After three years in Japan, last summer was the first time I put to find an apartment for rent here in Tokyo, so I decided numberest very experience that you may know that you are going to find when looking for an apartment hire here in Tokyo.
The first thing that you should know is that the floors in Japan are usually rented unfurnished and having to pay large sums of money as a deposit before entering into any floor, except for foreign real estate or shared flats which you can find it with furniture deposit or money in exchange of paying a monthly rent more expensive than normal.
In my case, as in the case of many people who want to live in Japan for a long period of time, I went to get my apartment in the estate of the street, these where the Japanese rent their own apartments, no agencies foreigners.
One of the things you should know and I do not know when I started looking floor is that it makes sense to start looking at 10 different real estate, as they all tend to have almost exactly the same story as almost all use the same database central database where they look for apartments, so unlike some homes where the owners take their apartments directly to your favorite neighborhood agencies, everyone will have the same story, so I would advise going to any known real estate and some real estate smallest district in the area that you be searching for an apartment.
Another thing you have to be very clear before you start looking apartment is NOT the same opportunities that you have a Japanese to find your ideal apartment, as many of the owners of the apartments (not real estate) that are the deciding in the last minute to rent the apartment or not going to refuse to rent to a foreigner, and especially if you do not speak Japanese, although this tends to happen more if the owner of the building is an older person more closed-minded. On the other hand this makes sense. How do you want me to explain the building owner that you are wrong in the days to pull away or they will have to work on the building unless you speak Japanese?
Moreover, it can also happen is that as a foreigner you pay a little more touch, because if you are a foreigner you ask a Japanese guarantor, I mean some Japanese to ensure that you pay and do not disappear one day without paying your last month's rent and the house destroyed. This person who puts the firm is called "Hoshonin" (保证人), but in case you do not have any Japanese friends or your own company to put this signature, you're gonna get looking for an agency called "Hoshonin-gaisya "(保证人 会 社) than what is charged to the guarantor of the people for a commission payment of one month's rent.
From here all payments are payments and more.
The real estate why look for your floor will charge you the "Chikai tesuryo" to offer its search services, which is usually also the value of one month's rent.
Then there is the "Reikin" (礼金) indicate that their kanji is the money of gratitude, I mean you just give away money to the owner of the apartment floor offer. This is usually one or two months' worth of monthly rent.
We also have the "Shikikin" (敷金) which is money deposit, which will be returned if they do not cause damage to the building, although in many cases the contract and put some of this money will be used when you leave the floor to clean and condition the floor for the next tenant. Why you think that the Japanese rental apartments are so bright when you enter them? Well if someone has paid for this well before clean and it usually costs between one and two months' rent, but as normal in this case is to be two months.
In some cases even make you pay the "tetsukeikin" (手付金) which is the bond money to reserve the apartment you've decided to rent. This money is returned to you as soon as you sign the lease and you pay for everything else.
Something very important when signing the contract is that you bring back to a Japanese person with you that you read the contract, because of course, this contract will be only in Japanese, so it is best to assure that it does not at all unusual in the contract.
Something very important to look at the contract may be the length of time than normal are usually two years, so that after two years the building owner has every right to throw you out of the building or renew the contract another two years , although renew the contract also usually put will cost you an extra month, but you do not want is that your contract is just a year and stay out after a year and having to find a new apartment with expenses that entails.
Other things to look into the contract can be if left to keep animals (which usually is not) or if you are prohibited from later someone will live with you.
Once you have all already signed, will give you the keys, and you need to sign up on your own gas, electricity, water, telephone and Internet.
AT A GLANCE:
The go to rent a house in Japan, have prepared 5 times the monthly rental of housing, which means that if you find an apartment of about 100000yenes/mes you have to be prepared to pay 500,000 yen in the first month.
Remember also have a friend you can translate Japanese contract.
See exactly where you're going to put anything live before you rent, check with the area at night to make sure that there is a conflict zone at night, you would not like you are forced to move house in a few months and having to pay 500,000 yen again.
I too refused to rent a few apartments as a foreigner, but try to understand their reasons and finally at least three weeks I got my apartment in Setagaya, 3 minutes by train from Shibuya.
