Post-Apartment Hunting (the application process)

Post-Apartment Hunting (the application process)

You didn’t think I’d actually finished the Apartment-Hunting series of posts did you?  Good, because I haven’t! 😉

As mentioned in part 4 of the series, there is still alot to do once you’ve settled on a place.  The main difference is that you can pretty much take your own time in finding your ideal home/apartment (at least in my situation – others may have a deadline of some sort and hence don’t have the luxury I did of taking almost a YEAR in my search).  Once you’ve decided on a place though, things start going fast.

Once you’ve decided on a place, your agent will then start the paperwork involved.  You’re going to be required to give information about your income, current residence, phone numbers, company information/contact info…and most importantly, guarantor.

The guarantor is basically the one your landlord is going to fall back on if you default on your rent.  Hence, they typically require that your guarantor be someone in your immediate family, such as parents, grandparents, in-laws, or siblings.  Most traditional landlords require a guarantor.  However, if you’re staying in a guesthouse (like Sakura House) or other hotel/motel/hostel, or other foreigner-friendly accommodation, you probably won’t need one.

For those who prefer not to involve family members, or simply don’t have Japanese relatives, there are also companies that offer guarantor services.  Typically, they charge one month’s rent for the duration of the lease.  One month’s rent may not sound like too much, but believe me, the costs add up!

In my case, I’m applying for an older apartment, one whose owners are more traditional – meaning I was required to have a guarantor.  Being a dual citizen, I do have relatives in Japan… but they are not “immediate” relatives (great-uncle/great-aunt) so I was still told that I needed to use a guarantor company.  I was lucky though, that I was able to get a 50% discount by asking my relatives to be my “co-guarantors”.

Aside from the initial flurry of gathering all the necessary information (copy of ID’s, personal phone numbers, guarantor information, company information, etc.), there’s not much to do after that except wait.  After you’ve given them all that info, they will proceed to review it to determine whether or not one is a suitable candidate for renting their  property.  During this period is also a good time to request any changes, or make any negotiations if you haven’t already done so.

For example, I was able to knock off 2,000 yen off the rent (woohoo, big deal you might say, but that still translates to 24,000 yen a year/48,000 yen for 2 years!).  I also requested that they fix the entrance door (which had a tendency to stick), and (based on S’s suggestion), request that they install screens on the balcony doors.  Other things one can possibly request are the installation of air conditioners (this place already had one), and if you’re really lucky, a gas countertop cooker (my place doesn’t have one, and they were not willing to install it for me).

Negotiations notwithstanding, it took about 2 weeks from the time I decided on the place to the day I actually put the final stamp (literally – they’re called “hanko“) on the paperwork.

And… here I am!  I’ve been in my place for almost a month and a half (already!!), and though it’s still messy, it’s very slowly starting to get organized.  I’ve been going out after work almost daily to search for furniture and appliances and I think that by this weekend, I should be about 90% done.

Pictures will be forthcoming eventually, and I may also do a write-up on the furniture/appliance hunting process. 🙂

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