Cheats and tricks in real estate advertising

Japan has rules that regulate real estate advertising to consumers, but they are self regulated by nine organizations across the country. One of those organizations is the Real Estate Fair Trade Council of greater Tokyo. According to the Council, the number of illegal advertising tricks by real estate companies is increasing online. The most common of these tricks is bait-and-switch and misleading advertisements.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Can rental renewal fees be avoided?

In a year there are as many as 1 million rental contracts with renewal fees in existence across Japan. But, as a tenant, do you have to pay these renewal fees? And if you do, are the fees reasonable?Read more

by Zoe Ward

Apartment rents reach 7 year low in Tokyo

The average apartment rent across Japan's major cities has fallen even further. In July, the average rent for a condominium in Tokyo's 23-ku fell below 3,000 Yen/sqm a month for the first time in over seven years. The rent in rental-only buildings has also fallen.

According to Tokyo Kantei, the average rent for a condominium apartment in July was 2,995 Yen/sqm a month, down 1.8% from July 2011.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Tas Corp's rental market data for August

TAS Corp, the company behind the "Tas-Map" real estate valuation site, released their latest data on the rental market for both the greater Tokyo and Kansai area for August 2012.

The data includes a vacancy rate index, average time an apartment is advertised before a tenant is found, average rate of lease renewals, rate of mid-way cancellations and a rent index.

This month's report on the greater Tokyo area focused on the aging population in Saitama and the consequences this will have for landlords in the future.Read more

by Zoe Ward

New court case over legality of lease cancellation penalty

In a court case brought to the Saitama Kawagoe District Court, a non-profit organization is claiming that the cancellation penalty in their client's rental contract is illegal and are demanding that the rental agency remove the clause from their contracts.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Tokyo Tower Vs. Sky Tree: How views affect rent

The May opening of Tokyo Sky Tree is set to revitalize the the old 'shitamachi' area as it will bring retail stores, tourists and new bus routes. When a neighborhood undergoes a transformation such as this, residential rents are expected to see a sudden rise in prices.Read more

by Zoe Ward

The cheapest rents in Tokyo by train station

Real estate listing site, SUUMO, have listed the top 10 areas around train stations that have the cheapest rent in Tokyo. Stations along the Toden Arakawa Line seem to dominate the listings, so tenants on a budget may want to look for places along this train line.

The average rent was calculated by the listings for Studios to 1-bedroom apartments on the SUUMO website as of March 14, 2012.Read more

by Zoe Ward