I moved from Tokyo to a nearby prefecture in August 2023, to put my child into a specific school.
We rented a 4 bedroom ‘mansion’ through an agency. It’s a single owner apartment but we deal only with the agency.
The contract is a standard two year contact 「普通賃貸借契約」
not a short or fixed term contract.
We’ve been there a year and planned to stay at least 6-7 years.
Since the rent is around 200,000 yen a month, including deposit, agent fee, key money, moving costs, etc. we put in about 1.4 million to relocate
Reveived an email from the agent this week saying that the owner would like to end our contract in Oct 2025 to move his own family back in.
For readers of Japanese the wording used:
突然のご連絡で大変驚かれるかとは存じますが、
強制的にご退去して頂くわけではございません。
xxx様とオーナー様との契約は「普通賃貸借契約」
という契約方法の為、住み続ける意思が尊重されます（借主保護）。
しかしながら、オーナー様自身も借主保護の事情を理解した上で、
戻りたいというご希望を頂いておりますのでご検討頂けませんでしょうか。
So basically saying the owner isn’t trying to force us out and understands tenants rights for this contract type, but wants is to understand his wishes and consider this matter. The agent wants to meet to discuss.
I have questions:
1) If we say that we want to renew in a year for 2 more years stay here, is there anything the owner could do about it? Or, legally are we fully supported to stay?
2) If we say we will stay are there way’s the owner could make it difficult by trying to raise rent next contract term?
3) If we say we will agree to try to move by Oct 25, on the agreement that if we can’t find or be accepted in another place, we may stay longer, would the owner be expected to pay all costs associated with that move (key money, agent fee, moving costs)? Some of that? Or that’s entirely negotiable? Is there a standard?
We don’t want to move after 2 years. It’s a massive hassle and there are few 4 bedroom manshons in the area available as most are owner occupied. My biggest fear is agreeing to compensation terms and leaving by a deadline, but then losing my job (it’s a bit shaky) and then not having the salary that would get an application accepted on a similar place (in addition to the usual hassle of being foreign and having fewer options). Worst case we commute to move and end up homeless, in a weekly manshon or something.
I plan to get legal advice but do any of you know how strong my position here is to simply say we plan to stay? Or better knowing his wishes to try to support him but get solid compensation terms agreed, including the right to stay until a new tenacy agreement is signed on a new place?
by chantastical