Job Discussion Forums

[Glenski]

I know of only 3 places in Japan that don't require key money or a guarantor in order to move into an apartment. Can you add to this list?

It would be helpful to know the pluses and minuses of each place, too.

I'm not referring to a place where you move in and take over the contract from another person. I'm looking for the name of real estate or rental agencies that offer you these advantages right from the start.

Here are the 3 that I know.

LeoPalace21
http://www.leopalace21.com/asia/english/index.html

Pluses:
1. Furnished, no guarantor, no key money, no deposit. Don't know if it includes a phone line.
2. Some Internet service provided.
3. Very nice FAQ section! Nice English web site.
4. No charge for utilities.
5. Property insurance available.

Minuses:
1. You have to pay for your entire stay up front (2 weeks minimum), and there is a service charge of 42,000 yen (for a year's stay) plus a 12,000 yen cleaning fee for moving out that is attached to your rental payment. If you stay on the per week basis, the cleaning/service fee is more like 5000 yen.
2. No English speaking staff. They recommend bringing a person fluent in Japanese when you apply.
3. The math on their web site is a little screwy, especially when regarding a cleaning fee and service charge.

J & F (Japanese & Foreigner) Apartments
http://jafnet.co.jp/plaza/monthly/monthly/monthlye.html

Pluses:
1. Fully furnished.
2. No key money, no agent fee.
3. Utilities included.
4. Refundable one month's deposit.
5. No guarantor needed.
6. One month minimum stay.
7. Most of the staff speaks English, and they specialize in renting to non-Japanese clients.

Minuses:
1. Renting starts at 120,000 yen/month.
2. Tokyo location only?
3. Reservations needed 2 weeks in advance.
4. That refundable deposit means you still have to pay 240,000 yen just to move in to the cheapest place for a one month stay.

U & I House
http://home.att.ne.jp/sun/U-I_house/

52,000-55,000 yen/month

Pluses:
1. English web site.
2. Guest houses and apartments
3. No key money, no guarantor
4. cable TV and Internet at guest house

Minuses:
1. Tokyo location only.
2. 10,000 yen deposit needed for guest house (half the usual deposit)
3. No description of furnishings or phone.

So, please add to this list, folks.

[hagakuri]

Hi,

About a year ago, I remember reading in the paper about this start-up company in Tokyo. The article indicated that the company would act as the guarantor for a foreigner. They would also pay the key money and deposit. The fee to the foreigner was minimal... maybe around 10,000 yen.

I did go to their webite, and at that time it was pretty disorganized. I did not get a good idea of how the thing really worked.

Anyways, I do remember that they only provided this service in the greater Tokyo metro area.

Sorry, the name escapes me. Anyone know?

Ciao!

[Glenski]

Would that be Rikio Sasage's IRE, Co.? It's not in the latest Townpages under that designation. Don't know if he calls himself International Real Estate Co. Ltd. or not. An article in the Asahi Evening News talks about Sasage's operation as catering mostly to foreigners, but it doesn't say that he accepts such a low fee, just that he helps explain the current rental situation to foreigners.

What about Morris International?
http://www.cdnetguide.ca/international/Japan.htm
I had them on my info list a while ago, but didn't find a web page until recently. Thanks for reminding me to update my files.
MI will make #4 on my list.

Pluses:
1. No Key Money
2. No Agent Fee
3. Only One Month Deposit And One Month Rent
4. 60 apartments in the best locations of Tokyo. Fully furnished with refrigerator, TV, Heater, Air Conditioning, Futons. Also telephone line included.
5. They speak English, Hebrew, Yiddish, Chinese, & Japanese

Minuses:
1. Rent starts at $1,000 per month. [I'm sorry but I don't know if this is USD or other dollars.]
2. Only in Tokyo

[Glenski]

Ok, so I have had some time on my hands in the last couple of days. Here are 3 more listings for apartments. One is in the Nagoya area.

http://www.cdnetguide.ca/international/Japan.htm
Sakura House

Pluses:
1. No key money
2. No guarantor
3. 500 furnished rooms in 50 Tokyo locations, including guest houses, dorm rooms, and apartments
4. 30,000 yen deposit (partially refundable) and first month�s rent are all that is needed to move in
5. rent as low as 52,000 yen/month
6. pictures and floor plans online and at office
7. you can reserve from outside Japan
8. good FAQ section
9. Partial rent prorated (but not for just one month�s stay)

Minuses:
1. High end rent is near 100,000 yen/month
2. Only in Tokyo area

http://www.souen.jp/english/
Souen Real Estate (Nagoya)

Pluses:
1. no key money
2. no guarantor
3. no maintenance fees
4. fully furnished apartments
5. monthly and bi-yearly leases
6. English-speaking staff
7. Nagoya and Chubu area

Minuses:
1. Nagoya area only
2. Long-term rentals need to show proof of income & employment
3. �some restrictions apply� (not explained)
4. No prices listed on web page, only �affordable prices� statement


http://sendai.bz/g.htm
Daimaru Trading Co., Ltd.

Pluses:
1. Sendai area
2. guest houses, weekly/monthly apartments, regular apartments

Minuses:
1. Not all housing has �no key money / no guarantor� policy
2. Scanty web page
3. Sendai area only
4. No prices listed online
5. Some places not furnished

[grampus]

UDC.....Urban Development Corporation. I live in Nagoya but i think they are elsewhere.

[matador]

Any leads down here?? I need an apartment in January!

[Glenski]

[matador]

'Here' is Fukuoka City on Kyushu Island. I am willing to pay up to 100,000 yen

[Sherri]

Here is some info on places in Tokyo:
http://www.timeout.com/tokyo/accom.xml?ar=7&cg=1

Crystal Village
1-2-10 Arai, Nakano-ku (3388 7625/fax 3388 7627/[email protected]). Nakano station. Credit AmEx, MC, V.
This agency offers private rooms with shared bathroom and kitchen for �21,500 per week, or �75,000 per month. Studio apartments cost �44,000 per week or �130,000 per month (�30,000 deposit required).

Fontana
3-31-5 Chuo, Nakano-ku (3382 0151/fax 3382 0018/[email protected]). Shin-Nakano station. No credit cards.
A bona fide estate agent with a section devoted to English-speaking clients, Fontana can also find medium-term accommodation. Studio apartments are �39,000-�45,000 a week (�50,000 deposit), family-sized apartments �120,000-�500,000 a month (�100,000 deposit; for terms of three months or longer, one month's deposit).

Hoyo Tokyo
Hoyo Daini Bldg, 4-19-7 Kita-Shinjuku, Shinjuku (3362 0658/fax 3362 9438/[email protected]. ne.jp). Higashi-Nakano station. No credit cards.
Studio apartments are �39,000-�65,000 per week (�50,000 deposit) or �120,000-�230,000 per month, family apartments are �300,000-�500,000 a month (�100,000 deposit; for terms of three months or longer, one month's deposit).

Sakura House
K-1 Bldg 8F, 7-2-6 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku (5330 5250/fax 5330 5251/[email protected]/ www.sakura-house.com). Shinjuku station. No credit cards.
Owned by the people who operate the Sakura Hotel. A room in a guest house with shared bathroom and kitchen costs �60,000-�110,000 a month, apartments run from �105,000 to �190,000 per month. A �30,000 deposit is required.

Tokyu Stay
8-14, Shinsen-cho, Shibuya-ku (3477 1091/fax 3477 1092/www.tokyustay.co.jp/english/shibuya/). Shibuya station. Credit AmEx, JCB, MC, V.
Apartment-type accommodation in a modern block close to NHK headquarters. Stay length starts at a single night, but the longer you stay the less it costs per night, the single studio rate falling to �6,000 from �8,000 for stays of 30 nights or more. The dearest apartment-type accommodation starts at �19,000 on a single-night basis, falling to �14,300 for a stay of 30 nights or more. Other branches in less lively areas, including Shinbashi, Nihonbashi and Yotsuya.
�

[ruggedtoast]

Most of the managed foreigner friendly agencies seem to work out about the same price at the end of the day for short let apartments.

There are some agencies that operate as normal letting agents, like Kimi Information Bureau. You can tell them the area that you want to live in and theyll ring round the Japanese agents there.

The more key money you can pay the more choice you have and the lower the rent is likely to be, you can specify no "reikin" but theres no getting round the 1 month agency fee and the 1 to 2 months deposit (which you may or may not get back). It can cost you several hundred thousand yen just to move into a 70k a month unfurnished apartment, and unfurninshed means "nothing", no fridge no cooker no vacuum cleaner...