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Getting an Apartment..
If you are a shortish term visitor to Fukuoka, or have a company expense
account, we recommend you contact the Hyatt Regency Residential in Momochi.
For the rest of us, read on.
Words You Need To Know
Shikikin - a "deposit" It isn't really a deposit as you are unlikely
to see much of it back. It varies in size, from 3 to 5 months rent (10
to 12 months in a commercial property). If you stay up to a year expect
to see up to one month back, if longer you will probably get nothing.
If you stay a long time and did not look after the apartment you may be
asked for extra money. The system begins to make more sense if you assume
that the rent does not include a fee for depreciation.
Reikin - Key money. A "gift". Non returnable sum for the privilege
of being ripped off on the shikikin and the rent. Usually one month.
"Refresh" - Repairs done after one tenant moves out and
before another tenant moves in. Includes replacement of tatami, on which
the estate agent is believed to make a large commision. BEWARE - some
landlords do not do this for gaijin, but still claim to have done so.
If an apartment needed a big refresh before you moved in you are less
likely to see your shikikin back. Unfair, but that is the way it
seems to work in practice. You can try asking your agent to skip
the refresh, he is unlikely to agree as it is a money making venture for
him.
Kanrigaisha - management company. Manages a house or apartment
on behalf of a landlord. May use a fudo-sanya as an initial point
of contact.
Fudosanya-san - Real estate agent. Usually your first point of
contact. He may be acting on behalf of a landlord, or possibly of a
kanrigaisha. There can thus be up to 4 parties involved - the owner,
who puts the apartment in the hands of a management company, who uses
the services of a fudo-sanya, who lets it to you. If a window ad
has a # in the corner it is being advertised on behalf of a management
company. Each of these is going to take their cut, the fudo-sanya and
the management company usually get a month's rent each. Try to deal with
a fudo-sanya who has direct control over the property, or deal
with the kanrigaisha directly. This cuts out one layer and allows
them to be more flexible.
Hoshounin - a guarantor. If you default, or if the owner feels
you have abused the appartment, your guarantor will ultimately be asked
to pay. Getting a hoshounin is one of the hardest parts of the enterprise.
2LDK - 2 indicates the number of rooms, plus an L (lounge) and
D , dining-room/kitchen (big kitchen). A 1K is thus 1 room and a broom-cupboard
with a stove. 1DK is a standard student size apartment. Beware all those
of you not standard-student size..
6JO - 1jo is 1 tatami mat. A 6 jo room thus has 6
tatami mats. All clear? Well there are three different sizes of tatami
mat - older apartments have the larger sizes.
Housing: Reaching an accommodation.
Yep - there is a system -
know it, work with it or around it, and you'll get an apartment without
too much difficulty. Try to ignore it and do it the "western"
way and you'll just have hours of frustration, pain and anger. In our
experience very few rental agents are directly racist. But they have their
own problems, not least of which is gaijin who don't understand the system
and who demand too much.
The basics - you pay up to 7 months rent up front in order to move
in. Between 3 and 5 months of this is shikikin, 1 month is reikin
and another the first month's rent. If the apartment is expensive you
may be asked for more. Most of this is non-returnable. You also need a
hoshounin - a financial guarantor. The first point of contact is
usually with a "fudo-san" (a rental agent) who may - but not always
- have to deal with a "kanrigashia" (a management company) who
will be dealing with the owner. If you do not understand any of these
terms, read the sidebars on the left and right
The fudo-sanya's problem. The agent is making limited money out
of this - one months rent. He may be dealing with a racist owner, or he
may have to defer all decisions to a management company. He may be worried
that you are not house-trained and, since he is unlikely to speak English,
worried about communication problems. He knows you are here for a short
time (and the Japanese hate instability) and that you may not have a very
reliable guarantor. Sorry to say, he may even not like you because he
has had dealings with gaijin before - people's inhibitions, and occasionally
their scruples, tend to slip in a foreign country. He knows you will certainly
be more hassle than a standard Japanese customer. Once you are in, you
are legally a bugger to shift - tenants have strong rights in Japan. These
are all good reasons for him to think twice before offering you an apartment.
Understand his problems and concerns and reassure him. Don't hassle him
about things he can't change - he didn't invent the system. You want him
on your side.
First decide what kind of apartment you are looking for and where
you want to live. Certain areas have more of one type of apartment than
another.Higashi-ku, Yoshizuka, Kashi, Hakozaki and Maidashi are all student
areas and have a relatively high concentration of 1DKs with fewer 2DKs.
Najima, on the other hand, has a lot of 2DKs. Look in agent's windows
and see what they are advertising. If you are a single person looking
for a 2DK or larger, expect to be asked why - these are considered to
be "family apato" and some agents are loath to let them to single people.
Other agents will deal only with large companies who are renting for their
employees when letting family apartments
What kind of agent to go for. Big companies often don't want to
know. The agent gets only a months rent, so the independents and small
fry are more willing than the big chains to deal with cheap apartments.
Where to look. In estate agent's windows and in the two rental
magazines published in the area. "Chintai" is mainly large-chain
stuff, "Mai Rumu Gaido" is a better bet. In both cases ads
are two weeks old by the time they hit the street. If you see a great
apartment in a fudo-sanya's window, our advice is DON'T GO IN -
just take the details and his number. Also check out the Gleaner, bar
gossip and Rainbow Plaza (but see the "Alternatives" piece on
the next page).
First contact with a fudo-sanya. Best done by a Japanese, over
the telephone, or via a fax [in Japanese] requesting information (Give
basic details of what you are interested in.) If possible, give a fax
number for them to fax details back to you. If you see something you like
go down to the estate agent's office. REMEMBER FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE CRUCIAL
IN JAPAN. DRESS UP OR DON"T BOTHER GOING. They only have your looks
to go on. Unless your Japanese is immaculate, take a nihonjin -
to reassure the estate agent, if nothing else. Do try and use some Japanese
yourself if you can. You may be turned down flat at this point, but more
likely you will be asked if you have a job and a guarantor. A fudo-sanya
will call the kanrigaisha first to check or the owner directly
(That is why it is better to deal with the kanrigaisha directly
if you can.) If the answer comes back no, don't get angry with the agent
- it is probably not his fault. Ask him if there is anything else available.
If you feel he is generally friendly call him back every few days to see
what has come in. If not, cut your losses and go somewhere else. He may
be able to recommend somebody who can help you if he can't. Take your
gaijin card, passport, job contract and address or proof that you are
a student. It pays to have an inkan and business card whatever
your status - ¥4000 makes all the difference.
Looking at the apartment. Older apartments may not have hot running
water or a shower and may have a Japanese toilet. Your agent will believe
firmly that you cannot live with all this - reassure him that you can.
Check the apartment out for damage and noise and confirm a refresh will
be done. Old tatami is all very well, but little bugs live in it
through the summer and are difficult to eradicate. Ask how much of your
shikikin you are likely to get back. Some fudo-san are prepared
to be very candid with you. Check the loo, etc.
It is not unknown to be asked to take a place "blind" particularly at
the end of the business year and the start of the new college year. (March)
You may simply not be allowed in to have a look. By the time the old tenant
has left, and the apartment is available for viewing, someone else will
probably have taken it blind..
Some fudo-sanya will try to charge you for all of the month in
which you are moving in (even if it is the 18th) despite THEM not having
the room available until then. Make it clear that you will pay for the
time the room is available and you have reserved it. You can't expect
them to keep it available and empty for a month just because you want
to move in on the last day.
You may be offered an insurance policy. Think twice before rejecting
it. A - you might need one. B - it is one of the few ways the estate agent
can make a bit of extra commission. If you want favours from him he will
be better disposed towards you. He might be able to save you more money
somewhere else up the line than he is taking off you with the insurance
policy. But don't overwhelm him with special requests when you first meet.
Getting the paperwork sorted out will take about two weeks. You need an
inkan, you stamp the contract down the spine of each page. So does
your guarantor (who has to show an inkan proof) and various other
interested parties. The contract is taken up to a City Hall office and
registered. Then you can move in.
Some fudo-sanya are more favourably disposed than others to gaijin.
Get the word out to friends as early as you can do and see what they recommend.
Remember, apartment hunting is depressing in any country, not just Japan.
DON'T shout, DON'T lose your temper, DON'T give up and DO DRESS UP!
How Much?
Expect to pay from 35,000yen to 50,000yen for a smallish apartment
- depending on the are of town you are in. The East of the Fukuoka, around
Hakozaki, has a lot of student accommodation, which tends to be cheaper.
Expect to pay from 50,000yen up for something more decent, especially
in a good area. Don't be tempted to get a place out in the sticks as it
is a false economy - travel is expensive in Japan and private students
(if you are making your money from teaching) are loath to go too far..
If you are going to Tokyo then prices are in
a different league altogether - have a stiff brandy before you check them
out..
Guarantor
The biggest obstacle any foreigner faces when trying to find an apartment
is getting a guarantor. The Japanese system is set up for Japanese people,
who all have family, or a company or friends who will guarantee them.
If you've just arrived in the country you've not had time to make friends.
Most gaijin work for English schools; in big cities very few English schools
will guarantee an apartment. This means that most of us have big big problems
- Japanese don't in general like standing guarantor for people they don't
know very well - gaijin or Japanese!
From your fudo-sanya's point of view the best guarantor is a company,
followed by an older married salaryman. But most gaijin know more women
than men and unfortunately, the women tend to be young, unmarried and
in fairly low paid jobs. Even if they offer to stand guarantor for you,
they don't have much clout. (Look out though: if you ask a girl to stand
guarantor for you, she may take this as a sign of your commitment to her!)
The system is deeply sexist. A married woman can stand guarantor
for you - so, sometimes, can two older unmarried women with good jobs.
Neither are as good as one unmarried salaryman. It's a crazy system. An
unmarried female friend can go guarantor for your visa, but not for an
apartment and definitely not to rent a phone line! Asking a Japanese person
who you do not know very well (and if you arrived 3 months ago you do
not know anybody well enough!) is difficult. Japanese people get embarrassed
easily. Whether they say yes or no, it will affect your relationship.
It is all open to negotiation with your estate agent- but don't even bother
looking for an apartment unless you have someone lined up as a guarantor.
Fukuoka city runs a cheap council housing scheme. Everybody is eligible
to enter - apartments are allocated in a draw. We have never heard of
any gaijin actually being succesful in this - if you have, please contact
us, we would like to hear your story. We will explain how to go about
it in a later Gleaner.
Going Private
A few people in Fukuoka offer apartments on a one month gift, slightly-higher-rent
no security-of-tenure, no guarantor basis. In effect they are first renting
the apartment in their own name and then renting it on to you. Often these
are decent apartments in buildings scheduled for demolition in the next
3 or 4 years - long after you will have moved on. Such landlords provide
a valuable service by making housing available without th enormous initial
investment one otherwise has.. But they are very difficult to find - sorry
- we can't help you. Ask around when you get here. also, do be aware that
it is far easier to take over an apartment from a foreigner moving out
than it is to get one from a cold-start. |
