Renting in Tokyo From Abroad: The Three Routes and Which One Fits You

Last reviewed 29 Oct 2026 · 30 min read

You can rent an apartment in Tokyo from abroad, but not on the timeline most people expect. The clock that matters isn't how fast you find a place. It's how long a landlord will wait for you to arrive.

In our experience with renters who are still outside Japan, that wait is short: a landlord holds a property for only 2 to 3 weeks after your application is approved. Some landlords won't consider an applicant who isn't in Japan yet, and that single filter shapes the whole search.

This guide is written for people who haven't landed yet and want to rent an apartment in Tokyo from abroad: transferees, students, remote workers and anyone with a start date and a suitcase. It sets out the three routes that actually work, what each one costs in rent paid on an empty unit, and who should skip each one.

We checked the process against Japanese-language sources first, then against what foreign residents say. The two don't always agree, and where they differ we say so.

At a Glance: Renting in Tokyo From Abroad

Main constraint	Landlords hold an approved unit for about 2 to 3 weeks
Route 1	Start about 6 weeks before your move deadline and land as the hold ends
Route 2	Secure a place from abroad and pay rent for the months before you arrive
Route 3	Land first, stay short-term, and search in person
Smallest property pool	Routes 1 and 2, because both need a landlord who accepts applicants abroad
Best for	Route 1: a firm arrival date. Route 2: a fixed start and spare budget. Route 3: flexibility
Not ideal for	Anyone without income documents or a fixed arrival date, on Routes 1 and 2

Quick Answer: Can You Rent an Apartment in Tokyo From Abroad?

Yes, but only some properties allow it, and the hold window is short.

Most renters outside Japan end up on one of three routes. They plan tightly and arrive as the hold ends, they pay rent early to lock a place, or they land first and search in person. Each trades money, choice and risk differently, which is what the rest of this guide sorts out.

If you want a single recommendation, it's this: pick Route 3 unless you have a fixed arrival date, income paperwork ready and a reason to need an address on day one. Routes 1 and 2 work, but they work for a narrower group than the online advice suggests.

Here is the short version of each route.

• Route 1: look about 6 weeks before your deadline (roughly 2 weeks to find, 1 week to apply and get approved, 2 to 3 weeks of hold until you arrive).
• Route 2: apply from abroad, start paying rent early, and collect the keys when you land.
• Route 3: book short-term housing or a hotel, then view and apply in person, where more landlords will say yes.

The route you choose matters less than choosing it before you start looking.

Why the Hold Window Decides Everything

Everything in this guide follows from one fact: a Tokyo landlord won't wait for you.

Japanese rental guides describe it the same way. Landlords generally can't wait for a later move-in date, and there's no formal reservation system. Applying means you commit to a start date, and rent begins on it whether or not you've landed.

Japanese rental guides put the usual start date for a vacant, ready unit at about 10 days to 2 weeks after you apply. A later date can sometimes be negotiated if you ask before you apply, and 3 to 4 weeks is described as the practical limit. A start date more than a month out is rare.

That matches what we see: 2 to 3 weeks of hold after approval. It isn't a rule anyone publishes. It's the practical shape of a market where an empty unit costs the landlord money every day.

Units about to be vacated or still under renovation behave differently. The same guides say rent on those can start one to three months out, because the landlord is already waiting on the previous tenant or the contractor. That's where Route 2 gets its inventory.

The hold is the constraint, and every route is a way of working around it.

Screening Time Is Part of the Clock

Screening eats into your hold window before it starts.

Japanese rental guides say tenant screening (入居審査, nyukyo shinsa) generally takes 3 to 7 days. They also describe 10 to 14 days as a long case, usually caused by missing documents or unanswered verification calls. One guide aimed at foreign applicants quotes 10 to 14 days as the normal figure.

Treat 10 to 14 days as the planning number if you're applying from abroad. Your documents come from another country, the verification call may land in a different time zone, and an incomplete file stops the process until it's fixed.

Our own guide to the best times to rent in Tokyo says approval usually takes 1 to 2 weeks. That's consistent with the longer Japanese figures, and it's the number to use here.

Approval speed is the one part of the clock you can partly control, by sending a complete file the first time.

How Rental Screening Works When You're Not in Japan

The steps are the same as for anyone, but each one has a catch when you're abroad.

In Japan the order is application (申込, moshikomi), screening by the management company and the rent guarantee company, then the explanation of important matters (重要事項説明, juyo jiko setsumei), then the contract (契約, keiyaku), then keys. Japanese rental guides say the contract is usually signed within a week of passing screening.

Here's where being abroad changes things.

• The application asks for an address, an employer, an income figure and an emergency contact. If you don't have a Japanese address or phone number yet, the agent has to work out with you what the management company will accept.
• Screening includes a verification call to you, and often to your employer or emergency contact. Missing that call is a common reason a file stalls.
• Landlords and management companies each set their own rules. One may accept an overseas employer's letter, another may require you to be in the country.
• The contract stage normally needs identity documents. Japanese rental guides list a resident record (住民票, juminhyo) issued within three months, which a first-time arrival doesn't have yet.

That last point is worth a pause. A foreign resident is added to the resident register by notifying a municipal office of their address, and the Immigration Services Agency requires that notification within 14 days of settling on an address. (That page, like most official sources in this guide, is published in Japanese.)

So before you land you can't produce a resident record. The practical question to ask any agent is what the management company accepts in its place, such as a passport, a certificate of eligibility or an employment letter.

The government's own guidance for landlords and agents sets out the document list for foreign applicants. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has a practical Q&A chapter for landlords and real estate agents (PDF) that lists passports, residence cards, employment or enrollment certificates and proof of work permission, and says requirements should be agreed with the applicant. It also tells agents to confirm early that an applicant can supply the documents before showing a unit.

If you can't produce the documents, you can't pass screening, and the hold window never starts.

Signing Without Being in the Room

Online explanation and electronic paperwork now cover most of what used to need a counter visit.

Explaining the important matters of a lease online (IT重説, IT juusetsu) has been allowed for rentals since 1 October 2017. A later MLIT report on electronic delivery of those documents (PDF, February 2022) records that a 2021 amendment to the Real Estate Brokerage Act allows electronic delivery with the other party's consent. It also found that most surveyed tenants could view the files easily on a smartphone.

Whether a specific agent or management company uses these tools is a separate question. The law allows it; each company decides.

Asking early whether the whole process can be done online is the quickest way to learn whether a property is workable from abroad.

The Double Filter: Why Applicants Abroad Have Fewer Properties

An applicant outside Japan is filtered twice, and the second filter is the one people forget.

The first filter applies to foreign residents generally. Some landlords and management companies won't rent to foreign nationals at all. The Ministry of Justice's Foreign Resident Survey (PDF, fiscal 2016, published June 2017) asked 2,044 people who had looked for housing in the previous five years. 39.3% said they'd been refused because they were foreign nationals, and 26.8% said they'd given up after seeing a listing that said no foreigners.

That survey is nine years old, and it's the most recent national one we could find that asks the question directly. Treat the percentages as a sign of scale, not a current rate.

Government guidance has moved the other way. The December 2021 MLIT guide for landlords and agents (PDF) says that refusing an applicant solely for being a foreign national may amount to unfair discrimination, and cites a past court order of compensation for exactly that. The same guide tells agents to use a rent guarantee company that handles foreign residents.

The second filter is yours alone. Many landlords prefer a tenant they can reach, call and meet. An applicant abroad is harder to verify and harder to hold to a start date, so some landlords simply won't take one, whatever their view on foreign residents.

Put the two together and the pool for Routes 1 and 2 is smaller than the pool for someone standing in a Tokyo agent's office. That's the main argument for Route 3.

We aren't saying Routes 1 and 2 are bad. We're saying you should expect fewer options, and plan for a fallback.

Route 1: Learn the Process, Start Six Weeks Out

Route 1 works when your arrival date is fixed and you can run a tight schedule.

The idea is to line the whole process up so the hold ends the day you land. Working back from your move deadline, we'd plan roughly like this: 2 weeks to find a property, 1 week to apply and get approved, then 2 to 3 weeks of hold until you arrive. That adds up to about six weeks.

A six-week plan only works if nothing in it moves.

Six Weeks Out: The Route 1 Timeline

The schedule is only realistic if every document is ready before week one.

Weeks 6 to 4 before you land, find: Send your documents to an agent before you view anything, so the agent can tell you which properties will accept you. Browse online, use video tours, and expect to say yes to a property you've never stood in. We cover what to ask in the section on documents below.

Weeks 4 to 3, apply and screen: Submit the application the same day you decide. Japanese rental guides put screening at 3 to 7 days, but plan on 10 to 14 days from abroad and answer every verification call.

Weeks 3 to 0, hold: Once you're approved, you sign and the clock runs. Ask the agent to confirm the rent start date (契約開始日, keiyaku kaishi bi, also called 賃料発生日 or chinryo hassei bi) in writing before you pay anything.

Landing day: Collect the keys on or after the rent start date. Japanese rental guides say keys are usually handed over from the rent start date onward, so don't plan to enter early.

The thing that breaks Route 1 is a delayed flight, a visa that arrives late, or a file the management company sends back for another document. Each one pushes your landing past the hold window, and you pay rent on an empty unit until you arrive.

If your arrival date can move, Route 1 is a gamble.

The Cost of Getting the Timing Slightly Wrong

Rent starts on the date in the contract, not the day you land.

Suppose your approved unit rents for ¥150,000 a month and rent starts on the 1st, but you land on the 22nd. That's three weeks of rent on a unit you aren't in. Using a plain 30-day month with no proration, that comes to about ¥105,000. Your agent can tell you whether the first month is prorated, and it's worth asking before you sign.

Japanese rental guides call this overlap nijuu yachin (二重家賃, double rent) when you're also still paying for a home elsewhere. For someone abroad, it's simply rent on an unused apartment.

Some properties offer free rent (フリーレント, furii rento) for the first half month to one month. The catch, according to the same guides, is that these are usually paired with a short-term cancellation penalty, often one month's rent, if you leave within a year or two. If you're not sure you'll stay, the free month can cost you more than it saves.

A few days of slip is cheap; three weeks is a month's rent you never see again.

Route 2: Secure a Place and Pay for the Months Before You Arrive

Route 2 buys certainty by paying for time you won't use.

You apply from abroad for a property whose rent start date is well before you land, and you pay rent for the gap. The keys wait for you. This is the route for people who can't afford to arrive with nowhere to go, such as families, people moving with pets, or anyone starting work on a fixed date.

Two things make Route 2 possible. First, some units are naturally available far ahead, because the tenant is leaving or the unit is being renovated. Japanese rental guides say rent on those can start one to three months after you apply. Second, an advance application (先行申込, senko moshikomi) can hold a unit for a month or more, and is often cancellable after viewing, which a remote renter can't do until they land.

That cancellation point is a trap for overseas renters. If you sign instead of applying, an advance contract (先行契約, senko keiyaku) is generally not cancellable. Check which one you're agreeing to before you send any money.

Whichever form you use, the cost is the same shape. The University of Tokyo housing office puts it plainly: you can't reserve a room without paying for it, so starting a search too early isn't necessarily a good idea. Its advice to students is to start 1.5 to 2 months before the move-in date.

What an Empty Apartment Costs by the Week

The price of certainty is easy to calculate and easy to underestimate.

On a ¥150,000 apartment with no proration, a one-week gap costs about ¥35,000, three weeks about ¥105,000, two months ¥300,000 and three months ¥450,000. These are arithmetic, not market data, so swap in your own rent. Route 3 on the same unit costs nothing in empty-unit rent because you sign after you land.

The comparison isn't quite fair to Route 3, because you pay for your bridge stay instead. Our guide to where to stay in Tokyo for one, three or six months compares monthly apartments, serviced apartments and share houses with the cost ranges it cites.

Still, two months of early rent on a ¥150,000 flat is a ¥300,000 decision before you've seen a single street.

Making Route 2 Safer

You can take some of the risk out of paying early.

• Get the rent start date, the hold terms and the cancellation terms in writing before any transfer.
• Ask whether you're applying (cancellable after viewing) or contracting (generally not), and in what order.
• Ask how the initial costs are paid from abroad, since many first-time arrivals have no Japanese bank account yet.
• Ask for a video walkthrough of the actual unit, not a similar one.
• Keep a copy of every message with the agent and the management company.

Route 2 is only worth its cost if the property is real, the contract is clear and you're certain to arrive.

Route 3: Land First, Stay Short-Term, Search in Person

Route 3 gives up the day-one address and gets back most of the choice.

You book a hotel, a monthly apartment or a serviced apartment, land, and then view properties and apply in person. Many landlords who would refuse an applicant abroad will say yes to someone who can sit across a table, hand over a residence card and answer the verification call from a Tokyo phone number.

The bridge stay is also useful in its own right. Japanese rental guides aimed at landlords describe recent arrivals using monthly or serviced apartments until their resident registration and bank account are sorted, and they note that this bridge demand often turns into a regular lease. Tourists on short stays can't sign a lease at all, so you need the right visa status.

The practical sequence for a visa holder looks like this:

1. Land. At ten airports, including Narita and Haneda, the Immigration Services Agency issues a residence card on arrival to eligible mid- to long-term residents. At other ports the card is mailed after you register your address.
2. Within 14 days of settling on an address, take the card to the municipal office to register it.
3. Open a bank account and get a Japanese phone number, both of which make screening easier.
4. View and apply in person, with the documents in your bag.

Our guide to short-term furnished rentals in Tokyo covers the furnished-apartment end of the bridge, including the online booking process, with no guarantor needed for many of them.

The cost of Route 3 is the bridge stay plus a few weeks in which you aren't yet settled. The ranges quoted in our monthly-stay guide vary widely by building type and ward, so don't budget from one number. Ask for a quote for your dates.

You pay for flexibility with a few uncomfortable weeks, and most people find that cheaper than an empty apartment.

When Route 3 Is Quietly the Safest Choice

If anything about your plans could change, Route 3 is the one that survives the change.

A visa that arrives late, a start date that moves, a partner who hasn't decided: none of these costs you rent on an apartment you can't use. You also see the actual building, the actual street and the actual noise, which a video tour can't give you.

There's one more benefit that's easy to miss. An agent who has met you can often arrange a different guarantee structure, a different management company or a different property when the first application fails. A file sent from abroad has fewer second chances.

What Landlords Ask From an Applicant Who Isn't Here Yet

Having the paperwork ready before you search is what makes Routes 1 and 2 possible.

The documents depend on the management company, the guarantor and your situation, so treat this as the usual starting set rather than a fixed list. The same MLIT Q&A chapter tells agents to confirm that an applicant can supply the required documents before showing a unit, and it names these as the typical identity and income documents.

• Passport, and the residence card or visa details you hold (see the note on certificates of eligibility below)
• An employment certificate or enrollment certificate showing your employer or school, your start date and your income
• Evidence of permission to work, where relevant
• Proof of income, such as overseas salary statements or an offer letter with the salary stated
• An emergency contact, with a phone number that can be reached in Japan

The emergency contact is a common stumbling block. The same MLIT guide recommends agents confirm contacts the applicant already has, such as an employer, a school, a friend in Japan or family abroad, and suggests a local housing support council as a last resort. If you know nobody in Japan, tell the agent that on day one.

The guarantor is the other big item. Most foreign applicants use a rent guarantee company instead of a personal guarantor. The December 2021 MLIT guide recommends it. Our guide to why guarantor companies exist in Japan explains how that works.

If you've never lived in Japan, you also have no Japanese credit record. We launched the Global Support Plan, with Orico Forrent Insure and Dwilar, for that gap. Our guide to renting in Japan without Japanese credit history explains how home-country credit data can count toward the screening, with an initial guarantee fee of 80% of monthly rent and a monthly fee of 10%. Approval isn't guaranteed, because the property owner and the management company make their own decisions.

A complete file sent on day one will shave days off a process where days are the scarce resource.

The Certificate of Eligibility Question

Expat and Japanese sources disagree about when you can start applying.

One agency guide written for foreigners says you can't apply for an apartment until you at least hold a certificate of eligibility (COE), and that you won't pass screening unless you are currently working. That's a hard line, and for work-visa applicants it's often the practical one, because the management company wants to see that the visa and the job exist.

The Japanese sources we read don't set a COE rule. They talk about residence status and period, employer or school, and income, and say that's what screening weighs. The MLIT guide tells agents the same thing about verifying documents, not about a fixed trigger date.

Our reading: there's no national rule, there's a management company's rule, and it differs by property. Ask each time.

Paying the Initial Costs From Abroad

The money is simple on paper and fiddly in practice.

Initial costs in Japan commonly include a security deposit (敷金, shikikin), key money (礼金, reikin), the first month's rent, the brokerage fee and the guarantee company fee. Our guide to essential fees to budget for when renting breaks the standard items down.

From abroad, the problem is the method. Japanese rental guides describe initial costs as being paid in cash on the contract day for domestic renters, which doesn't work for someone overseas. Ask the agent how a foreign renter pays, whether by international transfer, card or a Japanese-side payment arranged by the agency.

Two rules keep you safe.

• Pay only to the agent's or management company's named account, confirmed by a phone call or a message in a channel you already trust.
• Before the contract is signed, you can normally cancel with no penalty and get your application deposit back, according to Japanese rental guides. After signing, cancellation is treated like moving out, and a penalty of a month's rent can apply.

The risk sits in the gap between "I've paid" and "I've signed". If someone asks for a transfer before showing you any contract, walk away.

The order of events should always be: documents, screening, explanation of important matters, contract, payment, keys.

Getting the Keys and the First 14 Days in Japan

Landing is where the paperwork catches up with you.

The keys usually come on or after the rent start date, and the rest of the checklist lands in the first two weeks. You need to register your address within 14 days, and the municipal office is where your resident record starts. Our guide to how to register or change your address in Japan walks through it.

At move-in, check the room with the agent and photograph anything that already looks worn. The MLIT guide recommends a joint check with dated photos so restoration charges aren't argued at move-out.

Utilities are often off until you call. One guide for international students says electricity, gas and water are basically stopped on move-in day, and some companies let you arrange the start before you arrive. Start those calls a week before landing.

The first fortnight is paperwork, and it goes faster when you've already done the thinking.

What Japanese Sources Say That Expat Guides Skip

The Japanese and English-language accounts describe the same process but worry about different things.

English-language advice for foreigners tends to ask whether you'll be accepted: which documents, which visa, which agent. It treats the move-in date as a detail to settle at the end. Japanese rental guides do the opposite. They take acceptance for granted and spend their words on when rent starts, who pays during the gap and how long a landlord will wait.

That's why the phrase 二重家賃 (double rent) is everywhere in Japanese guides and almost absent from English ones. A Japanese reader is warned that the rent clock starts at the contract date and the old home's notice period, usually one month and sometimes two, runs alongside it. An English-language reader is told to start looking early, which is sensible advice that leaves out what an early start can cost.

There's a second gap. English advice often frames this as a screening hurdle, as if the right paperwork solves it. The government's own documents for agents describe a different problem: landlords who are reluctant, and agents who need to be told that nationality alone isn't a valid reason to refuse.

Both views are right about their half. The paperwork gets you through the screening, and the calendar decides whether you pay for it.

If you read only English-language guides, you'll be good on documents and surprised by the rent clock.

Pros and Cons of Renting in Tokyo Before You Arrive

Renting before you land buys you an address and costs you choice.

The benefits are real. You arrive with a door that is already yours, a place to ship your belongings and an address for the municipal office and your bank. Remote workers, families and anyone starting a job on day one often value that more than any extra choice.

The costs are just as real. You pay rent on a unit you aren't using, you commit without standing in the room, your property pool shrinks and a late flight or visa can strand the deal. Anything you buy in advance, you buy at the price of not being able to change your mind.

That trade is fine when your date is fixed and your documents are ready. It's a poor one when either is loose.

Which Route Fits Which Person

The right route depends on how fixed your arrival date is and how much cushion you have.

Your situation	Best route	Why
Fixed arrival date, documents ready, wants a low rent gap	Route 1	Keeps empty-unit rent to a few weeks if nothing slips
Moving with family or pets, start date fixed, budget for the gap	Route 2	Buys certainty on day one
Visa or start date could move	Route 3	No rent on an unused apartment
First time in Japan, no contacts, no credit history	Route 3	In-person screening has more fallback options
Student with a university housing office	Check the office first	Campus housing may be simpler than any of the three routes
Short assignment, three to six months	Route 3, monthly stay	Monthly rentals avoid the screening problem entirely

If you're unsure, Route 3 is the safe default.

Most people can pick their row in the table in under a minute.

Who Should Not Rent From Abroad

Some people should skip Routes 1 and 2 entirely.

Skip them if your arrival date depends on a visa that hasn't been issued. Skip them if you can't produce income documents or an employer letter before you land. Skip them if you aren't sure you'll stay at least a year, since free-rent deals often come with an early-cancellation penalty.

Skip them too if you'd be paying rent from savings you can't afford to lose. An empty apartment is the one cost that doesn't buy anything.

A hotel for two weeks is a better purchase than an apartment for two months you can't use.

Renting From Abroad vs Share Houses, Monthly Stays and Corporate Housing

There are alternatives to renting a standard lease, and some of them skip the hold problem altogether.

The Three Routes Compared

A table settles most of it.

Route	Documents needed before landing	Rent on an empty unit	Property pool	Main risk
Route 1: six-week plan	Full file on day one	Up to about 3 weeks	Smaller	Delays push you past the hold
Route 2: pay early	Full file on day one	Weeks to months	Smaller	Paying for time you can't use
Route 3: land first	Light before landing, full file in Tokyo	None	Larger	A few weeks of bridge housing

Other options sit outside this table. A monthly or serviced apartment avoids the screening problem for stays of a few months, as our guide to serviced apartments in Tokyo explains. A share house trades privacy for easier entry. Employer-arranged housing, where a company leases the apartment, takes the whole problem out of your hands.

If you have the option of employer or university housing, price it before you start comparing routes.

Practical Advice From E-Housing

The pattern we see in renters who get this right is simple: they decide the route first.

When clients ask us about renting before arrival, we begin with the arrival date and the documents, not the neighborhood. If the date is fixed and the file is ready, we look at Route 1 properties that accept applicants abroad. If either is uncertain, we recommend Route 3 and set up the bridge stay.

Three habits make any route cheaper.

• Send your documents to the agent before you view anything, so the agent can screen properties for you.
• Put the rent start date in writing before you pay.
• Ask early whether the property accepts applicants who aren't in Japan, since that single question saves the most time.

At E-Housing, we work with foreigners, expat families, international students and working professionals across greater Tokyo every day, so we know which management companies will talk to an applicant abroad and which won't. If you tell us your landing date, we can tell you which route is realistic before you spend anything.

Ask us before you pay, not after.

Final Verdict: Should You Rent in Tokyo From Abroad?

For most people, no: land first, then sign.

Routes 1 and 2 are genuine options for people with a fixed date, a ready file and the budget for a gap. For everyone else, the cost of an empty apartment and the smaller property pool outweigh the comfort of arriving to a key.

What the Japanese sources add to the English advice is a calendar. The question isn't whether you can be approved; it's how many weeks of rent you'll pay before you arrive. Work that number out first, and the right route usually picks itself.

FAQ: Renting in Tokyo From Abroad

Can foreigners rent apartments in Japan?

Yes. There's no law against it, and the 2021 MLIT guide says refusing an applicant solely for being a foreign national may be unfair discrimination. In practice, individual landlords still decline some applicants, so expect fewer options than a Japanese renter would have.

Can I rent an apartment in Japan from abroad?

Yes, with some properties. Some landlords and management companies accept applicants who are still overseas, and others don't. Ask the agent which category a property falls into before you apply.

How do I rent an apartment in Japan as a foreigner?

You apply through an agent, pass screening by the management company and the rent guarantee company, receive the explanation of important matters, sign, pay the initial costs and collect the keys. Most foreign applicants use a rent guarantee company instead of a personal guarantor.

How far in advance can I rent an apartment in Tokyo?

For a ready unit, about 2 weeks. With the landlord's agreement, 3 to 4 weeks is described as the practical limit, and a start date more than a month away is rare. Units being vacated or renovated can start one to three months out.

Can you hold an apartment in Tokyo until you arrive?

Not for free. Japanese rental guides say there's no reservation system, and the University of Tokyo housing office says you can't reserve a room without paying. Paying rent from an early start date is the usual way to secure one.

Can I rent an apartment in Japan without a visa?

Generally no. Short-stay visitors on a tourist status can't sign a lease. You need a residence status that allows you to live in Japan, and some management companies expect to see a visa or certificate of eligibility first.

How long does rental screening take in Japan?

Japanese rental guides say 3 to 7 days is typical and 10 to 14 days can happen. Plan for the longer figure if you're applying from abroad.

What do I need to rent an apartment in Japan?

A passport, residence details, an employment or enrollment certificate, proof of income and an emergency contact, plus a guarantor or a guarantee company. Your agent will give you the exact list for each property.

Do you need a Japanese credit history to rent an apartment in Japan?

No, but you'll need an alternative. Many management companies accept a rent guarantee company in place of a credit record, and some schemes count home-country credit data. See our guide to renting without Japanese credit history for how that works.

Can I sign a lease online in Japan?

Often, yes. Online explanation of important matters has been allowed for rentals since October 2017, and electronic delivery of lease documents is legal with the other party's consent. Each management company decides whether it uses these tools.

What is double rent in Japan?

It's rent you pay on a new home while you're still paying for the old one. For someone arriving from abroad, it works out as rent on an apartment you haven't moved into yet.

Can you rent an apartment in Japan for three months?

Yes, but not through a standard lease. A standard lease is built for a multi-year stay. For three months, a monthly or serviced apartment is the common route, and it avoids most of the screening hurdles.

Where should I stay before I rent an apartment in Japan?

A monthly apartment, serviced apartment, share house or hotel. Our guide to where to stay in Tokyo for one, three or six months compares them.

Is it cheaper to rent in Tokyo from abroad or after arriving?

Usually after arriving. Renting before you land means paying rent on a unit you aren't using, while a short bridge stay often costs less than a few weeks of empty-apartment rent.

What should I do if my flight is delayed after I've signed?

Tell the agent and the management company at once, in writing. Rent on the contract start date generally still applies, so ask early whether the key handover or start date can move.