Yokohama may ban short-term letting on weekdays

Yokohama City is following in Shinjuku’s footsteps by proposing to introduce a ban on short-term Airbnb-style letting on weekdays. The plan would prohibit minpaku rentals from Mondays through Thursdays in areas zoned as Exclusively Low-Rise Residential. The plan will be open to public comment until December 19, with the draft to be submitted to the city council in February 2018.

Approximately 31% of Yokohama City’s area is designated as an Exclusively Low-Rise Residential Zone. The reasoning for the week-day ban is to ensure a peaceful environment for those who work during the week and do not want their neighborhood interrupted by travelers while trying to rest on weeknights.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Real estate company reported to prosecutors for illegal BnB in 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

by Zoe Ward

Kyoto City might limit some Airbnb-type rentals to just January and February months

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

by Zoe Ward

Japan's short-stay law to be delayed 6 months

Those hoping to rent out their home legally on a short-term basis in Japan may have to wait a little longer as the government has delayed the de-regulation of the home sharing market until June 2018. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the reason for the delay is to allow more time for local governments to formulate their own rules regarding the maximum number of nights permissible each year.

The government passed a law allowing short-term letting of homes and apartments in June 2017, with the rules initially expected to go into effect from January 2018.
Read more

by Zoe Ward

32 million Yen lawsuit filed against illegal Airbnb hosts in Osaka apartment building

The owners association of a condominium in Osaka’s Minami district have filed a lawsuit with the Osaka District Court seeking 32,670,000 Yen (approx. 300,000 USD) in damages from hosts providing illegal overnight accommodation in the building.

According to the association, 5 of the 100 apartments in the 10 year old building have been rented out to overnight guests using online booking sites, contravening the building management bylaws. The association made attempts to have the hosts, who also owned the apartments, stop the activity by imposing fines of 50,000 Yen per day and putting up posters in the building. However, their attempts were ignored.

Read more

by Zoe Ward

Local groups seek ban on unlicensed short-term letting in Hakuba

Hakuba’s local tourism associations are seeking a ban on short-term Airbnb-type accommodation because it could threaten the already-low operational rates of the village’s existing inns and hotels.

Hakuba’s Kirikubo and Shinden districts at the foot of the Hakuba Iwatake Ski Resort have 68 licensed lodgings that have operating ratios of around 15 ~ 20%, as reported by the Iwatake Tourism Association. The president of the Association says the village already has enough accommodation options for foreign and domestic tourists and believes that the new model of short-term Airbnb-type lettings is something more suited to a large city.

Read more

by Zoe Ward

B&B host ordered to pay landlord 700,000 Yen

The host of an illegal B&B operating out of an apartment building in Osaka has been ordered to pay 700,000 Yen (approx. 6,360 USD) in compensation to their landlord. The owner of the apartment building filed a suit in the Osaka District Court seeking 1,400,000 Yen from the tenant who was illegally subletting the apartment to tourists.

According to the landlord, the 41 square meter apartment was rented to a company based in Kyoto. The terms of the lease agreement limited the use of the apartment to residential only and prohibited any form of sub-leasing.Read more

by Zoe Ward