|4. What are basic lease terms and standard facilities for an average apartment or a house?
- Basic lease terms are a monthly rent (to be paid in advance), a deposit (equivalent to 4-6months of monthly rent) and an agent fee (equivalent to one month of monthly rent). However, a key money and a renewal fee may be required depending on a rent and a lessor. You will be asked to join insurance for household goods. Consult with us beforehand because your company already contracts an insurance package with an insurance company.
- In many cases, a monthly rent includes a parking fee. However, there are some cases in which a monthly rent does not include a parking fee. Also, not all apartments come with a parking lot. The lessee or the occupant is responsible for paying utility (e.g. electricity, gas, water, telephone, cable TV and security system) fees.
- In general, facilities include a heating/cooling system, a hot water supply system, a washing machine, a dryer, a refrigerator, a dish washer, an oven, a cook stove, cable TV, a telephone line, and a parking lot. However, some apartments do not have all of the above-mentioned facilities. In particular, apartments with a monthly rent of less than 400,000 yen tend not to have all of them. You do not need to worry so much about how to use appliances because apartments for foreigners are furnished with appliances you are already familiar with. Few apartments and houses have a kitchen disposer.
- Among people who want to receive many TV channels, SKY PerfecTV (a satellite service) is becoming more popular than ever before and more apartments appear on the market with this satellite service. You can not receive this service unless your apartment or house faces south. So, confirm your apartment balcony’s direction.
- The occupant is responsible for paying for curtains. Many people make curtains at their home country after measuring sizes of windows of their new home in Japan before coming to Japan because curtains are expensive in Japan. Also, an apartment or a house is sometimes furnished with curtains left by a previous occupant. In some cases, a landlord installs curtains as part of agreement with a new occupant after negotiating with the occupant about terms, in particular, a rent.
- Parking for a bicycle rarely becomes an issue because most apartments have parking space for bicycles. Also, when an apartment has parking space for cars, the apartment’s occupants can use this space for their bicycles. However, a motorcycle sometimes becomes an issue. When your motorcycle is small with an engine of 50 cc., you can park it just like your bicycle. But, when your motorcycle is larger than that, you may be asked to have parking space just as large as one for a car for your motorcycle. So, when you have a large motorcycle, provide us information about your motorcycle beforehand.
- Japan is safe. mm,,is it? I mean,, other country than,, I guess…You have to worry but don’t need to worry so much about security in Japan. Still, many independent houses are equipped with an electrical security system. Also, apartments recently come to have a security system. In addition, the number of apartments for which a caretaker attends is increasing