Just needed more opinions and theories about this. Long story ahead sorry.
My current apartment’s contract ends on the 31st of October so I started searching for an apartment at the end of August. I found a nice one on SUUMO and the apartment is listed under Bay Homes. (I live in Yokohama)
Went in to view the apartment and even tho I couldn’t see the exact unit, the building and the other units look great. ( I couldn’t because the previous tenant is still living there) everything seems fine still. The agent then told me to put my name in quickly for it because the apartment is really popular and the 1DK unit I want is the only one left in the building. The owner would still have to vet me before accepting my application so it’s not a for sure thing. I could back out after I put my name in. BUT if they accept my application I can’t back out then. I thought okay, let’s do it then. I could sit on it for the next day and if I wanna back out I could.
2 days later I got the confirmation that I got the apartment. I didn’t change my mind about it during those 2 days so it’s fine. Before deciding to put my name in he also told me that my move in date would be around October 15th. A little earlier than I want it to be. But 2 weeks earlier isn’t that bad. I could do some moving on my own. But after getting accepted he said my move in date is between October 1-7th. I was surprised because that would be me paying an extra month of rent. I asked for the 15th but he said no. The management company said only those dates. Of course I chose the 7th. That’s 3 weeks pro rata. I’m a little miffed at this point.
Then he asked me to transfer the move in cost and his brokerage fee by August 30th. I thought it was a little strange because I’m moving in only in October. But he said I’d lose my spot if I don’t transfer by then. So I did.
Then in September I went in to sign the contract. (Also odd because I paid before signing my contract. That was never case. I move a lot in my 6 years in Japan) My partner who speaks Japanese went with me and the process was strange. He ushered us into a room and called a lady on LINE and videocalled us. (No explanations btw) She showed us a license but we both honestly had no idea who she is. (If anyone knows please enlighten me) Then she proceeded to explain part of the contract for about 30-45min. Then my agent came back in and we continued with the paperwork. There were a few points that I had not experienced before:
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* I’m automatically enrolled in an insurance policy that covers any damages from natural disasters because the owner will not be responsible for any of those kind of damages. 2000yen/month
* He has a Lifeline support company that calls me to help me set up my utilities for free. We clarified about this and he said he was the one who called that company to help me. (I think they get some kickbacks somewhere from my research online)
* There is a designated moving company that I MUST USE. (This had me really pissed.)
* The due date printed on the official invoice for my move in costs was stated October 5th. NOT August 30th
I went home to check the invoice that he sent me in august over LINE and that box that was suppose to have the due date printed was empty. But the one he printed and gave it to me when I was signing contracts had October 5th printed on it. Why was I told to transfer by August 30th then? Sadly I didn’t ask about it because I only noticed it after I got home from the contract signing. There was a lot going on during the meeting and I didn’t notice.
We also asked about the moving company twice. Why can’t I use a different company? Why does it have to be that specific company? He said the management company and the moving company has an agreement of some sort so I have to use them. They are afraid I’d damage the building if I use a different company or something.
So, I asked for a quotation from the designated moving company and it was more expensive than I had expected. 60,000yen for 1 person, living in a 1K apartment. My new place is also just 5min away by car. I have no sofa, no TV. Again I asked if I could not use the moving company because it’s expensive and the service is terrible. They only told me the cost and their bank details. (They also have no email when I asked if I could email them my list of things. Only by phone.) No information about cardboard boxes, how many people are coming and what time will they come on the moving day. NOTHING. The agent said that’s not a good enough reason to not use the moving company. I was really frustrated with the situation at this point and I’d rather pay 60,000yen to a moving company of my own choice, than to this designated one. I was determined to not give them my money. I gotta outsmart them.
So I waited till I got my key on October 7th then I had my partner call the moving company to cancel because they didn’t really say anything about me moving on my own and not using a moving company at all. The moving company said I can’t cancel because then the management company will not “accept” my application for the apartment. (But I already got the key?) and then they called back again saying I had to ask permission from the management company to cancel it. Which we did and was expecting resistance but the management company was really chill and said sure okay. We could cancel and please inform the agent that we are cancelling it. They didn’t even ask why. I prepared like…. 57 reasons but I had to use none. LOL
So up till that point I thought everyone were in cahoots, the agent, the moving company and the management company. But then the reaction from my agent after informing him about the cancellation made me think otherwise. The agent started asking a lot of questions about the cancellation over LINE. (He texts my partner knowing that my Japanese is terrible.) He asked who he spoke to, what did he say to that person and what day and time did he call. My partner is really busy so he doesn’t respond to him promptly and he would double text asking him to please reply him. When my partner said he can’t remember the date and time he asked him to check his phone records. Like wtf?? Shouldn’t he be asking the management all these questions and not us? Why is he so determined to have all these information?? My guess is that he probably was gonna get a cut from me using that designated moving company and now he’s upset he’s not getting any.
What do you guys think? Any similar experiences? What did you do? How did you handle it?
2 comments
Ok that was way too long but much of what you experiences is perfectly normal in Japan. Insurance requirements, lifeline support, etc., are common and typically there’s nothing shady about them. (At my current building lifeline support is automatic for all tenants).
I’ve never heard of the requirement to use one particular moving company but wouldn’t be surprised over an approved list of companies. You were right to call them out on this.
Edit: The invoice thing… last time I moved I had the opposite experience. The due date on the invoice was way sooner than what the agent told me. When I met my agent a couple of weeks later she was super surprised when that I already received and paid the invoice. She was certain it wasn’t due until later.
Basically there was confusion between her and her company’s backoffice / admin.
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>He ushered us into a room and called a lady on LINE and videocalled us. (No explanations btw) She showed us a license but we both honestly had no idea who she is. (If anyone knows please enlighten me)
Basically in Japan there are different kinds of real estate agents, and they have different licensing requirements.
The lady on the video-call was the fully licensed agent who’s authorized to draw up legal contracts. The male agent you dealt with is more of a sales agent. Typically in a real estate firm, the sales agents go out to talk to customers, do showings, coordinate with landlords / management companies, etc., while the licensed agent is back at the office working on contracts. During the legal signing the licensed agent has to explain the contract to you point by point (often via video call).
>We also asked about the moving company twice. Why can’t I use adifferent company? Why does it have to be that specific company? He saidthe management company and the moving company has an agreement of somesort so I have to use them. They are afraid I’d damage the building if Iuse a different company or something.
Very common. Usually the “approved” company has the keys or knows how to operate the building’s security, they talk with the owner directly, etc. The agent never gets a cut of that, the owner MIGHT, but it’s not much (think like 1% of the cost).
It’s stupid because it makes it harder to negotiate, but at least they will take care of everything.
It’s also silly to get worked up about the agent on the phone, very common for offices that don’t have a licensed agent on site.
Silly to get worked up over “the agent and management company in cahoots”, of course they are, how else would you apply for a room?