Now that you have an image of various housing types, we will explain about costs associated with moving. It is common to have real estate agencies assist in the room search process, where you will then have to pay a commission fee for their service. Other culture specific fees include a gratitude fee (key-money, Rei-kin in Japanese) that is customarily paid to landlords when moving in. In this section, we will provide information about all the necessary costs to consider when choosing your housing.

 

Detail of costs for moving

1.Deposit

"Shiki-Kin," in Japanese, is money you deposit to the landlord, which is returned to you if your room is clean and in good condition when your contract is over. In the Kanto region, shiki-kin typically amounts to 2 months worth of rent. The landlord will use a portion of your deposit to repair damages caused to the housing or its facilities in some way that could have been avoided if used carefully, or to cover for any unpaid rent. It is also common in Tokyo for necessary cleaning fees for the room to be deducted from your deposit when the shiki-kin is returned to you at the end of your contract. Also, please note that the landlord has the full right of management of the deposited shiki-kin during the tenure of the contact.

2.Key money

Known as “rei-kin,” this is money to be paid to the landlords as gratitude fee for living in their apartments. This fee in the Kanto region commonly amounts to 2 months worth of rent, and will not be returned to you once paid. There are apartments where rei-kin is not charged, but there may be other additional fees that make up for this, so please keep this in mind. (Examples of such fees include “shisetsu-ryo” (facility fee), and “nyukan-ryo” (entrance fee).)
Rei-kin is a Japanese culture-specific custom, and is considered peculiar from people outside of Japan. It is said that the mindset behind local landlords collecting rei-kin is not necessarily that they want gratitude, but that if the tenant is capable of paying 2 months worth of extra initial cost to move in, the tenant is perceived as reliable in paying all monthly rents during their stay in the apartment. Nevertheless, there is a substantial amount of initial cost associated with moving, so please make sure that you are fully aware of all such costs.

3.Commission fee

“Chukai Tesuu-ryo” is commission fee to be paid to the real estate agency for introducing housing and concluding the lease contract for your apartment of choice. This fee amounts to 1.05 months worth of rent (0.05 accounts for consumption tax). There are several rooms introduced by CO-OP that allow you to approach and contract directly with the landlord. In such cases, this commission fee would not be necessary.

4.Property insurance

There are many cases where the landlord or the real estate management company requires that you enter an insurance policy to cover for property damage. This is also an initial cost and amounts to about 10,000 yen to 20,000 yen for a 2 year term.
For international students who are thinking of using University of Tokyo's Joint Guarantor Assistance System, you would be required to enter an insurance policy designated by the university, which costs 8,000 yen for 2 years. (This insurance policy is unfortunately unavailable for researchers.)

5.Key Exchange Fee

This initial cost amounts to 10,000 yen to 20,000 yen. When a new tenant moves into a room, it is common for landlords to get new keys for the room, and for landlords to ask the new tenant to pay for this fee.

6.Rent paid at a daily rate

In Japan, it is common to make “forward payment” of rent, which means that you pay for the following month’s rent by the end of the previous month. If you move into your housing during the middle of the month, the rent you would pay for that month would be: Monthly rent ÷ number of days in month × number of days rented within the month Please note that rent will be counted from the day that your lease contract begins, not necessarily from the day that you move in. Please consult with the real estate agency and the landlord to confirm the date that rent payment begins.

7.Payment to moving companies

1If you are single and request services from a moving company, this would cost approximately 30,000 yen to 60,000 yen. The price charged by moving companies increases during peak moving seasons. Please note that you would have to make a reservation in advance with the moving company to have them assist you on your desired moving date.
(Peak moving seasons are spring and fall. Spring is when academic year begins, and when workers get employed or transferred to another location. Transfer of employees at companies also takes place in the fall.)

 

Initial costs from after you move in

8.Purchasing or leasing furniture and electronic appliances

Japanese housing is usually not furnished with items such as furniture, electronic appliances, lights and curtains.

 

Monthly expenses other than rent

9.Utility fees

Fees for water, electricity, and gas are not included in the monthly rent. Utility fees tend to cost over 10,000 yen per month even for singles.

10.Telephone and internet fees

Fees for using the internet and cellular phone can cost over 5,000 yen for singles.

11.Bicycle parking fees

There is a fee for parking your bicycle near public places such as the train station. There are also cases where you have to pay for bicycle parking within your housing complex. (There are housing complexes without bicycle parking lots. If you intend to use a bicycle, please check whether your apartment complex has parking.)

 

Expenses when moving out

12.Garbage collection fee

To throw away items such as bulky garbage (larger than 30m3), electronic appliances and computers, you have to call the municipality or designated garbage collecting agencies to have them take it away for you. This costs between several hundred to several thousand yen a piece. Please note that during peak moving seasons, you have to make a reservation in advance for the garbage collection.

 

Expenses for contract renewal

13.Contract renewal fee, renewal commission fee

The term for a lease contract is typically 2 years. To renew your contract, you usually have to pay a renewal fee of 1 month worth of the new rent agreed upon between you and the landlord. You may also have to pay a commission fee to the real estate agency for concluding your new lease contract.