I'm considering purchasing a property to rent out to the US military population here in Okinawa.
Firstly, full disclosure I'm a non-SOFA, non-US citizen, European foreigner with permanent residency to stay in Japan.
But whilst browsing online for my own future home, I found a property that is currently being rented out, at such a monthly rate that I assume to suggest a SOFA tenant…
Is there an online document of the checklist that any potential property needs to meet before becoming "approved" for SOFA tenants?
Also, is there a schedule of how often the inspection needs to be carried out? (every change of tenant? / every xx years?)
And is there a building age limit?
I've seen a subreddit before that suggests going to building X on base Y to pickup the documentation, but without base access that would be tricky… Surely most buildings rented out to SOFA members are owned by Japanese citizens, also without base access like me…
Finally, if for the first 5-10 years following my potential purchase (when the property would remain rented out to a SOFA tenant) would I initially be eligible for a "My Home" loan from a Japanese bank, or would I only be accepted on a business loan basis?
by Seasider4374