Moving costs

Moving in Japan is costly. VERY costly. Many people make the mistake of assuming that you can just pay a security deposit or rent and move straight into an apartment, but unfortunately this is not the case. There are a few places that cater towards foreigners with those terms, but the rent is much higher to counteract the cost. 

You can expect to pay 3-5x the cost of the rent just to sign the contract and move in.

Here's a breakdown of the usual costs;

Rent - depending when you're moving in you could pay 1-2months of rent before even setting foot in the apartment.

Deposit 敷金 - A deposit that you will most likely see very little returned as the cost of cleaning the apartment and repairing any damage will be deduced first. And yes, you must pay for professional cleaning unfortunately. Deposit is normally equal to 1 month of rent.

Key money 礼金 - Lit "thank you money" this is money you pay to the owner for having the privilege to rent their apartment. It's an old custom and many aren't too keen on it in modern day Japan. It is normally around 1 months rent. 

Guarantor company fee - Many apartments nowadays require you to sign up to a guarantor company that will pay your rent if you miss a payment even if you already have a Japanese guarantor. The cost is normally a one off 30-100% of the rent cost. 

Realtor fee - Realtors will normally charge you 50-100% of the rent cost for using their services. Abroad normally the owner would front these costs but in Japan the renter must pay.

Insurance - You will need to pay out for fire/home insurance. This is normally 10,000 to 30,000yen depending on the size of the property.

Support fees - Some properties will require you to sign up to a support package should any issues arise. This normally costs around 15,000. 

Other more unusual fees are Guarantor money which is basically another glorified deposit. 

Already with all these fees calculated you're looking at 5x the rent cost! If it was a 70,000yen apartment that would be 330,000 or more!

Many people ask us for properties without deposit, key money or moving cost. In reality these properties are few and far between and many wont rent to foreigners. You will still have to pay the cleaning fee, insurance, guarantor company fee, rent and potentially support fee before moving in. With those costs (guarantor fee being 50%) and no realtor fee you're still looking at a moving cost of 140,000 for a 50,000 yen property. 

Then when it comes to actually moving, if you're moving out of another apartment you still have any outstanding cancellation fees, repair or cleaning fees as well as the cost of hiring a service to move your belongings.

Long story short, if you plan to move in Japan it's going to be expensive!