Rental Glossary
Deposit (shikikin)
A “deposit” is an additional amount of money given to the landlord for security purposes in case of damage, loss, or other problems. At the end of the stay, landlords typically use the deposit to repair possible damages and for cleaning. The remainder is returned to the tenant. If the deposit is insufficient, the tenant might be asked to pay additional costs. Take care of the rented property to reduce those costs as much as possible.
Community fees (kyōekihi)
Apart from the normal rental fee, there is a fee for the maintenance of common areas in the building, such as the entrance, the corridor or the stairs.
Key money (reikin – literally “gratitude money”)
Money paid to the landlord when making the rental contract. Normally this money is not refundable.
Rental fee (yachin)
The money that must be paid per month. Generally, payment must be done one month in advance.
Estate agency fee (chūkai tesūryō )
The money paid to the real estate agency for their services. By law, it cannot exceed the money corresponding to 1 month’s rent.
Arrangement of rooms
In real estate advertisements the format of the rooms is usuallyadvertised as “1DK”, “2LDK” and the like. The meaning of these letters is: L=Living room D=Dining room K=Kitchen For example: 1K →1 room + kitchen 1DK →1room + dinning room + kitchen 1LDK →1room + living room + dining room + kitchen 1R→1room (includes a kitchen)
Types of properties In Japan
The terms apaato (アパート) and manshon (マンション) are often used. An apaato is a popular nickname used in the real estate business to indicate a low quality apartment building made of wood or light steel. Manshon are bigger buildings, generally mid-to-high-rise apartments, made of concrete and fireproof.
Important matters
Before making a contract with a real estate agency make sure that they have the right to manage the corresponding house and that you understand the terms and conditions of the contract. They are obligated by law to give you a document explaining the important matters.
Rental contract
This is the document containing the description of the agreement between the landlord and the tenant. In order to avoid possible problems check it completely.