Rental apartments in Tokyo, 2011

Looking for a new apartment can be a frustrating experience wherever you are: There is what you want versus what you can afford, and then all the time it takes to look at and select a place.

When you are searching in Tokyo, though, there are a whole other host of other factors to throw in, the first being, of course, language. Not everyone has the Japanese chops to be able to communicate in what can be complex business situations. If you don’t, the help of a good Japanese friend may ease the process, but the reality is that asking someone to assist in an apartment search and negotiation is a big favor indeed, both in terms of the time commitment and the requirements of representing you in a serious transaction.

Make it past these barriers, and you are then looking at the uniquely Japanese rental system that typically asks for: one month’s agent fee, two months deposit, two months rent given – never to be returned – as the gift for landlords that is gently called “key money,” and a guarantor to promise to take care of your payments if you default or disappear. Some renters even ask for foreign renters to pay half a month’s rent to a “guarantor company” in addition, to fulfill the same role as the personal guarantor.

That’s a lot of hoops, and a lot of money for an initial layout. The real estate management company Fontana sees this as an opportunity, though. Recognizing over 15 years ago the difficulty that many foreigners were having securing apartments, the company decided to start serving this cliental with apartments that offered a much more familiar and convenient set-up.

Drop the agent’s fee, key money, the guarantor and one month of deposit, and you are looking at the Fontana proposition. With over 800 apartments in Tokyo, the company acts as agent, showing you the location that suit your needs in terms of size, location, distance to work and train/subway lines; and as a guarantor, asking only one month’s deposit and zero key money.

Fontana representatives, who speak English, French, Korean and Japanese, among other languages, offer a service to pick up clients to take them to their office in Shin-Nakano. There, the company will present prospective renters potential apartments anywhere from quiet and conveniently located suburban stops such Koenji, Naka-Meguro, and Nishi-Eifuku to Yamanote hotspots including Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ebisu, to inner Tokyo havens like Azabu-Juban, Shirokane and Roppongi-Itchome. Afterwards, company staff and clients visit the apartments, all of which come with the basics – bed, tables, chairs and televisions – as well as home and kitchen furnishings including bed sheets, pots, pans, plates, cutlery, in addition to a microwave to compliment the standard kitchen stovetop.

Rents are as low as 65,000-85,000 yen for 25 sq. meter one-room apartments (with kitchen and bathroom), a real find for students or workers starting out in Japan. Fontana also offers more spacious 2LDK locations at 150,000 to 200,000 yen for couples and roommates looking for something more upmarket.

For someone just arriving in Tokyo for either a short stay or a longer haul, the Fontana’s apartments are a simple way to quickly get set up in the city. The company also offers guesthouse for those who are really looking to be economical, with rates as low as 45,000 to 55,000 yen per month depending on location. All stays start at one month durations, though as Fontana’s Mr. Odagiri points out, “We ask you to pay for a whole month, but we won’t force you to stay the whole time!” With hotel rates in Tokyo as high as they are, checking in to a Fontana guesthouse can be a better deal in the end.

Besides the high-level of service that Fontana provides – clients regularly compliment the company for its helpful treatment of renters and quick reaction to any issues with apartments – the company truly provides an approach to renting apartments in Tokyo that is difficult to beat. Though Mr. Odagiri says that a younger generation of landlords are now investing in real estate and are willing to rent out their locations without the old expectations, it is too soon for renters to expect to see a real change in the Tokyo rental market. Till then, Fontana is a great bet to find an easy, customer-oriented way to get decent living quarters in this mighty metropolis.

Fontana
Asahi Mansion 1F
3-31-5 Chuo
Nakano-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-3382-0151
Open: 09:30〜19:00

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