Category Archives: Housing

Legal help for those on a limited budget

August 23, 2011 in Housing, News

“I just received a huge package stating I have to go to court next month and he now wants ¥900,000. He also included more lies and pictures. I have no idea what to do; I can’t afford an attorney.”

Once settled in, chances are you’ll have to pay to stay

August 8, 2011 in Housing, News

On July 15, the Supreme Court of Japan ruled that it is legal for property owners to demand supplemental fees when tenants renew their rental agreements. The ruling was made in conjunction with three lawsuits that tenants had brought against their landlords claiming that koshinryō should be considered invalid in accordance with the Consumer Contracts Law.

Tokyo Landlords Lose Century-Old ‘Gift Money’ as Rents Slump

September 28, 2010 in Housing, News

After viewing almost 100 Tokyo apartments, banker Damien Cambon was happy to discover that a Japanese tradition dating back more than a century is dying: the payment of up to two months’ rent extra as a gift to the landlord. “Reikin,” or “gift money,” a non-refundable fee on top of a deposit and any broker [...]

Japan, U.N. share blind spot on ‘migrants’

April 6, 2010 in Discrimination, Housing, Immigration, News

I wish to speak about the treatment of those of “foreign” origin and appearance in Japan, such as white and non-Asian people. Simply put, we are not officially registered — or even counted sometimes — as genuine residents. We are not treated as taxpayers, not protected as consumers, not seen as ethnicities even in the [...]

New real estate guarantor service set up for foreign residents

January 8, 2010 in Housing, Immigration, News

A Tokyo non-profit organization has set up a new real estate guarantor service for foreign residents negotiating Japan’s notoriously discriminative housing system. The service, the first of its kind, is set up by the Information Center for Foreigners in Japan and will start offering guarantor services in Tokyo and surrounding prefectures in South Korean and [...]

Court reverses ruling on housing renewal fees

August 29, 2009 in Housing, News

The Osaka High Court has ordered the landlord of an apartment building in Kyoto to return lease renewal fees paid by a former tenant, reversing a lower court decision. In the lawsuit, the 54-year-old male company employee of Kyoto had asked the landlord to return about 550,000 yen, claiming he had paid the money according [...]

Court negates renewal fees

August 28, 2009 in Housing, News

The high court here Thursday ordered a landlord to return money to a tenant who paid a fee when renewing his apartment contract, overturning a lower court decision. The ruling was the first by a high court and follows a landmark ruling in July by the Kyoto District Court which also invalidated the contract renewal [...]

Political shift gives hope to gays

August 27, 2009 in Discrimination, Housing, Immigration, News

The likelihood that the Democratic Party of Japan, the last party to submit [an antidiscrimination law] bill, will dominate the powerful House of Representatives in an alliance with the Social Democratic Party, which speaks out for homosexual rights, has raised hopes that the inertia may at last be overcome. This was echoed by Boris Dittrich, advocacy director [...]

Shakeup in tenant terms

August 2, 2009 in Housing, News

A shock wave hit the real estate industry when the Kyoto District Court ruled July 23 that an apartment tenant did not have to pay a fee to renew his lease, a fee landlords levy on average every two to three years. This “koshin-ryo” charge demanded by landlords is an old custom in many parts [...]

Landlords collecting renewal fees violates tenants’ rights

July 24, 2009 in Housing, News

In what experts termed a landmark ruling, the well-established practice of landlords collecting renewal fees in the housing rental industry was judged illegal Thursday and a violation of tenants’ rights. The point of contention in the Kyoto District Court ruling Thursday was the “contract renewal fees” for renting houses and apartments, which tenants are obliged [...]