No-guarantor Tokyo apartments: what to check

If a Tokyo apartment advertises “no guarantor,” check whether it still requires a guarantee company. A guarantor agrees to cover unpaid rent; that can be someone you know or a company offering a paid guarantee service.

Once that is clear, get the document list and payment schedule. You'll know whether you can apply and how much money you need upfront.

An emergency contact is a separate role. Before naming a friend, find out whether the form only asks for someone to call or includes a promise to pay your debts. Give the person the actual wording so they can understand what they're agreeing to.

Start with the application you can complete

There are several routes worth comparing. With company housing, your employer may sign the lease. UR rental housing has its own eligibility rules. A conventional private rental may require a guarantee-company application even when no individual guarantor is needed.

Get the requirements for the apartment you want. If you’re arriving from abroad or don’t have a Japanese employer, ask whether you can apply with other documents.

Oakhouse's apartment page, for example, explicitly advertises no guarantor and stays from one month. Check the room's other fees and application requirements before applying.

Check UR's income and savings requirements

Check UR's application requirements to see whether you meet its income or savings rules before gathering your documents. Its standard monthly-income table differs for single applicants and households, and some applicants can use savings or a prepayment arrangement instead.

For a single applicant, the current table sets a ¥250,000 monthly-income threshold where rent is at least ¥62,500 and below ¥200,000. At ¥200,000 rent and above, the threshold shown is ¥400,000. Below ¥62,500, the table uses four times the rent. Check the current table to see which income UR will count and whether an exception applies to you. You still need to meet its other requirements.

The savings route uses savings of at least 100 times the monthly rent in the applicant's name. At a hypothetical ¥120,000 rent, that means ¥12 million in qualifying savings. It is not the same as paying a ¥12 million deposit: it's an eligibility test, and UR specifies what counts toward it.

UR also offers an arrangement where you pay rent in advance without having to meet the income requirement. It has its own terms, including restrictions on ending it early. You still need to meet the other application requirements. If you want a three-month stay, check the minimum period you must pay for and what happens to any prepaid rent if you leave after those three months.

Foreign applicants should check which immigration statuses UR accepts on the same page. UR may ask for a resident record, the official record of your address and household. Before requesting a copy, ask which details it must show and what other documents you need.

Read the guarantee company's own terms

If a private rental requires a 保証会社 (hoshō-gaisha, guarantee company), ask which company it uses, which documents you must submit, what you pay when signing up and whether there are later charges. Request the guarantee agreement as well as the lease. If the company pays rent you owe, you may still have to repay it. Read the agreement's repayment terms before signing.

MLIT maintains a rent-guarantee business registration scheme. The ministry says companies can choose whether to register, so a company isn't necessarily breaking the law if it isn't listed.

For a short stay, check both the initial guarantee fee and any repeat charges. Ask which charges apply to your exact dates and whether any fee is refunded if the lease ends early. Our 60-day guarantor guide covers that comparison.

If your employer can arrange housing

Ask HR whether it offers company housing, can sign a lease, or simply reimburses a personal booking. Get the answer before assuming a company letter replaces a guarantor. Also check who pays setup charges and what happens if the assignment ends early.

If your employer reimburses you, you may still be responsible for paying the landlord under your lease. If your employer signs the lease, check who can live in the apartment and which payments or other responsibilities remain yours.

Compare three months and eighteen months

Here is an illustration using invented prices, not a market estimate. Suppose an unfurnished home costs ¥120,000 a month plus ¥300,000 in non-refundable setup charges. A furnished alternative costs ¥180,000 a month plus ¥65,000 in mandatory one-off charges.

The initial-fee difference is ¥235,000 and the rent difference is ¥60,000 each month. With these prices, the lower monthly rent makes up for the higher setup charges after about 3.9 months. Add the cost of furniture, utilities and moving out to each quote, along with any charges for extending the lease or ending it early. Those costs can change which home is cheaper for your stay. A deposit returned in full won't increase the final cost, but you'll still need enough money to pay it upfront.

Use the quotes for apartments you can apply for, including any required guarantee-company fees.