What is Key Money? When renting a Japanese apartment, many foreigners are surprised at the number of fees that you have to pay before moving in. For example, before you move in you may have to pay for agency fees, signing-on fees, renewal fees, maintenance fees, cleaning fees, guarantor fees – the list goes on! One common fee is 礼金, ‘reikin’, or ‘key money.’ But, what is key money? …







