annoying fudousan… anything I can do?

14 comments

1. Standard first question here is ‘what was in your contract?’

   Please answer that and then I think you’d get better advice.

2. All depends on what was written in your *contract* plus any other communication to prove what was/wasn’t agreed (preferably written) and how much of what you’ve described was verbal (and therefore something they could simply deny they ever said).

3. I am unsure what your point is. You already moved. I mean they’d sent you tracked post requiring a signature that is not backdated if they really had a way to claw back the money.
   My guess is they are worried you will sue them back for your deposit and the 10k yen at some point, so they charge you some more hoping you will ghost them.

4. Usually you agree to the cleaning fee when you sign the original rental contract. I can’t imagine they’d be too successful trying to get people to pay after the fact.

5. Consumer Affairs are the people you want.

   https://www.kokusen.go.jp/e-hello/map/index.html

   Basically, you aren’t liable for anything you didn’t agree to in writing. They are required to uphold anything they agreed to in writing.

6. What are they going to do, evict you?

7. I don’t have advice for your situation, but for your sanity.

   I may seem like all this at once cannot be a coincidence, that somehow disparate entities affecting your life in Japan have somehow coordinated to put you in worse than the worst position imaginable.

   This is not the case. It is a coincidence. Some of it is probably tied to your change in immigration status, but other things are not.

   As for the fees, I don’t think they have any means to come after you, so absolutely do not pay tomorrow, but it is partially on you not to have rechecked your exit procedure when the demolition was cancelled. You may have room to negotiate, but do it in person and bring a sympathetic nihonjin whether you need translation help or not.

8. Afaik リフォーム never means cleaning, it’s always renovation or remodeling, so they’re probably doing something else?

9. Since you graduated from a Japanese university here. I’ll assume that you have working proficiency in Japanese.
   You might want to look into 消費生活センター of your area. They’re there specifically to help people with financial troubles.

10. If you moved after receiving the letter that the apartment wouldn’t be demolished after all but you still left your ‘unwanted’ stuff in there, of course they are going to need to clean the apartment of the rubbish you left and it is 100% on you.

    Normally, cleaning is on the owner but if they needed to call movers etc, of course you’re responsible.

    ​

    Now, about the ‘リフォーム’, tell them that if you have to pay for it, they have to send a detailed ’みつもり’ and the details of the contractor. The only explanation would be reconstruction for damage you did in the apartment, and they might try to make old damage that was already there, your responsibility (power outlets?). If you’re supposed to be responsible, you of course have to know for *what.*

    In the past I had water damage happening inside a wall and they tried to make it my responsibility, to immediately cease all attempts when I told them that I was going to get a lawyer. You might do the same.

11. when I left my flat they had me to pay for the mold that was formed in the wardrobe (which I hadn’t notice) and it didn’t depend from me. They also changed completely the tatami even though it was in perfect conditions…and I had to pay for it.

12. Sounds like bullshit.

    I lived in a little apartment for six months. Left early, but gave a tonne of notice and left it cleaner than when I started. However, there was a small amount of damage caused by me and when I fessed up, the owner just laughed and said it’s less than 1000 yen and he’s got spares to fix it (some little air flap that goes outside) and that I shouldn’t worry. Call consumer affairs and make a stand.

    Most landlords here will try to fleece people because the majority of the Japanese population won’t stand up for themselves.

13. Is this within Tokyo-to or somewhere else? Tokyo has some special rules about some things with depreciation, etc., but that, too, may not apply depending upon the type of contract.

14. Cleaning is usually included in the contract and the price is calculated per square meters. Furthermore, it is described in a contract that it is a lender who can specify a cleaning company. It’s a common custom in “fudousan” in general.