Housing

There are houses, apartments and boarding houses in the town for rent and it is common practice to use a real estate agent to help find a place to live. The size of housing units in Japan is expressed by combinations of the initial letters of the living room (L), dining room (D) and kitchen (K), such as 2LDK and 3DK, and the size of each room is shown by the number of tatami mats. Once suitable accommodation is found, a rental contract is made. To cancel the contract, as a general rule, notice must be given to the landlord one month in advance. When moving in or out, it is necessary to make arrangements or settle payments for electricity, gas and water services. For municipal housing, please contact the Town Council. There are some Japanese practices regarding rental agreements which you may be unfamiliar with. Please see the descriptions for these practices below.

This is the monthly room charge. A full month's rent may be required even if the tenant moves in mid-month.

This is money (usually equivalent to one or two months' rent) provided to the landlord as security for rental payments. This money is returned to the tenant when the contract is cancelled. However, if there is rent in arrears or if the property is damaged, this money will be appropriated to cover the amount of rent or the repair cost owed.

This money is given to the landlord upon signing the contract as a "token of thanks". This is not returned to the tenant if the contract is canceled.

This is the fee paid to the real estate agent. The commission is usually equivalent to one month's rent.

This is to be paid together with the rent to the landlord each month. This fee is for maintenance and management costs and also covers public areas of an apartment building.

Niseko Town Council Tel. 0136-44-2121 Building Division, Civil Services Division

Niseko Town Council Tel. 0136-44-2121 Planning and Environment Division