How to Read a Japanese Rental Contract & Estimate

A Japanese rental packet may include the lease contract, jūyō jikō setsumeisho (重要事項説明書), an initial cost estimate, fire insurance documents, and hoshō gaisha / guarantor company (保証会社) documents. Later, you may also receive a move-out cost statement or deposit settlement sheet.

The contract sets out the agreement between landlord and tenant. The important matters explanation is used before signing to explain key property and transaction conditions. The estimate is where move-in costs are usually gathered in one place.

Watch for rent, management fee, common area fee, shikikin (敷金), guaranty deposit (保証金), reikin (礼金), brokerage fee, guarantor company fee, fire insurance, key exchange, 24-hour support, disinfection or antibacterial services, room cleaning, and air-conditioner cleaning.

For each fee, note whether it is one-time, monthly, yearly, charged at renewal, or settled when moving out. Also check tax wording, month-based amounts, and percentage wording such as total rent 50%.

Contract period, ordinary lease, fixed-term lease, renewal fee, renewal admin fee, cancellation notice, and short-term cancellation penalty can affect your schedule after move-in.

If the document says fixed-term lease or recontracting, check how the end date and possible recontracting are written. For cancellation, look for the notice period and the condition that triggers any short-term fee.

Genjō kaifuku (原状回復), cleaning fees, deposit settlement, and special clauses may affect move-out costs. Restoration wording can vary by contract, room condition, and situation.

Separate cleaning, repair or restoration, disposal, unpaid rent, and deposit deduction items. If a clause mentions pets, smoking, office use, or fixed cleaning amounts, keep those labels together when preparing questions.

Japanese rental forms often use pairs or groups such as 有・無, あり・なし, 含む・含まない, 可・不可, 要・不要, する・しない, 振込・持参・口座引落, and 連帯保証人・家賃債務保証業者.

For example, copied text may show 駐車場 含む・含まない without showing which side has the circle. Circles, check marks, and handwritten entries may not be detected from PDF text extraction alone. For choice-style fields, please check the original document.

After you receive a contract, important matters explanation, or estimate, paste the document text into Chintai Checker or read text from a PDF in the browser. The tool organizes detected fees, terms, and confirmation points without fetching external websites.

The result is a reading aid, not a decision about the document. Keep the original document open when checking choice fields, handwritten notes, and anything that looks unclear.

Use the pre-contract listing check for rental listing pages before application or signing. Use the Rental Document Explainer for contracts, important matters explanations, and estimates after you receive documents. Use the move-out cost check for move-out cost statements or restoration estimates.

Public references can help you understand rental terms and consultation routes. They are background materials, while individual documents and settlement details can vary.

MLIT: Housing support for foreign residents in private rental housing (Japanese)

Tokyo Metropolitan Government: Housing support for foreign residents in rental housing (Japanese)

Tokyo Metropolitan Government: Rental housing trouble prevention guidelines (Japanese)

Tokyo Metropolitan Government: Rental housing dispute prevention ordinance (Japanese)