Osaka's new short-term letting rules leave out Osaka City

On October 27, Osaka Prefecture became the first area in Japan to approve the new and relaxed rules regarding short-term accommodation.

Despite the changes, there are still strict requirements, including:

  • Obtaining permission from local authorities before letting out the property.
  • Having a signed fixed-term rental agreement with the host and the guest.
  • A minimum room size of 25 sqm. Each room must have it’s own lockable bath, toilet and kitchen.
  • The minimum stay must be 6 nights and 7 days.
  • Hosts will be obligated to keep a guest book with guest names, passport numbers, and must check and confirm the identity of each guest.
  • Local authorities will have the right to conduct physical inspections of the properties. If a problem is found, the operator will lose their permission to operate short-term letting.
  • The following areas are not included in the relaxed rules: Osaka City, Sakai City, Takatsuki City, Higashi-osaka City, Toyonaka City, Hirakata City.

It is important to note that a large part of the urban area in Osaka is not part of the relaxed rules. Operators of properties in areas in white in the map below will require a hotel license to provide accommodation for less than 30 days.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Overnight accommodation laws relaxed in Fukuoka City, but for limited times only

To alleviate the strain on hotels in Fukuoka City, the mayor announced on December 8 that the hotel letting laws would be temporarily relaxed to allow private residences and apartments to be leased out to guests.

As a trial run, the license-free* letting period will be limited to just five days this month when Japanese pop bands Arashi and Exile are scheduled to hold concerts in the city.

On December 17 ~ 19 and 26 ~ 27, homeowners will be permitted to rent out rooms in their homes, while landlords, or tenants with the express permission of their landlords, will be permitted to lease out empty rooms to overnight guests.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Contractor cites Edo-period land claim in lake landfill dispute

Lake Shinji Matsue 1

A construction contractor in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, is citing a 200-year old claim to surface rights of Lake Shinji after the government has accused him of illegal legal reclamation. Since 1997, the national government has issued 35 infringement notices to the contractor, ordering him to cease his land reclamation work and return the site to its original condition.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Government may lift ban on AirBnb-type rentals

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism are considering removing the ban on letting out private apartments and homes to tourists starting as early as next year.

Under the current Hotel Business Law, anyone wanting to provide accommodation for stays of less than 30 days must obtain a hotel license. Properties must meet strict requirements, including zoning, structural codes, safety and hygiene practices. Renting out a room on AirBnb to someone for less than 30 days is essentially illegal without the appropriate license.

The recent influx in foreign tourists, a shortage of hotel rooms, and a growing number of incidents with illegal hotels and AirBnb hosts has caused the government to consider introducing some urgent changes to legislation.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Condo manager accused of 1.1 billion Yen embezzlement

Twin Tower Ishiuchi Niigata 2

The former chairperson of the owner’s association of a ski resort condominium in Niigata has been accused of allegedly embezzling 1.178 billion Yen (9.6 million USD) from the apartment building’s management and repair fund over the span of sixteen years.

The owner’s association filed a criminal complaint in an attempt to recover the 400 million Yen which falls within the statute of limitations. The former chairman allegedly falsified bank statements after transferring the funds to his personal bank account to purchase shares and make other personal investments. Read more

by Zoe Ward

Condominium in Tokyo has construction permit revoked just prior to completion

Koshikawa BunkyoA 8-storey condominium in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, has had its construction certificate revoked due to having inadequate emergency stairs. The building was less than 2 months away away from completion and the 100+ apartments had already been sold to buyers off-the-plan.

To further complicate things for the developer, local building height limits have since been reduced which means that even if the developer corrects the evacuation exits, the top two floors of the building may need to be removed in order to obtain a new building permit. Height limits in this neighbourhood were reduced from 27 meters to 22 meters in 2014.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Two arrested under suspicion of illegally leasing apartments to foreign tourists

Kyoto hotel
A tourist bus stopped outside the illegal hotel in Kyoto.

On November 5, the Kyoto Prefectural Police began interviewing two people who are suspected of allegedly leasing out apartments to foreign tourists for short stays without obtaining the appropriate hotel license.

The two suspects are are 52-year old advisor from a travel company in Tokyo and a 48-year old from a hotel proxy company in Yamagata City.

Both companies have been accused of renting out apartments in Kyoto’s Ukyo-ku to tourists on a short-term basis without a license which  is in violation of the Hotel Business Law. As many as 300 guests used the accommodation between July and early October.Read more

by Zoe Ward