Real estate company reported to prosecutors for illegal BnB in Kyoto
November 7, 2017Airbnb in JapanAll,Laws and Lawsuits,Kyoto
Kyoto’s Economic Crime Investigation Division and the Ukyo Police Department have sent papers to prosecutors on a Nagoya-based real estate company under suspicion of illegally renting out a house in Kyoto City to tourists. A total of five people from the company, including the company president, are accused of acting as an intermediary for the property owner, by advertising the house as short-term accommodation on booking sites. This is a rare case where an intermediary or management company has been caught up in potential charges.
The 3-storey house was reportedly rented to foreign tourists on an overnight basis for around 50,000 Yen per night, without having any of the required hotel licenses or permissions. The house is in an exclusive residential zone, which currently prohibits any sort of hotel operations.Read more
The Parkhouse Shinjuku Gyoen has reached completion
November 6, 2017Japan real estate,japan real estate market,shinjuku,tokyo real estate,Tokyo real estate market,Japan Real Estate News,Shinjuku Real Estate Market,Shinjuku Real Estate NewsNew Construction,Real Estate News,All,Tokyo

Construction of The Parkhouse Shinjuku Gyoen, a 14-storey condominium located directly across the street from the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, reached completion last month.
The building contains 52 luxury residences ranging in size from 55 ~ 100 sqm (592 ~ 1,076 sq ft). When sales began back in early 2016, apartments were priced from 64 ~ 269 million Yen, with an average price of around 1,725,000 Yen/sqm.
Tokyo Apartment Sales in October 2017
November 3, 2017Japan real estate,japan real estate market,tokyo real estate,Tokyo apartment prices,Tokyo real estate market,Japan Real Estate NewsReal Estate News,Market Information,All,Tokyo
The following is a selection of apartments that were reported to have sold in central Tokyo during the month of October 2017:Read more
Banks urged to take care when lending on investment properties
November 2, 2017Real Estate News,Rental Market,Market Information,All
According to Japan’s Financial Services Agency’s Financing Report, the average vacancy rate for investment-grade apartment buildings is estimated to be around 7%. For ‘apaato’-type buildings less than 5 years old, the average vacancy rate was just 2.6%, but for a 10-year old building it was 7.1% and 11.6% for 20-year old buildings.
As buildings age, vacancy rates and maintenance costs increase, resulting in some investments becoming cash-flow negative for landlords. The Agency has requested that banks take more care to explain the potential risks and pitfalls of these type of investment loans to borrowers.Read more
Apartment development focusing on city centers as buyers shun suburbs
November 1, 2017Japan real estate,japan real estate market,Japan Real Estate NewsReal Estate News,Market Information,All,Osaka,Tokyo

In Tokyo’s 23 wards, 4.98% of the land is being used for condominium buildings, an increase of 1.02 points over the past 10 years. The ratio is higher in central Tokyo, with some districts having a ratio of around 9%, signaling a clear shift towards living closer to the office and city center.
The report, released by Tokyo Kantei on October 31st, compiled data on Japan’s three major urban centers. In greater Tokyo, Shibuya ward was in top spot with 8.90%, up 1.46 points from 2007. Chuo ward, which includes the man-made islands of Kachidoki and Harumi in Tokyo Bay, increased by 2.03 points to 6.07%. This district has seen a number of high-rise condos built in recent years, especially in the bayside area, while the Nihonbashi district has seen an increase in small-to-medium sized residential developments.
New apartment prices in Sendai City fall 5% in the first half of 2017.
October 31, 2017Japan real estate,japan real estate market,Sendai City,Japan Real Estate News,Sendai Real Estate News,Sendai Real Estate MarketReal Estate News,Market Information,All

According to DG Communications, the average price of a new apartment in Sendai City in the first half of 2017 was 42,940,000 Yen, down 4.8% from last year. The average price for the year of 2017 is also expected to decrease from last year, marking the first decline since 2011.
Following the 2011 earthquake, a sudden jump the construction costs and a drop in supply saw the price of new apartments soar to record highs. In 2016, the average price increased by 5.1% from 2015 to 44,427,000 Yen — the highest price seen since record-keeping began in 1988.
Kyoto City might limit some Airbnb-type rentals to just January and February months
October 30, 2017Airbnb in Japan,minpakuAll,Laws and Lawsuits,Kyoto
Kyoto City has started official discussions that may see Airbnb-type short-term rentals in certain residential zones limited to just the January and February months and for no more than 60 nights in total.
Hosts looking to rent out places in primarily residential neighbourhoods in central Kyoto, including areas around Kinkaku-ji temple and Nanzen-ji temple, may find themselves limited to the off-season winter months. Under the proposal, properties located in exclusive residential zones (Category I and II Exclusively Low-Rise Residential Zones, and Category I and II Mid/High-Rise Oriented Residential Zones) may only be rented to tourists for the months of January and February, with a maximum limit of 60 nights over those two months. There may be some relaxation of the rules for hosts who live in the properties or live nearby.Read more