I'm currently looking for a new apartment. However, the confusing rental system in Japan is making my search unnecessarily difficult. Not only the search is difficult but also the moving out and everything in between.
Now the reason why I want to find a new place is to cut back expenses. I have a 2-year leasing contract with my current Leo Palace Apartment. It will expire in August. If I want to renew my contract, I have to pay 20,000 Yen Contract Renewal Fee plus 20,000+ Yen Fire Insurance. That's already 40,000 Yen, almost a month worth of rent. A smarter thing to do, I think, is find a cheaper Leo Palace apartment so I don't have to pay the contract renewal and the fire insurance.
My plan sounds perfect except for frustrating things about Leo Palace. Here are some of them.
1. You can't reserve an apartment for a month.
I emailed Leo Palace's customer service last Saturday. I was asking for assistance in finding a cheaper apartment around Hamamatsu Station. The representative replied quickly with three choices. I like one of the choices and emailed back that I'm interested to see one of the apartments. The rep set an appointment for Monday.
Monday came and the staff said that the apartment was already taken. She said I should have reserved it ASAP because it was a good deal. This annoyed me. Why wasn't I told about it? Why set an appointment when they're already keen on renting it out to a different person?
Not only my time wasted but they also informed me that once I selected an apartment I should move within a week. They can't hold it for a longer period of time. I looked at the rep frustratingly with the word SERIOUSLY? written on my face. In essence, once a new apartment is available, I should grab it and pay for it though I wouldn't use it yet. Because...
2. You can't leave your current apartment without a month's notice.
The reason why I can't move within a week is it is also Leo Palace's policy to give a month's notice before a leasing contract's termination. The rep said that they need time to schedule the apartment check. I can only sigh with her reason. What if there's an emergency and the tenant just needs to leave? And can't they just check it without the tenant? So much fuss, I think. I don't know the rental system in other countries but in the Philippines, you can leave in less than a month.
3. Rental prices are not stable.
This is the most unreasonable thing of all. I asked if there are available apartments in the same building where the rep saw a cheaper apartment. I assumed that since it's the same building, there would be little differences in the price. For some unknown reason, units at Leo Palace have different rental prices. There was a unit in the same building on the same floor but the price is 5000 Yen more expensive. It doesn't make sense!
Not only that, depending on the time you'll move, prices can differ greatly too. So the rep said, if I move in now I'll pay 10,000 Yen cheaper than when I move in a week or a month after. What the heck! It doesn't make sense at all. Will something happen to the apartment in a month's time?
I left Leo Palace office accomplishing nothing. Now you may ask why I can't just find another real estate company. The reason is Leo Palace can lease their apartments without key money* and without guarantor.** If only I know other companies, I'd like to try renting with them. I think there should be more companies in small cities like Hamamatsu competing with Leo Palace. Cause their policies just don't make sense. But then, this is Japan. A lot of things don't really make sense. At least to me.
So as of this writing, I'm still looking for an apartment.
*Key money- Courtesy money given to the landlord. It's like a thank-you payment for them allowing you to use their place. Usually worth a month's rent.
**Guarantor- Someone who can vouch for you to the landlord, preferably a Japanese.
PS: I'll probably write on things that don't make sense in Japan next time.
More on Renting in Japan:
Rent an Apartment in Tokyo, Japan
1. You can't reserve an apartment for a month.
I emailed Leo Palace's customer service last Saturday. I was asking for assistance in finding a cheaper apartment around Hamamatsu Station. The representative replied quickly with three choices. I like one of the choices and emailed back that I'm interested to see one of the apartments. The rep set an appointment for Monday.
Monday came and the staff said that the apartment was already taken. She said I should have reserved it ASAP because it was a good deal. This annoyed me. Why wasn't I told about it? Why set an appointment when they're already keen on renting it out to a different person?
Not only my time wasted but they also informed me that once I selected an apartment I should move within a week. They can't hold it for a longer period of time. I looked at the rep frustratingly with the word SERIOUSLY? written on my face. In essence, once a new apartment is available, I should grab it and pay for it though I wouldn't use it yet. Because...
2. You can't leave your current apartment without a month's notice.
The reason why I can't move within a week is it is also Leo Palace's policy to give a month's notice before a leasing contract's termination. The rep said that they need time to schedule the apartment check. I can only sigh with her reason. What if there's an emergency and the tenant just needs to leave? And can't they just check it without the tenant? So much fuss, I think. I don't know the rental system in other countries but in the Philippines, you can leave in less than a month.
3. Rental prices are not stable.
This is the most unreasonable thing of all. I asked if there are available apartments in the same building where the rep saw a cheaper apartment. I assumed that since it's the same building, there would be little differences in the price. For some unknown reason, units at Leo Palace have different rental prices. There was a unit in the same building on the same floor but the price is 5000 Yen more expensive. It doesn't make sense!
Not only that, depending on the time you'll move, prices can differ greatly too. So the rep said, if I move in now I'll pay 10,000 Yen cheaper than when I move in a week or a month after. What the heck! It doesn't make sense at all. Will something happen to the apartment in a month's time?
I left Leo Palace office accomplishing nothing. Now you may ask why I can't just find another real estate company. The reason is Leo Palace can lease their apartments without key money* and without guarantor.** If only I know other companies, I'd like to try renting with them. I think there should be more companies in small cities like Hamamatsu competing with Leo Palace. Cause their policies just don't make sense. But then, this is Japan. A lot of things don't really make sense. At least to me.
So as of this writing, I'm still looking for an apartment.
*Key money- Courtesy money given to the landlord. It's like a thank-you payment for them allowing you to use their place. Usually worth a month's rent.
**Guarantor- Someone who can vouch for you to the landlord, preferably a Japanese.
PS: I'll probably write on things that don't make sense in Japan next time.
More on Renting in Japan:
Rent an Apartment in Tokyo, Japan
