Job Discussion Forums

[Black_Beer_Man]

My new employer does not agree to be a guarantor and I want to move into my own apartment.

Is there any way around this sticky problem? Is it simply a deal breaker with the real estate companies if you don't have one?

Please do not recommend Leo Palace apartments. They're tiny over-priced shoe boxes.

[TokyoLiz]

Renters can use guarantor companies. It's not hard.

A real estate agency that uses guarantor a guarantor company - http://best-estate.jp/en/kanto/

[Rooster.]

You can also get an apartment that does not need one. Although these tend to be smaller or not as nice.

[TokyoLiz]

Craigslist Tokyo lists apartments with no key money, no guarantor required.

[Lamarr]

I paid through a "guarantor insurance" company years ago, where you pay a fee to an insurance company for them to be your guarantor, instead of having a "personal" guarantor like your company, a friend or relative. It cost 10,000-yen a year on a 1K place that was 45k a month rent. They asked for the name and contact details of a Japanese person that knew me, but that was just as a point of contact: that person wasn't under any obligation to cover your rent if you failed to pay it.

I looked at some bigger places more recently that were in the region of 75-80k a month that were asking anywhere between 50-100% of the monthly rent as a guarantor insurance fee. They also asked for the contact details not just of someone in Japan, but in your home country as well.

Some agents/landlords will actually ONLY offer apartments with a guarantor insurance company, and WON'T accept a "personal" guarantor like a friend, relative, or your company.