What you need to do until you conclude a rental agreement with UR apartment

UR has a clear policy and conditions that enable foreigners to move in apartments that UR possesses, However, it doesn’t provide a language support to help them understand how to apply for an apartment.

90% of its prospective customers are Japanese because not so many staffs can speak English and UR think that a person who knows well about Japanese customs is suitable for a tenant.

UR accepts foreigners in advertisement and contractual documents formally but it is quite exclusive to them in terms of not establishing support center for those who don’t understand Japanese.

So I will explain the process until you conclude a rental contract with the support of your Japanese friend and without using agents to waste your limited budget.

5 obstacles that block your way to rent a UR apartment

It is not always easy for foreigners to rent an apartment in Japan. To rent an apartment, you are required to complete necessary procedures to prepare certificates which UR requests you to submit and open savings account in Japanese bank to correspond with the designated payment method in advance.

It takes you averagely 1 months to 2 months to complete these necessary procedures. So UR apartment cannot be your first apartment when you come to Japan.

Prior to making a contract with UR apartment, the 5 obstacles you have to overcome are

1. Getting residence certificate
2. Making Jitsu-In (registered stamp)
3. Your visa status
4. Opening savings account in Japanese bank
5. Understanding contractual coverage in Japanese

I will explain one by one.

Getting residence certificate

For every one of you who desire to move in UR apartment is required to submit this certificate without exception. Even if you have the similar one corresponding to this certificate in your country, UR will not accept the one but only accept the certificate issued by Japanese municipal office.

According to Residential Basic Book Act, Japanese resident (including foreigners ) need to go through procedures of residence certificate until after 14 days after you move in an apartment or house.

So UR requesting you to submit this certificate at the time you apply for an UR apartment means you should already live in an apartment or shared house at the time.

So it is impossible for any of you who come to Japan without having a valid residence certificate to move in UR apartment as your first Japanese apartment.

Those who come to Japan for the first time may need fristly to start living in an apartment or shared house which doesn’t request you to submit this certificate. And you can apply for residence certificate based on the address of your first apartment at municipal office.

Making JItsu-In (registered stamp)

Jitsu-In is a stamp officially endorsed by municipality. There are so many similar stamps selling in stationary or stamp speciality stores all over Japan. How can you prove the authenticity of a stamp that you have belongs to you although there may be the same name as you?

For this situation, municipality approve that registered stamp belongs to only you and any of documents which is stamped with your Jitsu-In is regarded that you have an strong intention to conclude an agreement, no matter who stamps on documents with your Jitsu-In. So Jitsu-in must be kept under lock and key and must not be stolen.

UR says signing on contractual documents will be allowed as long as you submit a copy of your ID documents such as Japanese driver’s license, insurance card or passport.

However, depending on the UR office, there may be the one stubbornly requesting you to stamp JItsu-In (registered stamp) on contractual documents instead of signing on. So I believe there is no loss in making Jitsu-In (registered stamp) in advance while you live in the present apartment or shared house.

Confirming your visa status

According to the regulation established by UR, you should be a person who is

1. granted permanent stay under Refugee Recognition Act.
2. granted special permanent visa.
3. granted “Diplomat” or “Official”.
4. granted under Immigration Act, paragraph 3 in Article 19.

Most of you who live in Japan corresponds with No.4. Immigration Act, paragraph 3 in Article 19 regulates conditions in regards to mid to long term visa

The term of stay for a person who is granted visa status corresponding to mid-to-long term visa is approximately 1 year to 6 years. Concretely, those who don’t come under the following conditions down below are regarded as Mid to long term visa holder.

• A person who has been granted a period of stay of not more than 3 months.
• A person who has been granted the status of residence of “Temporary Visitor”.
• A person provided for by an Ordinance of the Ministry of Justice as equivalent to a person listed in any of the preceding three items.

Opening your savings account

UR usually requests you to transfer rent into designated bank account. Of course, it also has direct debit payment but it doesn’t prepare credit card payment. Even when you choose either one of payment method, you must have savings account of Japanese bank.

Having a different viewpoint, there is surely a way to transfer from your savings account in your country into designated bank account by direct debit but when you think of costing you lifting charge, remmitance charge and other transaction charges as often as you pay rent, it is not realistic in terms of cost performance.

Firstly, you open savings account in Yucho Bank (Japan Post Bank). This is because if you have a visa status corresponding to mid-to-long term visa, you can start going through procedures of opening savings account on the day you arrive at Japan.

There are many cases where other banks set a condition to open savings account, which is like total length of your stay in Japan at the time you open a bank account needs to be more than 6 months even if you are granted valid visa status which is indicated by a bank.

For that reason, if you want to move in UR apartment as soon as possible, you should choose Japan Post Bank which doesn’t set time constraint as a condition to open savings account.

Understanding contractual coverage in Japanese

Do you think your supportive Japanese friend help you understand what contract says? Maybe for the first time when you conclude a contract, your friend will explain what it says in English but it is quite dangerous that you feel like you understand it by just one explanation in English.

Because understanding perfectly to the fine details in Japanese defends yourself from troubles in apartment. If you get into trouble which is escalated into conflict, how can you convey your justifiable allegation without knowing contract contens in Japanese? It could turn out badly that you accept unfavorable conditions with UR.

Just in case trouble visits you, you should be able to read primary contents of contract in Japanese.

preliminary inspection and primary inspection

You can make a offer of room inspection although you don’t make a reservation of a room. This is called “preliminary inspection”. You can make this request by your phone to UR office directly and inspect the room. However, under the situation where you don’t make a reservation of a room, somebody may reserve this room meanwhile and you may not make a contract.

In contrast, if you inspect a room after making a reservation, you don’t have to worry that somebody will reserve your room. This is called primary inspection. If you make a reservation of a room, you can make monopoly of a room for a certain term and nobody can reserve room which is under your application. However, UR doesn’t receive reservation request from landline so you book online or go directly to UR store

You can cancel room reservation anytime. When you think of it, if you find good apartment online or at UR store, you should book as soon as possible before someone reserve the room.

Preliminary inspection will waste your time.

8 steps you need to do until you move in

1,Search UR apartment

Search a vacant room which you can apply for from the UR website. Only those who can apply for a room from the system of the UR website should have done user registration.

If you can’t do member registration on the UR website because your computer doesn’t install Japanese typing script or you don’t understand Japanese, just ask your Japanese friend to inquire to UR store directly.

2,Make a tentative reservation online (if you completed user registration on the UR website)

If you have done user registration on the UR website, you can make a tentative reservation after filling a necessary information on the reservation form online. If you don’t specify the date of visit for room inspection online, your processing will be invalid in 3 days and start from scratch again.

At the time you make a tentative reservation, you can make a monopoly of the room for about 7 days to 10 days from the day.(This term differs depending on the apartment.) If you don’t inspect room during this term (principally, any of you must inspect room before making a contract.), your reservation will be cancelled.

Those of you who couldn’t do user registration for some reasons need to go directly to a UR store to make a reservation for a room.

By the way, UR doesn’t receive reservation requests from phones.

3,Make a tentative reservation at UR store

Those of you who haven’t done user registration online go directly to UR store to make a tentative reservation for a room. You fill in an application form and select an apartment as getting an advice from UR staff.

You can check a vacant room by making a call to UR office and apartment searching system on the UR website.

You also need to select and inform which UR store you are going to make a contract with because no all the UR store takes charge of contract work.

You need to visit UR store to apply for a room. What you can do online is making a tentative reservation that you notice when you go to UR store and inspect room. If you want to apply for a room (make an actual reservation) on the premise of making a contract, you need directly to go to UR store.

4,Inspect a room

You should inspect room with an attitude to avoid any possible risks before living. It is not rare that you find some problems after concluding a contract.

For example, pigeons settle a balcony and it scatters dungs all around its floor. You should make a list which you need to pay attention to for keeping your tranquility life in apartment and solve any of anxiety factors with UR staff when inspecting.

After inspecting a room, UR confirm your contract intention and require you to submit necessary certificates and documents. If you decide to move in the room, you go visit UR store to make a contract.

5,Submit documents and certificates

• Submit necessary documents and certificates at a UR store or office.
• You may need additional certificate other than certificates and documents required to submit depending on the kind of UR apartment you apply for
• If you miss submitting necessary documents and certificates to a UR store or if UR judge you are not qualified to move in from certificates or documents you submitted, your application will be invalid
• Your submitted certificates or documents will not be returned regardless of whether you are qualified to apply for a room or not.
• 
  All the procedures after submitting certificates and documents is taken charge of by UR store or office. Cancelling your application online will not be allowed.
  

6,Make a contract

• To make a contract, you prepare security deposit (2 months rent), first month rent (on a pro-rate basis), registered hanko, and hanko registration certificate and identification documents
• Sign and stamp in a rental agreement form at a UR store in the presence of UR staff
• If you bring a copy of your identification document such as a Japanese driver’s license, you don’t have to submit hanko registration certificate.

7,Receive a key

You can receive key at apartment management office from the move-in possible date.

8,Move in

You can move in from the move-in possible date, In principale, you need to move in within a month from the date.

4 steps to use UR website for those who don’t understand Japanese

I will explain how to use UR internet reservation system. But I want you to use this website for the purpose of finding a vacancy apartment which you desire to move in.

To book a room from this site, you need to complete user registration but all application form which you need to fill in your personal information is recommended to be written in Japanese. All the blank spaces where you input word on applications accepts only Japanese.

It’s no problem if you understand Japanese perfectly and Japanese script system is installed in your computer and you know how to input Japanese words on the application. However, those who don’t have Japanese speaking ability should use this apartment search system for just finding your apartment and　go directly to UR store to apply for a room .

Put URL into google translate

As I said whole website pages are written in Japanese. The only way that you can solve this problem is asking for google to translate whole Japanese pages into English. However, some places in a page is not translated so I explain those places.

Put “http://sumai.ur-net.go.jp/” in the left blank and click the URL displayed in output area. Then you can see webpages in English.

Understand Japanese regions

Look at the website, except for bottom updatable information, the left column and the center map of Japan are not translated in Japanese. However not translated places are important. Japanese letters written on the map expresses the name of the region integrating prefectures.For example, “首都圏” expresses metropolitan area which covers the cities of Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, Kanagawa.

The small banner on the top left column is a user registration link. Bottom banners are the search system link for your additional condition like whether you need a park lot, you look for brand-new apartment, look for senior friendly apartment.

What you have to focus on is the center map of Japan. You choose one of those regions from the map then apartment list will be displayed. Remember which region covers which prefecture of Japan.

北海道(Hokkaido region)

Hokkaido

首都圏(Metropolitan region)

Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, Kanagawa, Ibaragi

中部 (Chubu region)

Nagoya, Gifu, Mie, Shizuoka

関西 (Kansai region)

Osaka, Kyoto, Shiga, Nara, Wakayama

中国四国Chugoku Shikoku region)/dt>

Okayama, Hiroshima, Kagawa

九州(Kyushu region)

Fukuoka, Yamaguchi, Kumamoto, Kagoshima

This is based on administrative division but the prefectures where apartments don’t exist are omitted from the list.

Try to search an apartment which is located in where you are going to stay in Japan

If you click one those regions on the map…. there you go! English guide popped up.

You can book a room from cities which has a number except for 0 in a round bracket on each right.

Try to find an apartment which meets your conditions. But don’t forget UR apartment is first-come-first-served basis. You may need a sense of speed like you make prompt decision to book a room at the moment you find an attractive apartment apart from whether you make a contract or not.

An apartment that you think is good is attractive for everyone who visit this site. Don’t hesitate but move your butt to room inspection.

Check if you satisfy qualification for application

Please make sure the following conditions if you have qualification for application.

• You are granted a valid visa status indicated by UR →Check this page (There is an explanation about this in the second bottom of paragraph. )
• You are going to rent because you need a place to live. (No sublease )
• You can move in an apartment within a month from the move-in possible date
• You make an affirmation that you are not a member of criminal syndicate or don’t have relationship with a person who is a member of criminal syndicate, which is socially criticized and there will be never possibility to be involved with it in the future.
• You make an affirmation that you don’t use UR apartment as a gang or mafia office
• Your average monthly income is more than the income standard regulated by UR (your monthly income should be 4 times more than rent or 330,000yen. However, for an apartment costing you over 200,000 per month, your income standard should be 400,000)
• If you are single and even if you earn just 250,000 yen averagely you can rent an apartment whose standard monthly income that requires you to earn is to be set for more than even 250,000 yen per month, unless rent of an apartment you desire to move in costs you 200,000yen.
  

  Your required monthly income if you are single

  House rent	Standard income
  less than 62,500	200,000yen
  More than 62,500yen, less than 200,000yen	250,000yen
  More than 200,000yen	400,000yen

• If your monthly income doesn’t reach the standard income, your total household monthly income should be more than the standard income. To reach the standard income, you can add up your family’s income to your income altogether. However, your monthly income need to be more than half of the standard income.

  Rent	Standard income	Your required income	Your family’s required income
  More than 60,000 yen, less than 82,500yen	240,000 yen	120,000 yen	120,000 yen
  More than 82,500yen, less than 200,000yen	330,000yen	165,000yen	165,000yen
  More than 200,000	400,000yen	200,000yen	200,000yen

Search UR store

Next thing you need to do is making a call UR store to apply for an apartment you decide to live. Detailed information is put on the UR homepage.

You can search UR store from here https://www.ur-net.go.jp/chintai/

As I told you above, Put “https://www.ur-net.go.jp/chintai/” in the left blank and click the URL displayed in output area. And open the translated pages.

Click the global menu that an arrow indicates

Select the prefecture you are planning to live in from the regions. This map will not be translated into English by Google.
So I added alphabet names beside each place names. Please refer to these.UR stores lists will be display after you click the prefecture.

Unfortunately, this page is not translated into English too. It may be troublesome but you keep researching by copying each information and google it.

How to google a place of UR stores

Drug UR store address and copy it.

Paste the address in search window and click. which is next to search window.

When pathway from your location to the UR store comes out,
select Train logo and find how you can go from your place

There you go. All the database of store location is written in Japanese on UR homepage.
It cannot be helped but you should search UR stores near where you live one by one

If you want to make a contract directly at a UR store, you should make sure whether the store is doing contract work or not. Because some of stores aren’t in charge of making contract. So you just make an inquiry about whether the store where you go is doing contact work beforehand.

What you need to bring to UR store when making a contract

What you need to bring with when you pay a second visit to UR store or office to make a contract after room inspection is the following documents.

• a copy of the residence certificate
• a pay-slip or a tax return certificate which proves your monthly income

A copy of the residence certificate

A copy of residence certificate

All foreigners who are granted mid to long term visa should have done resident registration until after 14 days after you moved in to the first place to live in. Those of you who stay in Japan for a certain term are required to register as legal duty.

If you’ve done resident registration when you started living in the present place, you can request municipal office, municipal agency to issue its certificate. If you have My number, you can get this certificate from convenience store, too.

Those of you who don’t have a residence certificate are not allowed to apply for a room. Without any exception, everyone of a person who desire to move in UR apartment should have a residence certificate.

As I mentioned, a residence certificate can be issued by municipality after you decide a plice to live in. For example, if you come to Japan, you have to decide an apartment before going through the procedures of residence registration at municipality.

Therefore, you can’t choose UR apartment as your first apartment, which requests you to submit residence certificate when you come to Japan.

Firstly, you need to live in an apartment or shared house to complete your residence registration.

A point to which attention should be paid when you request issuance of residence certificate

• You need the one described with relationship . For example, if you are single and rent a room by yourself or if you are a tenant on the contract in your family living together, you should describe the column of “relationship” as “世帯主(householder)”. So you have to request municipal agency to add this column when issuance.
• If you live with your family together, you need to prepare the one described with all your family member’s personal information and all their relationships
• If those of you who are non-Japanese apply for issuance of a certificate, there is a case where the following description is omitted from a certificate. So please make sure if those descriptions are included and if not included, you should request staff to add those.
1. Your name (if you have a common name, you need both real name and common name to be described)
2. Your date of birth
3. Your gender
4. If you are a householder or not (if not, the name of a householder and relationship with a householder need to to be described)
5. Your address
6. Your nationality
7. If you are mid to long term visa holder
8. You visa status, period of stay, expiry date which is descripted on your resident card

Your withholding tax statement

Japanese withholding tax statement -Gensenchoshuhyo = 源泉徴収票

Your withholding tax statement need to be issued in Japan, thus your the statement you received in your country will not be acceptable as a certificate proving your income in Japan.

Firstly, the following documents need to be included in your your pay-slip and tax return. However those who use payment in a lump sum system ,(check “If you are a student and your family doesn’t intend to back up your rent”) you don’t have to any of certificates proving your monthly income.

• If you are an employee
1. Withholding tax statement for the previous year
2. Tax payment certificate or resident tax notification


resident tax notification


Tax payment certificate

• If you are self-employed
1. Tax payment certificate issued by taxation office
• If you choose standard saving
1. Balance certificate within 7 days after issuance by a bank you have an account. (Your savings should be deposited by yen)
• If you add up your family’s income to your salary to reach the standard income
1. Your family’s certificate corresponding to the above first and second article “If you are in employee” and “If you are self-employed” (However, you should prove your monthly income is more than half of rent by the above 2 articles)
2. Rent mutual aid certificate
• If you add up your family’s savings to your savings to reach the standard savings
1. Savings mutual aid certificate (However, you should prove your savings is more than half of the standard savings.)

Notice

• Withholding tax statement for the previous year need to be signed or stamped by a company you work for.
• If your salary is payed by self-employer, you need to imprint registered stamp on and attach registered stamp certificate on
• If it it hasn’t been long since you came to Japan, you probably hasn’t received a pay-slip yet. In that case, you need to submit a income certificate prepared by UR uniquely and you also submit employee ID card and health insurance card
• Tax payment certificate need to be described with your income for the previous year.
• If you cannot acquire a tax payment certificate or a resident tax notification for this year, you should submit the latest one which you can acquire at this time.

Make a contract

To move in an apartment, you need to agree and conclude lease agreement regulated by UR.
Prior to making a contract, you should bring

• Your ID (your passport, Japanese driver’s license)
• Registered Stamp (Jitsu-in), Inkan (stamp) registration certificate (However, if you can submit a copy of your passport or driver’s license, you don’t need to bring Inkan registration certificate)
• Signature certificate issued by a consulate of your country (if you don’t have a registered stamp and intend to sign on a contract)

The place you make a contract is a UR business center which take charge of making contracts.

Primary contractual coverage

Move in date

You need to move in within a month from the move-in possible date

Payment for security deposit

Bring security deposit (2 months rent), rent and common service expenses (on a pro-rate basis) on a contract day

Payday

Monthly rent and common service expenses should need to be transferred into designated bank account until the day UR indicates

Repair obligation

You need to burden a payment of repairs and replacement for furniture installed in a room. (However, the payment of repairs and replacement when moving out is exempted)

Restoration obligation

If you dirty room, break furniture, loose equipment because of your fault or renovate room without any permission from UR, you are obliged to restore by your payment under your responsibility.

prohibition of sublease

Do not sublease and do not sign away your tenancy

Regulation for raising animals in a room

Don’t keep animals except for small birds and small fishes

Rule obedience

Live by rules regulated by UR in terms of usage of an apartment and community space

Security deposit corresponding to 2 month rent is the payment of securing rent, compensation for damage, and other liability. UR will not put interest on security deposit while keeping it.

Common expenses is the one for maintenance of common space in an apartment, which you need to pay monthly. You should understand in advance that there is a case where the price of expenses may be changed because of fluctuations in prices in economic. UR will report you financial situation and management plan to an apartment for this year and previous year in terms of common expenses by a document every year.

There is a pay parking lot in the grounds of an apartment. However, it is pretty difficult to rent parking space after moving in a apartment because old tenants has already occupied most of the parking spaces.