Buy or Rent? Homes in Japan

From a young age, we all have dreams of where our lives will go – what jobs we’ll have, who we’ll marry and, perhaps most importantly, where we’ll live. What do our dream houses look like? These are the things we think about.

Many of us believe that to really make our house our home, we must own them – because owning something makes it ours! Therefore, many of us grow up thinking that we should eventually own a house.

However, there are some drawbacks to owning a house, and many more positive reasons to rent in Japan. With rent in Japan, you don’t need to worry about paying a mortgage, nor pay for costly repairs (If you have a nice and friendly landlord!) There are so many other reasons to rent in Japan – and so, let’s dive into the argument of Chintai vs. Bunjou!

Chintai vs. Bunjou

For our foreign readers, “Chintai” is a term used to describe apartments available to rent in Japan. “Bunjou”, however, refers to apartments and houses that are up for sale – meaning you can buy them.
Buying a house and getting a mortgage is the most conventional route for people in Japan – it’s a tradition to buy a home and many people see it as a good investment. Japan does have some of the lowest mortgage rates in the world, and that’s definitely a positive thing, but buying a house can also be very risky.

For example, old Japanese homes are becoming popular for young people and foreign people to buy, this is because they are going very cheap with a very low mortgage, much lower than the average rent in Japan.  But there is a reason that these old houses are so cheap!

Cheap Mortgages vs. Safety

Old houses in Japan can be unsafe, especially when it comes to earthquake protection. They are often made out of wood and their structures are not up to date with health and safety, especially with earthquake protection. They might have a cheap mortgage, and this might be cheaper than the average rent in Japan, but is an unsafe home really worth saving money? 

Even with a cheap mortgage, it might not be worth buying an unsafe house and putting your family in potential danger. It might be safer to rent in Japan, especially with modern homes which are far safer than old Japanese homes and resilient to things like earthquakes. When renting in Japan, there is a bonus of renting with renowned apartment rental agencies – agencies full of people there to help you.

Apartment Rental Contracts Protect You

Furthermore, the apartment rental contract has many clauses to protect you – meaning you won’t have to pay the bill if your old Japanese home falls down! Apartments rental agencies and their friendly staff are also there to assist you – if you have any problems with your apartment for rent in Japan, the rental agencies can help!

Rent in Japan and you won’t be on your own when it comes to housing trouble, however, homeowners might have to sort out any home problems on their own. This makes rent in Japan far easier when it comes to sorting out issues in the apartment. Having a trusted apartment rental agency like Village House working on your behalf really is a great thing. If you are interested in learning more about our rental opportunities, be sure to visit our site!

Rent in Japan is Flexible

Mortgages might be low in Japan compared to other countries, but having a mortgage also ties the homeowner down. Once you own a house or apartment it is very difficult to move.

There are many contracts and mortgage payments that you have to sign up for – plus there are a number of upfront costs. You will have to pay the broker fee – the average broker rate is 3.24% – this might not sound like a lot, but it soon adds up when you’re paying for a house! 

Bills, Bills, Bills!

Homebuyers will also have to pay registration tax, a judicial scrivener fee, stamp duty, acquisition tax, and annual possession tax. All of these payments add up and will be much more than the average rent in Japan.

Transactional costs often add up to around 7% of the house’s value – and there’s normally no way to avoid this or negotiate, especially in such a competitive buying market.

Homeowner bills make it difficult to move on and find a new house. However, rent in Japan, and you do not have these worries. Check your apartment rental contract, but normally, as long as you give enough notice, you are free to move out and rent anywhere in the country! 

Rent with Village House

Our apartment rental agency, Village House, focuses on reducing upfront costs as much as possible. By not having key money renters will be able to save more money, much more than they would after buying a house. Renting apartments is great for a number of reasons, but reducing costs is the number one factor to rent in Japan. Village House is here to help with all of your housing needs.

Use Village House to begin your search for a home – today.