Renting a Room (Chintai)

賃貸 · Chintai

Search, view, apply, and sign — how the rental pipeline works for foreign residents.

CODE: HOUSE-RENT

SEARCH TO KEYS OFTEN 2–6 WEEKS

STANDARD TERM 2 YEARS

RENEWAL FEE OFTEN 1 MO

GUARANTOR COMPANY REQUIRED

BUREAUCRACY FRICTION

Documentation rigor 3 / 5 (MODERATE)

Processing wait 3 / 5 (MODERATE)

Interview demand 1 / 5 (LOW)

Cost burden 1 / 5 (LOW)

Plenty of rooms, plenty of paperwork. A foreigner-friendly agent compresses the search phase more than anything else.

Mandatory Submission Pack

Verify each asset before the immigration desk sees it.

0 OF 4 PACKED

Papers Ready Before Viewing REQUIRED Residence card, passport, income proof (job offer or withholding slip), emergency contact. Applications move in days, not weeks.
View Through an Agent CHANNEL Nearly all listings are agent-held. Suumo and Homes for discovery, then view 5–10 rooms with an agent who answers foreign tenants.
Application + Screening REQUIRED Nyukyo moshikomi (入居申込) with the fee sheet attached. Screening runs 3–7 days: job, income, guarantor company in parallel.
Contract, Payment, Keys REQUIRED Sign the lease (often 2 years), wire the initial costs, collect keys — then photograph every wall on day one.

General information only — immigration rules change and cases vary. Confirm with the Immigration Services Agency or a registered specialist before acting.