In response to the increasing number of foreigners living in Japan, local governments are beginning to compile special materials on rental accommodation for foreigners in an attempt to prevent problems from arising between foreigners who want to rent and Japanese landlords. In foreign languages, the materials explain the usual Japanese method of renting accommodation, including the payment of nonrefundable key money and a refundable deposit, and other relevant aspects of living in Japan. Faced with a recession in rental accommodation in recent years, landlords recently have become more positive toward renting to foreigners, and local governments producing or planning such materials report that they have been flooded with inquiries from real estate agents and others.
Clear Explanations of Customs
One of the first local governments to produce materials on rental accommodation for foreigners was Toshima Ward in Tokyo, where there are many foreign residents. Toshima Ward produced two nine-page, B4-sized sets of materials, one in English and the other in Chinese, with accompanying Japanese text, in May 1995. The materials give detailed explanations of such commercial practices as key money, deposits, and guarantors; the arrangement of electricity, gas, and water supplies upon occupation; the use of tatami-mat floors, closets, toilets, and bathrooms; and information concerning daily living, such as the disposal of garbage.
Among the sometimes confusing practices that are explained are the following:
Key money, or reikin: "A token of appreciation for the use of the rental property, a custom peculiar to Japan. This payment, ordinarily the equivalent of 1-2 months' rent, is not refunded." (In an increasingly number of cases in Tokyo, however,reikin payments are waived.)
Contract cancellation: "One to two months' notice is the norm when vacating a rental property. Delay in providing notice can result in an obligation for rent payments that would otherwise have been unnecessary. When a property is vacated, it must be restored to the state in which it was received at the time the rental contract was signed.
"And tatami mats, which are a new experience for many foreigners: "Because tatami is easily damaged by water or weight, please do not place heavy objects, such as refrigerators, or moist objects, such as potted plants, on your tatami. Also, because dust and dirt collect between the woven fibers of the tatami, clean it periodically by sweeping along the length of the tatami fibers."
Answering a Real Need
In the case of Toshima Ward, the local government provides the originals of the materials to the Toshima branch of an organization of real estate agents, which photocopies the relevant parts and distributes them to real estate agents and owners of condominiums, apartments, and houses for rent. The materials have been well received. According to one rental accommodation manager who obtained them, "Previously it was very difficult explaining about deposits, key money, and other practices, and in some cases we couldn't sign a contract, so the materials are very convenient indeed."
In metropolitan Tokyo, Itabashi Ward issued Chinese-language materials in September 1995, explaining terminology and problems relating to rental accommodation. Other prefectures with a relatively large population of foreign residents, such as Kanagawa, Saitama, and Hyogo Prefectures have issued similar materials in Chinese, English, and other languages, and Aichi Prefecture is currently compiling materials for issue in the spring.
Increasing Number of Foreign Residents
This trend among local governments to compile rental accommodation materials for foreigners stems from their response to the continuously growing number of foreigners living in Japan. The number of registered foreign residents in Japan exceeded 1.35 million for the first time at the end of 1994. Naturally these foreigners must find housing, but they can run into trouble with landlords and neighbors if they do not have a proper understanding of Japanese customs concerning renting and daily living.
Frequently it is the local governments that must act as troubleshooters. For example, the local government in Toshima Ward often had to take care of such trouble and had been considering preventive measures with real estate agents and others. These efforts led to the production of Toshima's materials, which other local governments since have asked to see as reference.
(The above article, edited by Japan Echo Inc., is based on domestic Japanese news sources. It is offered for reference purposes and does not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.)