How to find an apartment in Tokyo (Part 1)

Over the past month I’ve been going through the herculean task of apartment hunting in downtown Tokyo. After having lived in Japan for over 12 years this is now my third time although it doesn’t seem to get any easier. I wanted to share my experiences in the form of a guide to help those either moving here for the first time or people already here looking for their next apartment.

The zen of apartment hunting covers a wide range of issues so I’ll tackle them in small bite sized chunks. In this first article let’s take a look at the possible break down of cost which vary from from case to case.

敷金

Shikikin: This is a refundable deposit. How much you get back depends on the state of the apartment when you move out and the honesty of your landlord. Generally speaking you should get a majority of it back although this can vary form case to case. It is not uncommon to have to pay “敷金：２” or two months rent up front.

In Osaka and other parts of Japan 敷金 is called 保証金 hoshoukin. After moving out you can expect to be charged a cleaning fee which can be anything around 30,000 yen.

礼金

Reikin: 礼金 generally translates as “thank you money” and is a non-refundable deposit. Not only that but depending on the apartment, you might have to pay “礼金：２” or 2 months rent up front with no refund. This is where Japan gets it reputation being an expensive place to move apartments.

仲介手数料

Chuukai tesuuryo:A finder’s fee. You’ll usually use a 不動産 (fudousan) estate agent (realtor) to help you find a place. The finding fee is usually one month’s rent.

共益費

Kyouekihi: Monthly building management fee. This is a monthly cost to pay for general cleaning and upkeep of the building. It can vary from only 1000 yen ($10) to 10,000 yen ($100) or more. Make sure you add this onto the basic monthly rent.

保証会社

Hoshougaisha: To move into an apartment in Japan you need to have a guarantor. The guarantor is financially liable for any major damage or toruble you might cause. Your parents or company can be your guarantors. However if this is not possible you can use a Hoshogaisha or guarantor company. They usually charge 50% of one month’s rent to act as your guarantor.

Other costs

鍵交換代: kagikoukandan: This would be the costs for changing the locks which is about 30,000.

クリーニング代: Kuriiningu dai: Cleaning fee. 30,000 yen. This is usually paid when you move out

サッポートシステム: Support system: 15,000 yen a year for 24 hour emergency service dealing with things such as burst pipes or being locked out.

火災保険: kasaihoken: Apartment insurance which covers you for 2 years for about 15-20,000 yen.

So, let’s imagine you have found a desirable residence in town for about 100,000 yen or $1000 a month. This is an estimate of the single initial deposit to move in.

Shikikin X 2	Deposit	:¥200,000
Reikin X 2	Deposit (non refund)	:¥200,000
Chuukai tesuuryou	Finder’s fee	:¥100,000
Kyouekihi	Manager fee	:¥10,000
Hoshougaisha	Guarantor	:¥50,000
Kasaihoken	Insurance	:¥20,000
一ヶ月前払い	1 month rent up front	:¥100,000

Total cost: 730,000 yen

So if you add on another 100,000 yen for the removal company you are looking at 7 to 8 times your monthly rent as a first payment to move in…ouch. After that your rent will be 100,000 yen plus the managerial fee which will bring it up to about 110,000 yen per month.

Of course this is a high ball estimate. You can negotiate and each case is different. So don’t go just yet to buy a tent to live in Yoyogi park. Therefore in my Apartment hunting (part 2) I’ll show you some ways to avoid paying such high costs.

I would love to hear your ideas and opinions on this so please feel free to leave a comment below.