What to say at a Japanese flat viewing (内見 / naiken)

The listing is on SUUMO. The person at the shop will walk you through two or three places in one afternoon. You take off your shoes. You do not negotiate like a market stall. You ask what the number on the printout actually means, because 敷金 (shikikin) and 礼金 (reikin) are not the same money.

The Japanese housing phrase page has the short lines for the door. This is the rest: the message that books the 内見 (naiken), the money words that are not “deposit,” and Tokyo’s rule that the agent has to explain restoration in writing — the 賃貸住宅紛争防止条例 (chintai jūtaku funsō bōshi jōrei).

The message that gets you a 内見 (naiken)

A Tokyo ad is a code. 2DK is two rooms plus a dining-kitchen. 管理費 (kanrihi) is the monthly building fee, on top of rent. 敷金 (shikikin) comes back minus cleaning if you are lucky. 礼金 (reikin) does not come back. 更新料 (kōshinryō) is what they charge to keep the same contract. 駅徒歩7分 (eki toho nana-fun) is seven minutes if you walk like the photographer.

A message that works:

はじめまして。SUUMOで[駅]の物件を見ました。まだ空いていますか。今日の午後、内見できますか。[名前]と申します。よろしくお願いします。

Hajimemashite. SUUMO de [eki] no bukken o mimashita. Mada aite imasu ka. Kyō no gogo, naiken dekimasu ka. [Namae] to mōshimasu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

空いていますか？ (aite imasu ka) and 今日の午後、内見できますか？ (kyō no gogo, naiken dekimasu ka) are already on the housing page. Use polite です・ます (desu / masu). The shop will ask when you want to move in and whether you have a 連帯保証人 (rentai hoshōnin) or will pay a guarantee company.

What you actually ask in the flat

They will say どうぞ。 (dōzo) Shoes off. Do not narrate the tatami.

• 光熱費は含まれていますか？ (kōnetsuhi wa fukumarete imasu ka) — Are utilities included?
• 敷金はいくらですか？ (shikikin wa ikura desu ka) — How much is the security deposit?
• 礼金はありますか？ (reikin wa arimasu ka) — Is there key money?
• いつから入れますか？ (itsu kara hairemasu ka) — When can I move in?
• 家具付きですか？ (kagutsuki desu ka) — Is it furnished?
• 管理費は毎月いくらですか？ (kanrihi wa maitsuki ikura desu ka) — How much is the monthly building fee?
• 更新料は何ヶ月分ですか？ (kōshinryō wa nankagetsu-bun desu ka) — How many months’ rent is the renewal fee?
• ペットは可能ですか？ (petto wa kanō desu ka) — Are pets allowed?

お風呂場にカビがあります (ofuroba ni kabi ga arimasu) is already on the housing page. Point, name it, take a photo. Ask about 初期費用 (shoki hiyō) as a total — first month, 敷金 (shikikin), 礼金 (reikin), agency fee, guarantee-company fee, key replacement. The rent on the card is not what you pay to get the keys.

If the building is a シェアハウス (sheahausu), the questions change: how many people, the house rules, and whether you can register at the address for the 転入届 (tennyū todoke).

Money words that are different in Japan

There is no national cap like Germany’s three-month Kaution. 敷金 (shikikin) is defined in the Civil Code as money that comes back after unpaid rent and restoration. 礼金 (reikin) is custom, not a statutory deposit, and it usually does not come back. Tokyo requires the agent to hand you a written explanation of restoration and special clauses before you sign. Read that paper. Ask 原状回復はどこまで借主負担ですか。 (genjō kaifuku wa doko made karinushi futan desu ka)

Other words that show up the day you sign:

• 仲介手数料 (chūkai tesūryō) — the agency fee, often one month plus tax.
• 保証会社 (hoshō gaisha) — the guarantee company. Many landlords will not take a foreigner without one.
• 重要事項説明 (jūyō jikō setsumei) — the formal explanation. Sit through it. Ask them to go slower: もう少しゆっくり言っていただけますか？ (mō sukoshi yukkuri itte itadakemasu ka)
• 契約は一年ですか？ (keiyaku wa ichinen desu ka) — two years is common; the 更新料 (kōshinryō) is the sting.

If you want it: この物件でお願いします。次の手続きを教えてください。 (kono bukken de onegaishimasu. tsugi no tetsuzuki o oshiete kudasai) Do not transfer 手付金 (tetsukekin) to a personal account the shop will not name on paper.

If you do not: ありがとうございました。検討します。 (arigatō gozaimashita. kentō shimasu) You do not owe them a speech about the mould.