Finding somewhere to live in Tokyo

What the move-in bill is made of

The advertised rent is only the recurring part. At signing you pay shikikin, a refundable deposit of one to two months; reikin, key money of nought to two months that is a non-refundable gift to the landlord and never comes back; the agency fee of about one month plus consumption tax; a guarantor company fee; compulsory fire insurance; a lock change; and the first month's rent. Together these land at four to six months of rent, in cash, before you have moved a box.

• Shikikin (敷金): refundable deposit, less cleaning and restoration charges.
• Reikin (礼金): key money, non-refundable, still common though shrinking in some areas.
• Chukai tesuryo: agency fee, typically one month plus tax.
• Kanrihi: monthly building management fee, charged on top of rent and easy to overlook.
• Koshinryo: renewal fee, often a month's rent every two years — budget for it now.

Guarantors and screening

Most landlords require a guarantee company (hoshō gaisha) even when you have a Japanese employer and a permanent contract, and increasingly instead of a personal guarantor rather than alongside one. The company charges an initial fee of roughly half to a full month's rent plus an annual renewal, and it runs its own screening on your income and status. Expect to produce a residence card, a certificate of employment or an offer letter, and evidence of income; the usual rule of thumb is that rent should not exceed about a third of monthly income.

• Zairyu card (residence card) and passport.
• Certificate of employment (zaishoku shomeisho) or a signed offer letter.
• Income evidence: payslips or the previous year's withholding slip (gensen choshuhyo).
• An emergency contact in Japan is frequently required even when a guarantee company is used.

Getting past a refusal

The workaround is structural rather than persuasive. Agencies that specialise in foreign tenants pre-filter their stock, which saves weeks. UR rental housing, run by the Urban Renaissance Agency, takes no key money, no agency fee and no renewal fee and requires no guarantor, asking instead for income at a multiple of the rent or a lump sum paid in advance — it is the single most useful thing to know if you are being turned away elsewhere. Share houses and furnished monthly apartments will take you immediately and are the standard bridge for the first month or two.

• UR housing: no reikin, no agency fee, no renewal fee, no guarantor company, income test instead.
• Foreigner-friendly agencies advertise in English and filter refusing landlords out in advance.
• Share houses and monthly mansions bridge the gap while you search properly.
• A corporate lease signed by your employer removes most objections outright — ask HR whether they will.

What you are actually renting

Layouts are described in a code — 1K, 1DK, 1LDK — where the number is bedrooms and the letters are kitchen, dining and living. Sizes are given in square metres and in jo, the tatami mat unit, and the building's construction year matters because standards for earthquake resistance were revised in 1981. Flats are let unfurnished and often without a light fitting, a gas hob or curtains, so the first weekend involves a trip to a home centre.

• 1K, 1DK, 1LDK: the number is rooms besides the kitchen and living space.
• Ask the construction year — buildings from before 1981 predate the revised earthquake standard.
• Unfurnished usually means no light fittings, no hob and no curtain rails.
• Ground-floor and north-facing units are cheaper for reasons that become clear in the rainy season.

In order

1. 1Have four to six months' rent liquid before you start looking.
2. 2Choose an agency that filters out landlords who refuse foreign tenants, or look at UR housing.
3. 3Gather the residence card, certificate of employment and income evidence before viewing.
4. 4Line up an emergency contact in Japan.
5. 5Apply and pass the guarantee company screening before the flat is held for you.
6. 6Read the contract for the renewal fee and the restoration clause at move-out.
7. 7Sign, pay the move-in costs, then register at the ward office within 14 days of moving in.