\n<h2>Who this page is for<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>People looking for a room in Japan<\/li>\n<li>People who need housing before or soon after arrival<\/li>\n<li>People moving into company housing or a dormitory<\/li>\n<li>People looking for real estate agents that support foreign residents<\/li>\n<li>Companies preparing housing for foreign employees<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Decide before looking for housing<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Area<\/strong>: Check travel time to work or school, transportation cost, nearest station, and shopping access.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Move-in date<\/strong>: Match it with your arrival date, work start date, and temporary accommodation period.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly budget<\/strong>: Include rent, management fee, utilities, internet, and daily living costs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Living alone or with others<\/strong>: Check allowed number of residents, room size, and company or school rules.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Short-term or long-term<\/strong>: For short stays, furnished rooms, monthly rentals, share houses, or dormitories may fit better.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Common rental costs in Japan<\/h2>\n<p>In Japan, the first payment can be much higher than one month of rent. Separate the total amount from costs that may be refundable.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Security deposit<\/strong>: May be used for unpaid rent or move-out restoration costs. The remaining amount may be returned.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Key money<\/strong>: Usually paid to the landlord and normally not returned.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Agent fee<\/strong>: Paid to the real estate agent.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rent guarantee fee<\/strong>: Paid when using a guarantee company instead of a personal guarantor. Renewal fees may apply.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fire insurance<\/strong>: Insurance for accidents, water leaks, and other problems during residence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Key exchange, cleaning, disinfection, and support fees<\/strong>: Check whether they are required, optional, and charged again at move-out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What screening often checks<\/h2>\n<p>After applying for a room, the landlord, management company, and guarantee company may screen your application. Standards differ by property and company.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Residence card, passport, or other identity documents<\/li>\n<li>Employer, school, employment contract, or job offer letter<\/li>\n<li>Income or support source for paying rent<\/li>\n<li>Phone number and email address reachable in Japan<\/li>\n<li>Emergency contact<\/li>\n<li>Whether you can understand the contract in Japanese or another supported language<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Guarantor and guarantee company<\/h2>\n<p>Japanese rentals may require a joint guarantor or a rent guarantee company. If you cannot prepare a guarantor in Japan, it is important to ask whether a guarantee company can be used.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Whether a guarantee company is accepted<\/li>\n<li>Guarantee fee and annual renewal fee<\/li>\n<li>What happens if rent payment is late<\/li>\n<li>How much your company, school, or support organization can help<\/li>\n<li>Conditions for emergency contact<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to choose housing support<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Experience supporting foreign residents<\/li>\n<li>Available languages<\/li>\n<li>Clear explanation of rent, initial costs, guarantee fee, and move-out costs<\/li>\n<li>Support for understanding the lease contract, important matters explanation, and prohibited actions<\/li>\n<li>Coordination with companies, schools, or support organizations<\/li>\n<li>Support after move-in<\/li>\n<li>Enough time to review conditions before signing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Items to review carefully before signing<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Contract period and renewal fee<\/strong>: Check the contract length and renewal costs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Early cancellation<\/strong>: Check how many months before moving out you must give notice and whether a penalty applies.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Number of residents<\/strong>: Check whether family or friends can live with you.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prohibited actions<\/strong>: Pets, musical instruments, smoking, private lodging, long stays by friends, and garbage rules.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Facilities<\/strong>: Air conditioner, stove, lights, refrigerator, washing machine, and internet equipment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Move-out costs<\/strong>: Cleaning fee, repair fee, deposit settlement, and restoration conditions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Common problems after moving in<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Starting electricity, gas, and water<\/li>\n<li>SIM, Wi-Fi, and receiving mail or deliveries<\/li>\n<li>Garbage collection days, sorting rules, and large waste<\/li>\n<li>Noise, daily living sounds, and shared spaces<\/li>\n<li>Who to contact when equipment breaks<\/li>\n<li>Rent payment date and payment method<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What to check when moving out<\/h2>\n<p>Move-out restoration costs and deposit settlement often cause trouble. Keep photos of the room condition at move-in and move-out, and check the contract and settlement details. Normal wear and tear and damage caused by negligence may be treated differently.<\/p>\n<h2>For companies preparing housing for foreign employees<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Decide move-in date, key handover, and initial cost payment before arrival<\/li>\n<li>Choose dormitory, company housing, or private rental<\/li>\n<li>Confirm whether the tenant is the employee, company, or support organization<\/li>\n<li>Assign responsibility for electricity, gas, water, SIM, Wi-Fi, furniture, and appliances<\/li>\n<li>Explain daily rules in the employee&#8217;s language or easy Japanese<\/li>\n<li>Explain move-out cost rules before move-in<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Official information to check<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlit.go.jp\/jutakukentiku\/house\/jutakukentiku_house_tk3_000017.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MLIT: Support for Foreign Nationals in Looking for Rental Housing<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlit.go.jp\/jutakukentiku\/house\/jutakukentiku_house_tk3_000021.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MLIT: Guideline on restoration to original condition<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.faq.kokusen.go.jp\/faq\/show\/236?site_domain=default\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Consumer Affairs Center: rental housing and restoration cost precautions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Next actions<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/check\/life-start\/\">Check other life preparation items<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/checklist\/life_infrastructure\/\">Use the housing and infrastructure checklist<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/guide\/sim\/\">Check how to choose a SIM card<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/guide\/wifi\/\">Check how to choose Wi-Fi<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/check\/company-acceptance\/\">Check company acceptance preparation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/contact\/\">Ask about housing support<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When looking for housing in Japan, rent is only one part of the decision. You may also need to check guarantor requirements, initial costs, contract terms, move-in date, utilities, and move-out costs. Foreign residents may also face difficulties with language, residence status, employer information, contact information, and rent guarantee screening. This guide explains what to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":166,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"164","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-169","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","en-US"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/japanreadycheck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/japanreadycheck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/japanreadycheck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/japanreadycheck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/japanreadycheck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/japanreadycheck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":201,"href":"https:\/\/japanreadycheck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/169\/revisions\/201"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/japanreadycheck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/japanreadycheck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}