Renting an Apartment in Tokyo on Your Visa: What Landlords and Guarantor Companies Accept

Last reviewed 3 Nov 2026 · 28 min read

You can rent an apartment in Japan on almost any long-stay visa. What changes from one visa to the next is how hard the screening is, who has to say yes, and how much paperwork you carry in.

This guide is for people who want to live in Tokyo and need to know where their particular visa stands. We wrote it from what our rent team sees in real applications, checked against Japanese government sources and Japanese property-industry guidance, not from the English-language rumor mill.

If you're researching renting an apartment in Japan before you've landed, read the overseas section first. If you're already here and a landlord has said no, the section on how screening works will tell you why.

At a Glance

Question	Can I rent in Tokyo on my visa?
Short answer	Usually yes, but the route depends on the visa
Easiest routes	Work visas with a stable employer, many student visas
Harder routes	New business manager visas, digital nomad status, freelancers with no Japanese income yet
Who decides	The property management company or landlord, not you
Guarantor company	Almost always required; the landlord picks it
Best for	New arrivals and visa holders planning a Tokyo lease
Not ideal for	Anyone hoping to rent a standard two-year lease on a tourist stay

Can You Rent an Apartment in Japan on Your Visa?

Yes in most cases, and the real question is which door your visa opens.

A standard two-year lease is open to anyone with a residence card, stable income and a guarantor arrangement that the landlord accepts. Visas that come without a residence card, or that carry no Japanese income yet, push you toward other routes: a company-signed lease, a monthly contract or a landlord who has accepted your profile before.

As of the end of 2025, Japan had 3,858,499 mid- to long-term residents, according to the Immigration Services Agency (ISA). Those are the people landlords are used to screening. These ISA pages are published in Japanese, and we've translated the figures.

The biggest groups are 947,125 permanent residents, 475,790 holders of the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status, 464,784 students, 456,618 technical intern trainees and 390,296 specified skilled workers. That mix is why Tokyo property managers have a routine for work and study visas and a more cautious reflex for everything else.

Your visa decides which routine you get.

Why Your Visa Matters More Than Your Passport

Japanese property-industry guidance written for landlords tells them to judge a foreign applicant on residence status, length of stay, employer or school, and income. Nationality is not meant to be the test.

That's the official-sounding position, and it matches what we see on the ground. When one of our agents reads your application, the questions are about your visa, how long it runs, who pays you and how much.

Foreign residents tell a different story. Our own guide on why rental applications get rejected as a foreigner cites a 2016 Ministry of Justice-commissioned survey in which roughly four in ten foreign residents said they'd been turned away because they were foreign. We haven't re-checked that survey against the original for this post, so treat it as the figure our earlier article reported.

Both pictures are true. Property managers describe a screen based on paperwork, and some individual owners still say no to foreigners as a category, which is why an agent who knows which buildings will say yes saves you weeks.

Your visa is what the screen reads, and the owner's attitude is what it can't see.

What Japanese Sources Say and What Expats Say

The two pictures of rental screening disagree, and the gap is useful.

Japanese property-industry guidance written for landlords describes a checklist. It points to residence status, remaining period of stay, employer or school and income, and it tells managers to write the criteria down so staff apply them consistently. It also notes that the usual friction after move-in comes from garbage rules, noise and the condition of the apartment at move-out.

Expat accounts describe the same process as a door that opens or closes without explanation. People talk about a refusal that arrived with no reason, or a "no foreigners" listing that was never going to consider them. Both views are accurate. The checklist is real, and so is the owner who won't read it.

What this means for you is practical. The part you control is the checklist: the documents, the income ratio and the habits. The part you don't control is the owner's attitude, which is why working with an agent who already knows which buildings say yes is worth more than polishing your application a fifth time.

Control the checklist, and let an agent handle the owner.

How Rental Screening Works in Japan

There are two screenings, and you have to pass both.

First, the guarantor company reviews you. Then the landlord or the property management company reviews you. A no from either ends the application.

Most Tokyo leases require a guarantee. The traditional version is a personal joint guarantor, usually a relative with stable income who lives in Japan, and a new arrival rarely has one. In practice almost every foreign tenant uses a guarantor company instead.

The tenant does not choose that company. The management company or landlord names it, and you apply to it as part of the lease application.

Here's the part nobody tells you in advance: the guarantor company will probably phone you. Screening is often a short phone check, sometimes in Japanese, sometimes with an English or multilingual line. If you miss the call and don't return it the same day, your application can stall for days.

Answer the phone and call back fast, because that single step decides more applications than people expect.

If you want the full logic behind why this system exists and what it costs, our practical guide to guarantor companies in Japan walks through it step by step.

What Landlords Actually Check

Landlords are managing risk, and four things carry most of the weight.

Your residence status and how long it runs. A residence card shows your status and its expiry date. Property managers read the expiry date against the lease term, so a visa with six months left looks different from one with three years.

Who pays you. An employer, a school, a family member or your own company. Salaried staff at an established firm are the easiest profile. Freelancers, contract workers and the newly self-employed get more questions.

How much you earn compared with the rent. In our experience agents work to a rule of thumb: rent around 30% of take-home pay, and annual income of about 36 times the monthly rent. For ¥120,000 a month, that's ¥4,320,000 a year. Treat it as a guide rather than a fixed threshold, because each management company sets its own line.

Whether you'll live there the way the building expects. Japanese guidance for landlords names the same three post-move-in problems again and again: garbage sorting, noise and the condition of the apartment when you leave. These are habits rather than nationality, and a landlord who sees you understand them relaxes.

Everything else on the application supports one of those four questions.

Documents You'll Be Asked For

Prepare the paperwork before you view, because the guarantor company can't start without it.

The standard set for a resident already in Japan is a passport, a residence card, an employment or enrollment certificate, and proof of income such as payslips or a withholding tax slip. If you haven't started work, an employment contract or offer letter can stand in. Students are often asked for a parent's income proof.

If you're applying from overseas, the usual set is different. Agents ask for the Certificate of Eligibility (COE), proof of income, ID and an employment certificate. Some landlords will run that screening before you land. Others insist on an in-person viewing first.

If your activities go beyond your status, such as part-time work on a student visa, expect to show your permission for activities outside status as well.

Gather the originals and a clean scan of each, and have them ready before you contact an agent.

Guarantor Companies and Visa Types

Guarantor companies fall into three broad types, and the type explains most of what you'll experience.

Credit-based companies run a credit check and are, in our experience, the strictest. Independent companies mostly screen by phone and tend to pass more applicants. Foreign-friendly companies specialize in non-Japanese tenants and are set up to accept a wide range of visa types.

Student visas pass with most independent companies. Work visas and business manager visas have fewer options, which is why the building you choose matters as much as the application you write.

This is also where an agent earns the fee. We know which guarantor companies accept which visa types, and we check before you apply, so you don't lose a week on an application that was never going to pass.

We don't publish company-by-company pass rates. They shift by property and by owner, and a list would give you false certainty.

Pick the building after you know which type of company will screen you.

Renting on a Work Visa

A work visa with a stable employer is the easiest profile in the system.

Most salaried professionals in Tokyo arrive on the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services status or a similar category. Landlords see an employer, a payslip and a residence card, and the application moves.

The weak spots are specific. A first-time permit is often granted for one year rather than three or five, and some managers hesitate when the remaining period is short. A job change, a contract that hasn't started, or a probation period can also slow things down.

If you're between jobs, our guide to what happens to your visa and rent if you lose your job in Japan covers the risk from the other side.

If you're new, say so plainly on the application and attach the offer letter.

Renting on a Student Visa

Students are screened more on who pays than on what they earn.

Many guarantor companies have a standard path for students, and most independent companies will pass them. What the screener wants is proof of enrollment, a source of funds, and often a parent or sponsor who stands behind the rent.

The part-time work limit makes income a weak signal, so expect questions about family support. A parent's income certificate is the most common supporting document.

Compact, lower-rent buildings tend to be the realistic target, because the rent has to look reasonable against a student's funds. Our guide for students renting in Japan covers budgets and building types in more detail.

A student with complete documents and a realistic rent usually clears screening.

Renting on a Working Holiday or Designated Activities Visa

These visas are short, and screeners notice.

Working holiday makers and many Designated Activities holders have a limited period of stay, so the conversation is about whether the lease term fits. Some landlords won't offer a two-year contract to someone with a one-year visa.

In practice you need a landlord and a guarantor company that already accept this profile. That narrows your choice of buildings, but it doesn't close the door.

For the visa side, our guide to the working holiday in Japan explains how long you can stay and what work you can do.

If your stay is only a few months, a monthly or short-term contract is usually easier than fighting a standard lease.

Renting on the Digital Nomad Visa

The digital nomad status is the one that most often breaks the standard route, because it comes without a residence card.

The ISA's page on the Designated Activities status for international remote workers sets out the terms. You can stay for six months and the status can't be extended. Your individual annual income must be at least ¥10,000,000 at the time of application. You need private medical insurance with at least ¥10,000,000 of treatment cover. And the page states that a residence card is not issued.

Japan's own count of residents reflects this, since the ISA's guidance on residence cards (PDF) lists digital nomads and their spouses and children among the people who are not treated as mid- to long-term residents. That's why you won't find yourself in the 3.86 million figure earlier in this guide.

For a landlord, that's the problem. There's no residence card to read, the period of stay is fixed at half a year, and the usual guarantor-company screening was designed around people who have one.

In practice digital nomad visa holders end up with one of two arrangements. Either a company signs the lease, or you take a short-term or monthly stay. Neither is a failure. A six-month stay doesn't fit a two-year contract in the first place.

If you're planning this route, our digital nomad visa guide covers the visa itself, and the monthly-lease section below covers where you'll probably live.

Plan for a furnished monthly or short-term place, and treat a standard lease as the exception.

Renting on the J-Find Job-Hunting Visa

J-Find holders have savings and a plan, but not yet a payslip.

The ISA's page on the Future Creation Talent status describes a Designated Activities status that allows up to two years in Japan for job hunting or startup preparation. To qualify you must have graduated from a university ranked in the top 100 of at least two of three world rankings, have received your degree within the past five years, and hold at least ¥200,000 in savings at the time of application.

That is a thin financial bar for an immigration status and a thinner one for a landlord. Screeners want proof of income, and a J-Find holder by definition has none from a Japanese employer yet.

What works, according to our agents, is a solid showing of funds plus evidence that you're actively job hunting: interview schedules, applications, recruiter contact. A shorter stay or a monthly contract bridges the gap until you have an employer's name to put on the form.

Once you land a job and your status changes, you're a normal work-visa applicant again, and the next move is much easier.

Treat your first home as a bridge, and plan the standard lease for after your first payslip.

Renting on a Business Manager or Startup Visa

This is the profile that fails most often, and the reason is structural rather than personal.

A new company has no Japanese revenue, no payslip and no tax history. Savings alone don't satisfy the large management companies, and our agents see business manager applicants turned down at those firms even when the bank balance is healthy.

The visa itself has also become harder to get. Capital for the business manager status has gone up from ¥5 million to ¥30 million, a change that took effect in October 2025. Our guide to the new rules for Japan's business manager visa lays out the requirements. If you're weighing the alternatives, the expanded startup visa is the other entry route.

So what works? Specific landlords who've accepted this profile before, and guarantor companies that handle it. Some guarantor companies take startup visa holders on the strength of the Certificate of Eligibility, and an agent who knows which ones can tell you before you apply.

Renting in the company's name is the other route, once the company exists and has a bank account and a track record.

Don't spend your first fortnight applying to large managers who will say no, because a targeted shortlist from an agent who knows the market is worth far more.

Renting as a Spouse, Dependent or Permanent Resident

These are the lowest-friction profiles after a salaried work visa.

Permanent residents are the single largest group among foreign residents in Japan, at 947,125 at the end of 2025, and in our experience landlords treat them closest to Japanese applicants. A spouse of a Japanese national or a long-term resident is similar.

In our experience dependents are screened on the household. If one partner earns and the other holds a dependent visa, the earner's income and employer are what the screener reads.

The practical risk here is a mismatch between names on the lease and names on the income documents. Sort out who signs and who is the income earner before you apply.

For most people on these statuses, screening is routine.

Renting With a SOFA or Embassy Status

US military and embassy personnel sit in a separate system.

Our agents report that SOFA and embassy staff have their own contract rules. Housing arrangements, who pays and how the deposit works can differ from a standard lease.

Don't assume the standard terms apply to you. Ask your housing office or your agent which contract format your situation calls for before you pay anything.

If you're not sure which category you're in, ask before you sign.

Renting From Overseas Before You Arrive

Applying before you land is possible, but it depends on the landlord.

Some landlords run an overseas screening. The documents our agents ask for are your Certificate of Eligibility (COE), proof of income, ID and an employment certificate. Others require an in-person viewing before they'll process anything.

Properties that insist on a personal Japanese joint guarantor are usually out of reach for a new arrival. Skip those and filter for buildings that accept a guarantor company.

Video viewings help, but a landlord who wants to meet you will say so. Ask early rather than assuming, and you won't lose a fortnight.

If you can't land before the lease must start, a short-term or monthly furnished stay gives you a base while you view in person.

Overseas applications work best when the agent has already confirmed the building will accept your profile.

Do You Have a Residence Card Yet?

Whether you hold a card changes the whole conversation.

Most people who come to live in Japan on a long-stay status are issued a residence card, often at the airport on arrival. The ISA's guidance explains that people with a stay of three months or less, short-term visitors, diplomatic status holders, digital nomads and their families, special permanent residents and people with no status aren't treated as mid- to long-term residents.

Without a card, many landlords and guarantor companies won't start the screening, because there is no document showing your status and expiry date. That's the practical reason short-stay visas don't fit a standard lease.

If you hold a card but your visa runs out soon, expect the screener to ask about renewal. Shorter remaining periods raise questions, and renewal timing is something agents plan around.

Ask what your landlord needs to see, and confirm it before you pay an application fee.

Matching Your Lease to Your Visa

A lease and a visa run on different clocks, and landlords notice when they don't line up.

If your visa has two years left, a two-year lease fits. If it has eight months left, a landlord may ask how you'll handle renewal, and some will offer a shorter contract or decline. A fixed-term visa renewal is your responsibility, so keep the dates in your calendar.

Renewal timing is a useful thing to raise yourself. Telling the agent that your renewal application will be filed on a particular date and that your employer supports it shows you've thought about it, and it answers the question before it's asked.

If your status changes mid-lease, for example from student to work visa, tell your landlord and agent early. A change of status is routine for immigration, and a surprise is what unsettles a management company.

Line up the lease length with the visa length wherever you can.

Checks That Catch Residents Out

If you already live in Japan, your own record can sink an application.

Our agents report that renters already living here are increasingly checked for unpaid national health insurance or employee social insurance. This is an agents' observation from real applications, not a published rule. If you've fallen behind, clear it before you apply.

Past rent problems matter too. Japanese-language discussions of rental screening failures describe applications refused because of earlier payment records with a guarantor company, debt arrangements, or income too low for the rent. These are forum accounts, which tell you what people fear rather than how often it happens, but the pattern is consistent with what we see.

Foreign residents rarely hear about these checks in English. Japanese applicants do, and they plan for them.

Fix the record before you apply, because a refusal can follow you to the next building.

What the Guarantor Company Phone Call Is Like

The phone screening is shorter and less frightening than people expect.

The caller confirms the basics: your name, your employer or school, your visa and your income, and that you really intend to live in the apartment. Some companies offer English or other languages, and others work in Japanese only. Ask your agent which applies before the call comes.

Answer from a quiet place with your documents in front of you. If the caller's Japanese is too fast, say so politely and ask them to repeat, or ask your agent to join the call. Mismatches between what you say and what your documents show are the real danger, so don't guess a figure.

If you miss the call, call back the same day. A number that rings out for two days can look like a tenant who isn't serious.

Treat the call as part of the application, because it is.

Monthly and Company-Signed Leases: When the Standard Route Doesn't Fit

A standard lease isn't the only way to live in Tokyo, and for some visas it isn't the right one.

A monthly or short-term contract fits a six-month digital nomad stay, a J-Find bridge or a few weeks of viewing time. You pay more per month, and in exchange you skip most of the screening and the heavy move-in costs.

A company-signed lease fits employees whose employer is willing to hold the contract. The company becomes the tenant, and your visa is less of an obstacle.

Each route trades cost for access, and the right one depends on how long you'll stay and what your income looks like.

Comparing Your Options

Here's how the main routes compare for someone whose visa doesn't fit the standard path.

Route	Best For	Screening	Typical Weakness
Standard lease with guarantor company	Work, student and spouse visas	Guarantor company plus landlord	Needs a residence card and income history
Company-signed lease	Employees of an established firm	Mostly on the company	Depends on your employer agreeing
Monthly or short-term contract	Digital nomads, bridge stays, overseas arrivals	Light	Higher monthly cost, furnished stock only
Share house	Students and working holiday makers	Light	Less privacy, shared rules
Landlord who accepts your profile	Business manager, startup, J-Find	Agent-led, case by case	Small pool of buildings

Based on E-Housing rent team experience, November 2026. Acceptance varies by property and owner, so confirm with the management company.

The route is a choice you make once, so make it with the length of your stay in mind.

Renting With a Partner or Roommate on a Different Visa

Two applicants on different visas are screened as a pair, and the weaker profile sets the pace.

If one of you holds a salaried work visa and the other is a student or a dependent, the usual approach is to put the earner on the lease as the main tenant. The other person is listed as an occupant. Check this with your agent, because rules on who may sign differ between management companies.

Two non-earners sharing a flat is the hardest combination. The screener has no income to read, so expect to show funds, a sponsor or an employer's support for at least one of you.

Whatever you agree, make sure everyone living in the apartment is named on the contract. Japanese guidance for landlords lists extra, unregistered occupants as a recurring problem, and it can put the whole lease at risk.

Put every resident on the paperwork from day one.

What It Costs to Get Approved

Screening costs money, and most of it goes to the guarantor company.

Our guide to why applications get rejected reports that guarantor companies usually charge an initial fee of 0.5 to 1 month's rent, plus renewal fees. For ¥120,000 a month, that's ¥60,000 to ¥120,000 at the start. Short stays of three to six months may not need one.

On top of that sit the usual move-in costs: deposit, key money, agency fee, fire insurance and the first month's rent. Those vary by building, and some landlords charge none of the deposit or key money. We list them per property rather than quoting averages that would mislead you.

If you have no Japanese credit history, our guide to renting in Japan with no credit history explains what to offer in its place.

Ask for a full written cost breakdown before you apply, so the number you approve is the number you pay.

If you'd like a cost breakdown for a specific building and visa, tell us your visa type and your move-in date and we'll check which of our listings will accept your profile.

How Early to Start

Start earlier than feels necessary, and use the extra weeks for documents rather than viewings.

For a standard lease we suggest opening the search four to six weeks before you need the keys. That gives you time to collect paperwork, get a read on which buildings suit your visa, and absorb a refusal without losing your move-in date. It's our working rule rather than a legal timeline, and a busy season can stretch it.

If you're arriving from overseas, add time for your Certificate of Eligibility and for any in-person viewing a landlord requires. If your start date is fixed by a job, book a furnished monthly place for the first weeks so the lease doesn't have to be rushed.

A second reason to start early is that a better-qualified profile gets a better building. A payslip, a longer remaining visa and a clean insurance record all improve your odds, and some of them only arrive with time.

Give the search the weeks it needs, and you won't have to buy speed at a premium.

How the Process Works, Step by Step

The sequence is the same for almost everyone, and knowing it keeps you from stalling.

First, tell your agent your visa type, how long it runs and your income. That decides which buildings are worth viewing.

Second, view the apartment, in person or by video, and submit the application with your documents. Third, the guarantor company screens you, often by phone. Fourth, the landlord or management company reviews the application and decides. Fifth, you sign and pay.

An application is not an approval, and it's worth saying twice. Don't cancel other viewings until the landlord has said yes.

Keep the steps moving by answering every call and returning every message the same day.

Mistakes We See Most Often

Most failed applications share a handful of avoidable errors.

The first is applying before you know which guarantor company will screen you. The second is missing the screening call. The third is an income figure that doesn't match your documents, which a screener reads as a red flag even if the difference is innocent. Accuracy matters more than a flattering number.

The fourth is assuming that a friend's experience on a different visa applies to you. A student's route, a salaried engineer's route and a startup founder's route are not the same, and advice from one rarely transfers.

The fifth is leaving the visa expiry unexplained. A status that runs out in a few months deserves a sentence of context on the application.

Most of these cost nothing to avoid.

Pros and Cons of Renting Before You Have a Settled Status

There's a real case for waiting and a real case against it.

What works in your favor:

• Many landlords will accept you on strong paperwork alone, even if your visa is short.
• A monthly or company-signed route lets you start now rather than waiting for an ideal visa.
• An agent who knows the screening can steer you away from applications that would fail.
• Viewing early gives you time to compare neighborhoods before the lease starts.

What works against you:

• Fewer buildings accept short or non-card visas, so you'll see a smaller pool.
• Monthly and short-term options cost more per month.
• A refusal at one company costs you time even if it costs no money.
• Some owners decline foreigners as a category, and no document will change that.

The honest summary is that you get fewer choices and a slower start, in exchange for starting sooner.

Who This Route Works For

It works for people with a clear visa, a documented source of income and a realistic rent.

Salaried employees on a work visa, students with proof of funds and a sponsor, spouses of residents, and permanent residents all fit. So do digital nomads and J-Find holders who accept a monthly or company-signed arrangement for the first stretch.

It works best when you start the search four to six weeks before you need the keys, and when you let an agent check the building before you apply. Tell us your timeline first, and we'll work back from it.

Who May Not Be Happy Here

Some profiles won't find a standard lease no matter how well they apply.

If you're on a tourist stay or a visa of three months or less, a two-year lease is the wrong product. If you're a freelancer with no tax history and no employer, expect a hard search at the big management companies. And if you need a property that requires a personal Japanese joint guarantor, you'll probably have to look elsewhere.

We'd rather say that now than after you've paid an application fee.

If any of those describes you, start with the monthly or company-signed route and revisit the standard lease in a few months.

If Your Application Is Rejected

A refusal is information, and it's rarely the end of the search.

Ask your agent what the reason was. Sometimes it's the guarantor company, sometimes the owner, and sometimes a missing document. Each has a different fix.

If the guarantor company said no, a different building may use a different company. If the owner said no, move on without arguing. If the cause was income, you can sometimes offer extra proof or a larger prepayment, so ask your agent what the building accepts.

Don't apply to six buildings at once and hope. Each failed application can leave a mark with a guarantor company, and a targeted second attempt beats a scattershot one.

Learn the reason, fix the one thing, and choose the next building deliberately.

Practical Advice from E-Housing

Three habits separate smooth applications from stalled ones.

Prepare the documents before you view. Answer the guarantor company's call the same day. Tell your agent everything about your visa, your income and your timeline at the start.

At E-Housing we work with foreigners, expat families, international students and working professionals across greater Tokyo every day. We check which guarantor companies and landlords accept your visa type before you apply, which saves the week most people lose to an application that was never going to pass.

If a landlord has already said no, ask your agent why. The reason is often fixable, and often it's the building rather than you.

Send us your visa type, your income and your move-in date, and we'll tell you honestly which route fits.

Final Verdict: Should You Rent on Your Current Visa?

If you hold a work, student, spouse or permanent resident status, yes. Apply with complete documents, expect a phone call and you'll usually clear it.

If you hold a digital nomad, J-Find, business manager or startup status, yes, but start with a monthly, company-signed or landlord-specific route. You can move to a standard lease once you have an employer or revenue to show.

The one thing that doesn't work is guessing. Renting an apartment in Japan is predictable once you know who's reading what, and our rent team can tell you which route fits before you spend a yen.

FAQ: Renting in Tokyo on Your Visa

Can foreigners rent an apartment in Japan?

Yes. A residence card, stable income and a guarantor arrangement that the landlord accepts are what most Tokyo leases require. Nationality is not the legal test, although some individual owners still refuse foreigners.

Can you rent an apartment in Japan on a tourist visa?

Not a standard lease. A stay of three months or less doesn't come with a residence card, so you're looking at a monthly or short-term furnished rental instead.

Can I rent an apartment in Japan without a visa?

No. You need some lawful status to stay, and a lease without one isn't realistic. If you're not in Japan yet, you can start the screening from overseas with a COE.

What visa do I need to rent an apartment in Tokyo?

Any long-stay status with a residence card, such as a work, student, spouse or permanent resident status. The easier the profile, the more buildings accept it.

Can I rent an apartment in Japan on a student visa?

Yes. Many guarantor companies have a standard path for students. Expect to show enrollment, a source of funds and often a parent's income certificate.

Can I rent an apartment on the digital nomad visa?

It's difficult for a standard lease. The status comes with no residence card and a fixed six-month stay, so most holders use a company-signed lease or a monthly rental.

Can I rent an apartment on a J-Find visa?

Yes, but it takes more care. You'll need proof of funds and evidence that you're job hunting, and a monthly contract often bridges the gap until you have an employer.

Can I rent an apartment on a business manager visa?

It's possible, but screening is harder. New companies have no Japanese revenue, so you need a landlord and guarantor company that accept the profile.

Do I need a guarantor to rent in Japan?

Yes, in most cases. For a foreigner that usually means a guarantor company, which the landlord or management company chooses.

Can I choose my own guarantor company?

No. The property management company or landlord decides which company screens you.

Can I apply for an apartment in Tokyo before I arrive in Japan?

Sometimes. Some landlords screen overseas applicants using a COE, proof of income, ID and an employment certificate. Others want an in-person viewing first.

How long does rental screening take?

It varies by company and building. Answering the guarantor company's call the same day keeps it moving.

What income do I need to rent in Tokyo?

Agents work to roughly 36 times the monthly rent in annual income, with rent near 30% of take-home pay. It's a rule of thumb, and each management company sets its own line.

Can I rent on a working holiday visa?

Yes, with a landlord and guarantor company that accept short-stay profiles. A shorter lease or a monthly contract often fits better.

Will unpaid insurance affect my rental application?

It can. Our agents report that renters already living in Japan are increasingly checked for unpaid national health insurance or social insurance.