All about Sharehouse in Japan

Short-term stay apartment or sharehouse in Japan

Why are there no short stay apartments (2weeks, fortnightly) in Japan where you can live by the week? The short stay apartment business is a real estate business where people live for a certain period of time by signing a lease contract with the owner. (The sharehouse business is also included in the real estate business.) On the other hand, accommodations that allow people to stay for a minimum of one night are lodging businesses defined by a law called the 旅館業法 Ryokan gyohou or “Accommodation Business Law”. In order to operate as a ryokan, hotel, or guesthouse, you must apply for a 旅館営業許可 Ryokan eigyo kyoka or “Accommodation Business License,” and you must comply with detailed regulations such as the number of bathrooms and toilets. Therefore, the cost and time required to run am accommodation business is comparable with that of a sharehouse business.   So, in terms of systems and laws, the question is whether a sharehouse should be considered an “accommodation business” or a “real estate business.” The answer to this question is that the legal wording does not clearly state the boundary between the two, but rather relies on the opinion issued by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. […]

Cost comparison between rental apartments and share houses in Japan

Cost Comparison between rental apartments and share houses in Japan * The following samples are based on actual results from rental property search sites * Click here to know the layout differences in between 1Room type or 1K type * Total initial fee is included in the first month’s rent. * Monthly expenses are total amount of rent, common fee and utility for the second month. *Utility charges : includes electricity, gas, and water. The average total utility bill for a single person is about 10,000 yen. * Agent fee : Agency fee is usually equal to one month’s rent, but may be free in some cases * Guarantee fee : If you do not have a guarantor, you will have to pay a guarantee fee. It is usually equivalent to 50% to 100% of one month’s rent per year. * Fire Insurance fee : It depends on the insurance company you join, but it is usually between 5,000 yen and 9,000 yen per year. * Key replacement fee : If there is no deposit or key money, you may be asked to pay for key replacement and cleaning. * Cleaning fee : If there is no deposit or key […]

Q & A on living in a share house of Japan

There are share houses in every country, but Japan has its own unique characteristics. Let’s solve any questions you may have or things you don’t understand about share houses in Japan. Contracts & Procedures for staying a share house Can I stay for less than one month? In general : Share houses where you can stay for less than a month are almost non-existent. Click here to find out why. In Osaka Weekly House : You can stay for less than one month. The minimum length of stay is one week. What kind of rental contract do I need to sign? In general : Most share houses have a fixed-term lease contract. The contract period is usually one year. In Osaka Weekly House : There is no lease contract and no need to go through any such paperwork. What should I do if I decide to move out earlier than the contract period? In general : Although it varies from share house to share house, you will usually have to submit a notice of termination one month before you move out. In Osaka Weekly House : You should give at least one week’s notice. Normally, you will be asked to […]

Cultural differences, problems, surprising things in Japan’s sharehouse

Have you ever experienced anything like this while living with a share house in Japan? I was hoping for an environment where I could speak a lot of English, but there were no native English speakers. I was just trying to speak English, but I was misunderstood as liking the person I was talking to. I was surprised to find that while the Japanese people living in the share house spoke English very well, there were very few people in the city who could speak English, such as store clerks. I started living in a share house for the purpose of interacting with people from various countries, but there are certain cultures that I just can’t understand. There are people who can’t speak English, but try to force themselves to speak English when they meet a foreigner, and use very unpleasant English. There are many Japanese who think that all foreigners speak English. Many share houses only have washing machines and no dryers. I felt a gap in the culture that Japanese people prefer to dry their clothes in the sun. Have you ever had a problem with someone like this in a share house? Someone who leaves his/her personal […]

Checklist for viewing sharehouses in Japan

Things you should check in the room of sharehouse We believe that the most significant part of living in a share house is the interaction with the people you live with. If there are too many share mates, it may be hard to remember faces and names. But if there are too few, you may hardly have a chance to meet them. Taking these factors into consideration, when looking for a share house, be sure to check in advance how many share mates there will be. Is there an air conditioner in the room? Does the room have good sunlight?　Which direction are the windows located? How old is the air conditioner (the year of manufacture is written on the sticker)? What kind of furniture is included in the room? Is the size of the bed suitable for your body? Are there curtains on the windows? Do the curtains block out light? Is the brightness of the lighting adequate? Where are the electrical outlets located in the room? Do the doors open inward or outward (if they open inward, the room will be smaller)? Is there storage space? Is the wall between the room and the next room thin? Can you […]

All about data of sharehouse in Japan

All data on this page is taken from the following sources. Market trend survey by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism [国土交通省] Period of implementation: August-September 2015 Questionnaire survey of share house management companies – Target audience: 520 businesses that can be viewed as operating share houses on the Internet, newspapers, magazines, etc. – Number of respondents: 71 (Recovery rate: 13.7%) Questionnaire survey of share house residents and those who have lived in a share house before. – Males and females aged 18 and over nationwide who are currently living in a share house or have lived in a share house in the past. – Number of respondents: 1500 people Rooms of sharehouses in Japan We believe that the most significant part of living in a share house is the interaction with the people you live with. If there are too many share mates, it’s hard to remember faces and names. But if there are too few, you may hardly have a chance to meet them. Taking these factors into consideration, when looking for a share house, be sure to check in advance how many share mates there will be. The number of private rooms in a sharehouse […]

Initial fee & monthly expenses for staying in sharehouses

When you move in, you should know in advance about the initial costs and expenses other than the rent. As you can see, by comparing multiple share houses, there are many technical terms related to real estate, and furthermore, the lack of uniformity in these terms can be a problem for many foreigners. In this post, I will explain the Japanese language used when signing up for a share house regarding costs. Initial fees for staying in a shared house 保証金 [ Hoshoukin ] (ほしょうきん) Security deposit : The purpose of the deposit is to cover the cost in case there are rent arrears. A portion of the deposit is deducted to cover the cost of repairs, etc. when you move out. It is generally cheaper than the deposit paid when signing a contract for a regular apartment. 事務手数料 [Jimu Tesu ryo] (じむてすうりょう) Administration fee :  A fee may be charged for drawing up the contract and for preparations until you can move in.　It is commonly called 契約手数料 [Keiyaku Tesu ryo] (けいやくてすうりょう) , as well. 前家賃 [Mae yachin] (まえやちん) The first month’s rent :  This must be considered as an initial fee, as you will have to pay the first […]

Rental period of stay in Japan’s sharehouses

Looking for a short-term apartment? – about the period of stay in sharehouse If you are looking for a short stay apartment to stay for a period of 1 week, 2 weeks (fortnight) or 1 month, it may be difficult to find the right one. Why are there no short-stay apartments (2weeks, fortnightly) in Japan where you can live by the week? The short stay apartment business is a real estate business where people living for a certain period of time by signing a lease contract with the owner. (Shared house business is also included in a real estate business.) On the other hand, accommodations that allow people to stay from one night are a lodging business defined by a law called the 旅館業法 [Ryokan gyohou] “Accommodation Business Law”. In order to operate as a ryokan, hotel, or guesthouse, you must apply for 旅館営業許可 [Ryokan eigyo kyoka] “Accommodation Business license,” and you must comply with detailed regulations such as the number of bathrooms and toilets. Therefore, the cost and time required compared with a sharehouse business. So, in terms of systems and laws, the question is whether it should be considered as “Accommodation business” or “Real estate business” depending on […]