The real number is four to six months
Who this hits Everyone signing a standard private lease. The way to dodge most of it is to not sign one first, covered below.
What every line on the invoice means
Learn the stack once and you can read any quote in thirty seconds. Key money and the deposit are the two big ones, and key money is the one you never see again.
- 01Key money (礼金). A gift to the landlord, usually one to two months of rent in the Tokyo area. Non-refundable. You get nothing back. Hunt for "reikin nashi" (zero key money) listings, which are increasingly common.
- 02Deposit (敷金). One to two months, held against damage and unpaid rent. Refundable in theory; cleaning and repair costs get deducted at move-out, so expect to lose part of it.
- 03Agency fee (仲介手数料). Capped by law at one month of rent plus tax. With your consent the agent can charge the full month; some properties run it at half a month or zero.
- 04Guarantor company fee (保証会社). Roughly 50% to 100% of one month up front, then a smaller renewal fee each year. This replaces a personal guarantor, covered next.
- 05Fire insurance (火災保険). Around ¥15,000 to ¥20,000 (about $100 to $130) for a two-year policy, paid at signing. Usually mandatory.
- 06Key exchange (鍵交換). ¥10,000 to ¥25,000 (about $65 to $170) to rekey the lock. Sometimes optional, often pushed as standard.
- 07First month rent, prorated from your move-in date. Paid alongside everything above.
The "no foreigners" wall is real
The route around Do not fight individual landlords. Go straight to the channels built for foreign tenants: a guarantor company, an English-speaking agency, UR housing, or a share house. Each one routes past the gatekeeper instead of arguing with them.
Four doors that say yes
These are the options that take a new arrival without a fight. UR and share houses skip the fee stack entirely.
- 01UR housing (Urban Renaissance). Government-affiliated rentals with no key money, no agency fee, no guarantor, and no renewal fee. You pay a refundable deposit (about two months) and rent. They screen on income instead of a guarantor: monthly income at least four times the rent, or roughly ¥250,000-plus (about $1,700) for mid-range units, with a savings or year-upfront option if you fall short. You need a residence card with a year or more left, so this fits once you are settled, not on day one.
- 02Share houses. Sakura House and Oakhouse are the big English-speaking operators. No key money, no deposit in the traditional sense, no guarantor, no agency fee. Furnished, utilities and wifi usually bundled. Tokyo rooms run roughly ¥40,000 to ¥75,000 (about $270 to $500) a month plus a monthly maintenance fee, with a one-time contract fee around ¥30,000 to ¥50,000 (about $200 to $330).
- 03Foreigner-serving agencies. English-speaking shops that pre-filter for landlords who accept foreign tenants, so you never waste time on a "no" listing. They handle the guarantor-company paperwork for you.
- 04Guarantor company (保証会社). Not a place to live, but the key that unlocks normal private apartments. A licensed company vouches for you for a fee. Approval typically lands in three to seven days once you have a visa with six-plus months left, income proof, a Japanese phone number, and an emergency contact.
Search where they already say yes
Skip the general Japanese listing sites where half the inventory quietly refuses foreigners. These services pre-filter for landlords who take foreign tenants, list in English, and walk you through the paperwork. Start with the one we would.
RecommendedE-Housing
Tokyo's leading foreigner-friendly real estate platform. Every listing is vetted foreigner-friendly and refreshed daily, the team works in English end to end, and the inventory spans the whole city from share rooms to family flats. The one to open first.
- Every listing vetted foreigner-friendly, updated daily
- English service from search to signing
- Whole-Tokyo inventory, budget to premium
- Handles the guarantor-company paperwork for you
Village HouseCheapest move-in. Zero deposit, zero key money, zero agency and renewal fees, over 100,000 units nationwide. Unbeatable if low upfront cost beats a central address.→
Weave LivingFurnished, move-in-ready apartments on flexible leases, with all-inclusive rent and no broker fee, key money or cleaning fees. English app and support, studios to serviced suites across Tokyo.→
GaijinPot ApartmentsForeigner-friendly listings with a full bilingual housing service that can take your application from overseas, before you land.→
OakhouseShare houses and furnished apartments it manages directly, site in five languages, around 40 percent of residents from overseas. Community living, no fee stack.→
Land in a share house. Then upgrade.
Almost nobody signs a real lease in week one, and you should not try. A private apartment wants a Japanese bank account, a phone number, income proof, and a guarantor company that will take you. You do not have those on landing. A share house gives you all of it.
- 01Book a share house before you fly. It gives you a real registered address from day one.
- 02Use that address to register your residence card at the ward office, the gate to everything else.
- 03Open a bank account and get a Japanese phone number. Both need the address.
- 04Let income and paper trail build for a few months. Now a guarantor company and a private landlord will say yes.
- 05Move into your own place, or step up to UR once your card has a year left, and skip the fee stack a second time.
Pick the line, not the postcode
In Tokyo, your commute is set by which train line you are on, not how central you feel. A compact studio (1R/1K) runs roughly ¥85,000 to ¥140,000 (about $570 to $930) in the popular central wards in 2025. Step one or two stops out and the same flat drops hard.
- 01Central and pricey. Shibuya, Shinjuku, Minato, Meguro, Setagaya. Walkable, social, expensive. You pay for the address.
- 02The value belt. Nakano, Suginami, Nerima, Itabashi, Sumida. Strong transit, real neighborhoods, noticeably lower rent. Nakano sits minutes from Shinjuku for far less.
- 03Cheapest, longer ride. Adachi and the outer east. 1K units can sit near ¥60,000 (about $400). The trade is a longer commute, so check the door-to-door time before you commit.
- 04Commute logic. Pick your line first. One easy transfer to where you work or study beats a "central" flat that needs two. Test the route at rush hour, not at noon.
Now power the place
Keys in hand, the last switch is electricity and gas — and Japan deregulated both, so you are not stuck with the old regional monopoly. Pick the one provider actually built for foreigners and the whole setup happens in English, online, in minutes.
RecommendedOctopus Energy
The one English-friendly energy company — a Tokyo Gas joint venture powering 300,000+ homes, not a fly-by-night reseller. Sign up online in English, run electricity and gas on a single bill, and pay rates set below the old regional default. 100% renewable-backed power, no contract lock-in, no cancellation fee.
- English site and app, start to finish
- Electricity + gas on one bill
- Cheaper than the regional monopoly's default plan
- 100% renewable-backed · no cancellation fee
Urban gas comes bundled with electricity as a set; propane (LPG) buildings are the one exception. Set it up a few days before move-in so the lights and hot water are on when you walk in.