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House Renting Manual
House Renting Manual
It is not easy to find a nice apartment in Japan, especially when you do not speak any Japanese. Also Japanese house renting system is very different from other countries. Whether you are studying or working in Japan, finding a nice apartment is the most important thing from the beginning.
Our company will help you to deal with housing problems in Japan. Here we try to tell you the secrets of finding a nice apartment in Japan successfully.
1.Budget of housing
Decide the upper bound of the rental cost first; generally speaking, if your income is 180,000yen, the rental cost should be 60,000 yen or less, according to a generally accepted 1/3 of income thumb of rule.
However, everyone’s life style is different. Like some people want to spend more money in their hobbies, while others want to save more for their future. If so, maybe not to spend a lot of money on housing is the right thing to do. Oppositely, if you are particularly fancy on housing, you might be able to pay 30 percent or more of your income on it.
Calculate the upper bound of the rental cost according to your own situation. That is the first step of the apartment hunting.
2.Decide the requirements
What kind of room do you want to rent? Do you prefer more on a fancy town, spacious room, comfortable bathroom or kitchen, located near by your office or school? First try to find out what living conditions you require. The next important thing you need to find out is the “Market price”. Try to find out the market price in the area that you want to live in, by searching on the Internet or by checking on advertising magazines.
1.Gathering information
There are 3 ways to gather information
(1) Through information magazine
(2) Through internet
(3) By aid of real estate agents
Visit estate agents, based on information found on the Internet or magazines. Before you visit real estate agent try to inform them what kind of room you have in mind, so that they can have the key and necessary materials prepared for you. Moreover, if you visit the real estate agent on weekends, maybe you could not get good enough service because it is always crowded on weekend. If you visit them on weekdays, you could take your time to check the apartment in detail.
2.Check the apartment
Importance of checking the apartment
To protect yourself from later issues, it is very important to check the apartment in detail before you sign the contract. Imagine that you will live in this room by your own, find out whether it is comfortable enough for yourself.
Apartment check list
(1) Closet
(2) Detail of the apartment
(3) Windows
(4) Surrounding environment
How much is necessary for the contract of the rented apartment?
The cost varies according to the contracted apartment.
Moreover, the rental fee might be calculated on daily basis from the start date of the contract.
1.The process form application to contract signing.
(1) After Site-visiting
Submit the application to the real estate agent.
(2) Application Form
Should include your name, working company, current address, co-inhabitant name and relationship. You guarantor’s name and working place etc, will need to be confirmed in advance.
(3) Tenant Review
Review according to the application, which includes whether you can afford your rental fee etc. Normally it takes 2 to 3 days, sometimes a week for the outcome.
(4) Important Information
The landlord explains their rights and obligations to the tenants. To avoid disputation, review the contract in detail, and enquire when in doubt.
(5) Contract
Submit signed contract to the real-estate agent, including the payment and necessary documents. If there’s missing signatures or documents, you may not get your keys in time.
2.Necessary documents for the contract signing.
Generally, you will need the following documents when sign a contract: Foreigner visa, student ID, passport, etc.
Deposit, gift, real-agent compensation, one-month rental fee advance, security deposit (when there’s no guarantor, you need to pay one-month worth rental fee as security deposit), key renewal fee, household insurance fee, etc.
Please be noticed that different real-estate agent will ask for different documents.
3.Co-guarantor
A co-guarantor means if there is anything happening to the tenant, he or she will take the necessary responsibility in place of the tenant. In most cases, when signing a contract you will be asked to provide your guarantor’s signature. Since it relates to your move-in review, it is better to ask for guaranty from an elder with stable income. It is necessary to provide information regarding your guarantor’s working place, income, etc.
