· Updated
By the HalfKey team
Who approves changes to your Tokyo apartment booking?
The person answering your booking email may need someone else's approval for a change. Ask which rule applies, who can decide and when you'll have an answer, so you can keep a workable alternative while the request is reviewed.
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If a company says “the building won’t allow it,” ask which rule applies and who can say yes or no to your request. They may be able to offer another option.
The roles can be combined or separate
The owner, a company renting the home from the owner, the booking team and the association of owners in the building can have different responsibilities. One company may handle several of these jobs, or your booking may involve several companies.
Start with the agreement. Who is renting the home to you? Who takes payment? Who handles building maintenance? If the company rents the apartment from its owner and then rents it to you, landlord consent matters. A request to change your stay may also depend on the lease or building rules. Ask the booking team which restriction applies.
A company named on an elevator maintenance notice may only look after the elevator. Ask the company you booked with who handles your request, rather than calling a number you happen to find in the lobby.
The landlord and building association answer different questions
In a condominium building, where apartments can have different owners, permission from your landlord is separate from the rules shared by all the owners. Japan Tourism Agency's minpaku filing guidance, for example, requires evidence of a landlord's consent when a tenant applies to run paid short stays. Applicants must also submit the building's shared rules. If the rules do not address paid short stays, applicants must provide evidence that the owners' association does not intend to ban them.
The rental company should establish which permissions its business needs. For your booking, ask it to confirm whether the apartment can accept your requested dates, occupants or other change. If it needs someone else's approval first, ask when it expects an answer.
Different requests need different answers
For an extra night, the company needs to check whether the apartment is free, whether it can change your agreement and what to charge. For an additional occupant, the company also needs to consider how many people may stay and guest rules. For a pet or smoking request, the unit or building policy may rule it out entirely.
The company may be unable to make an exception. If you're travelling with a pet, ask which available homes accept pets so you can keep looking while you wait for an answer.
Minimum stay and occupancy need careful handling
The company may set a minimum stay for the kind of rental it offers. That doesn’t mean every stay under thirty nights is illegal. The 2018 national guidance on short-term rental listings uses one month as a starting point when considering whether a rental needs a lodging licence. It also considers how the property is run and who is responsible for keeping it clean. A local authority may already use a different stay length for that decision and continue to use it.
If your dates fall below a stated minimum, ask what can lawfully be booked and what the full charge would be. Make sure the contract describes the dates and type of stay you actually plan to book.
If you want a visitor or another person to stay, say who they are and which nights they’ll be there. Adding a name to the booking doesn’t make a visitor ban go away. If the company agrees, ask whether it needs to change the guest list or agreement and whether there’s an extra charge. See the pre-booking email guide for the other terms worth settling together.
Make the request easy to answer
A short, specific message gives the team enough information to check:
I'd like to change [current arrangement] to [requested dates/occupants/other detail]. Is the restriction part of my agreement, the building rules or your booking policy? If approval is possible, please confirm who will review it, any extra cost and when I should expect a decision. I need a confirmed plan by [date].
If you booked through a platform, keep the decision in its messages as well as in any separate email.
Keep a fallback while approval is pending
Imagine you need nine more nights after a fixed-term stay. The calendar appears open, but the team says an extension requires review. Ask whether those dates are being held during the review. If not, price another home while waiting.
For example, staying could cost ¥60,000, while another home costs ¥55,000 plus ¥10,000 for moving and luggage. With those invented prices, staying would cost ¥5,000 less and save you a move. But you still need the company to confirm the extra nights before you can rely on them.
Once the company agrees, ask for the new agreement and payment deadline. If it says no, ask what other homes or dates it can offer.
Get the confirmed apartment, dates, guest list and price in writing, and save them with your agreement. If approval is still pending when you need to decide, make sure your fallback is available and check what changing the original booking would cost.