serviced/furnished and rental tokyo apartments

Provide personal information and identification such as; your name, your home country, occupation, if you have dependents or co-occupants and how many, your monthly income, whether you have a guarantor, and the reason you are looking for housing.  After which the realtor will want to know what kind of housing you are specifically looking for and your preference of location, price range, and other details.

• The realtor will then proceed to show you what is available given your criteria. If you find housing that matches your requirements, request to go and look at it. After checking it out, you can tell the realtor whether it does, or does not interest you.
• Be sure to check that the floor layout suits you, as it is common to find the actual layout is slightly different on paper.
• In addition, you will want to ask about the nearest train station and how convenient the apartment is to nearby supermarkets and convenience stores, post office, banks, hospitals, parks, etc.

• If you like the housing apply to rent it. The real estate agent and landlord will conduct a tenancy examination and if you pass the examination, you can form a rental agreement and move in.
• If you are applying for your own independent contract you will need to have a guarantor, who will be responsible for paying the rent on your apartment when you cannot. The guarantor must be a Japanese citizen, or company in Japan. You may also choose to use a rent liability guarantee company, information about which may be provided by your real estate agent.

The landlord will conduct a tenancy examination on you once you have been approved you may take part in the rental agreement. Have all parts of the contract carefully explained and be sure to understand clearly what is expected of you. If the real estate agent is acting as an intermediary, you will be charged an agency fee (CHUKAI-TESURYO).

It is highly recommended to clarify the following when receiving the final briefing before signing the contract:

• Is this a regular rental agreement or a lease agreement?
• How much is the security deposit (SHIKI-KIN), key money (REI-KIN)? These are required to be paid in full at the contract signing. How much will the non-refundable restoration fee (Shikibiki) cost?
• If the contract is a regular rental agreement, how much will the contract renewal cost should you wish to renew the contract?
• Can the housing be redecorated and are co-occupants allowed?
• What are the terms and conditions of restoration when moving out?

You should also define and settle the cost of restoration at the time of vacating to prevent any misunderstanding in cost.

After signing the contract the housing key will given to you. At the end of the contract the keys must be returned to the landlord. Please note if the keys are lost there will be an extra fine charged from your security deposit generally the cost of replacing the lock and key to the housing.

• If you fill in the prescribed form available at all post offices, and submit it at a post office (or mail it), any mail addressed to your former residence will be forwarded to your new address for a period of one year (provided your new address is in Japan; the post office cannot forward mail overseas).
• Please note that forwarded mail will take a little longer to reach you, since it takes some time to redirect mail to a different address. Also, please note that mail will no longer be forwarded after the one-year period expires.

• It preferable to finish your moving during the day, as moving out at night will disturb your neighbors.
• Be sure to dispose of all extra items and unwanted belongings. Check to be sure that no garbage is left behind.

• Return the key to the realtor.
• Leave the housing in its original condition. Make minor repairs if necessary and report any broken items to the realtor or landlord. There will be a final inspection done by the landlord to compare the condition of the housing and the furnishings and equipment from the start of your move-in date. The landlord will then determine how much restoration is required.

Generally the security deposit will be refunded after moving out granted there are no restoration costs necessary. Typically however the landlord will charge a cleaning fee and if there are any damages beyond that, those costs will be deducted from your deposit. If the damage costs exceed your security deposit, you are responsible for paying the difference.