Hello Everyone! In this blog post, I'll be sharing my experience with apartment searching in Japan. I've been living here in Japan for a little over one year, and settled into my new apartment for a little over six months! So, let's talk about how I moved, by myself, in Japan!


Background


My first apartment in Japan was set up by the company I was working for. It was a LeoPalace in the Southern part of Yokohama. The LeoPalace building was on top of a hill, no neighbors aside from a school, and my apartment neighbors were few and far in between (Maybe there were 4 of us in the entire building). The rent was cheap and utilities subsidized by the company. It was the perfect size for me, despite being considered tiny based on US standards. No noise problems, bug problems, etc. So, why did I move?

I didn't like the idea of having my apartment tied to my job. Since I wasn't in love with my job, I wanted the freedom of quitting without worrying about being homeless. I also didn't appreciate how far my apartment was from my job and friends. The company relocated my job placement at the last minute and therefore changed a 45 minute commute into an hour 45 minute commute.


WHERE TO BEGIN

What Kind of Living Space

I began by deciding what I wanted. Did I want to move into another LeoPalace, a Sharehouse, or an apartment? All of these living arrangements have pros and cons, so you need to consider what you want to get out of your living space! So, that's the first step! Think carefully!

Where Do You Want to Live

After I decided that an apartment was the best living arrangement for me, I needed to decide where I wanted to live. How far do you want to be from your job? What train line do you want to live near? What amenities do you need? How large of a place? What kind of layout do you want? I decided I wanted to be within 30 minutes from my job, a loft, and an apartment that was near a train line that gave me direct access to Tokyo.

How Much Can You Spend?

Next is your budget! There's a lot to consider if you chose to move into an apartment. You need to take into account more than just rent and security deposit. You need to take into consideration possibly key money, insurance, lock exchange fee, cleaning fee, and moving costs. I'd say budget 3,000$ USD , at the minimum, for upfront costs. Also, expect to pay cash (no credit card). Therefore, how much can you spend up front and then monthly (rent+utilities) from then. I'll make a separate post of my start up costs!


Let the Search Begin

If you're good at Japanese, feel free to walk into your local real estate agency (不動産会社). As for me, I'm not that advanced at Japanese, so I stuck to searching online (in English). It's not common in Japan to go directly to apartment owners and rent directly. Therefore, you will most likely have to go through a real estate agency. Some websites I came across were realestate.co.jp, gaijinpot, and  rent-yokohama. I've heard that real estate agents have access to the same database, so it doesn't really matter what site you use.


Make Contact 

Once you've found an apartment you're interested in, click on the contact button. You can then send an e-mail to the agency that uploaded the listing. Since I went with an English speaking agency, I was able to communicate entirely in English. Japan has a moving season, which I believe is January to March. So, if you're searching during this time, you're going to have to be fast or be prepared for disappointment!


View the Properties

After you send your e-mail, more likely than not, they will reply that the listing is no longer available. In that case, they'll usually send you some candidates based on your requirements. They will also check to see if the property management and/or landlord is okay with renting to foreigners. This is essential! Make sure they check BEFORE you put in an application.

Once you've made a few selections, you will then schedule an appointment to go look at the apartments. I met my broker at the station and he took me to each apartment. He also gave me a printout of all the fees and costs.


Apply

If you're not happy with any of the apartments, it's back to the drawing board. If you do like what you see, and you want to lock it down, you're going to need to put in an application. You can only apply to one apartment at a time, so make sure it's for the one you really want or the one you have the most chances of getting! Since I was looking in February, I felt rushed due to the moving season, so I applied the same day we looked at the apartments. please view my separate blog post on what I needed for my apartment application and the process!

Approval/Denial

Since I was going through an English speaking real estate company, there were several layers of communication. Me--->English speaking real estate company --->Japanese real estate company ---> Property Manager. Therefore, there was a bit of a delay. However, I put in my application on January 27th and I was notified of approval/denial on February 1st. I needed to be approved by my guarantor company and the property manager. Therefore, I thought that was pretty quick!

Pay fees and Sign the Contract

After I was approved, we negotiated when to start paying rent. I needed to give a month notice at my last place, but my new property manager was unwilling to keep the unit vacant for a month. They gave me two weeks. So please get your timing right or you'll end up paying rent for two places like I did!

Once we agreed, they sent an invoice, and I needed to bank wire all of the money to them and make an appointment to go to the Japanese real estate agency to sign the contracts. Through all of this, my English real estate company guided me (even offering to help me bank wire the money if I couldn't figure it out)! I also went to the Japanese real estate agency with my English real estate  broker to translate everything. We signed a million papers, drank green tea, my Guarantor company also translated the contract to me via video call, and I paid for fire insurance at the nearby convenience store. It all took about 3 or 4 hours.

Get your keys

After the contract signing, you'll schedule to pick up the keys any time after the start of your rental agreement. I scheduled mine for a week later. I went alone to pick up my keys and signed a key contract. Now, you're free to move in whenever you want!

Also, during this time, you, or the English speaking real estate agent, should set up your utilities (gas, electric, water). You also need to register your address at the ward office within 14 days of moving in!

Once the utilities were set up, I needed to get the gas inspected, pay the deposit for it, turn in the initial environment inspection (check for damages) to my property manager, and get internet installed (with permission from property manager).

Relax

Now you're free to relax and you're hopefully in a place better suited for your needs! In my case, my property manager changed about 5 months into moving in, so I needed to do some additional leg work. But, everything has been smooth sailing!

If you have any questions, please leave them below or contact me through e-mail! Stay tuned for my future blog posts on the nitty-gritty of apartment hunting, such as the application process, documents needed, fees, and guarantor company!