Rent a home (住まい)
For you if: you are looking for a place to live in Japan.
- Most people rent a private rental home (民間賃貸住宅).
- Read the contract well before you sign. Contracts differ from home to home.
- The government has a free guidebook for renting, in many languages.
Steps
- Read the Apartment Search Guidebook from the government.
- Look for a home. Some real estate agents offer help in other languages.
- Check the papers you need and the money you need.
- Read the contract. Sign only when you understand it.
More details
Types of rental homes.
- Private rental (民間賃貸住宅): the most common.
- UR Rental Housing (UR賃貸住宅): run by the Urban Renaissance Agency. There is a minimum monthly income rule. Foreign residents need a qualifying status, such as a mid-to-long-term resident.
- Public housing (公営住宅): low rent for people with low income. The rules differ by prefecture and city. Some places add rules for foreign residents, such as the period of stay. Apply to the prefecture or city.
The Apartment Search Guidebook explains how to search, the papers you need, moving in, house rules, and moving out. It is on the Ministry’s website in many languages.
At the end, check at the counter. You can show this card.
窓口の方へ
外国人が借りられる部屋を探しています。
This card says: “I am looking for a room that foreign residents can rent.”
Official information
- Guidebook on Living and Working, 7th edition (English), Chapter 11 (p.123-126)Immigration Services Agency of Japan (出入国在留管理庁)www.moj.go.jp · Opens an English website
- Support for foreign nationals looking for rental housing (Apartment Search Guidebook in many languages)Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (国土交通省)www.mlit.go.jp · Opens a Japanese website