Hi there,
So for context, I am moving to a new place next month, already signed contract with the new place, paid all the 初期費用 and everything already.
This morning I received a call from the housing agent that I need a 連帯保証人 for my contract as well, even though I already paid for a 保証会社, and asked me to talk to my Japanese friend (who I filled in as my 緊急連絡先) if they can become one for me. They apologized but told me I HAVE to get a 連帯保証人 for this.
I don’t understand what 連帯保証人 is, and I don’t want my friend to be my guarantor since back in my country being a guarantor is a huge risk and I don’t want to put that risk on my friend. Is it the same in Japan? I searched up Google and found some article saying that 連帯保証人 and 保証人 are totally different things, but I still don’t get it (blame my Japanese level haha).
Do I have other option for this? Like, can I use another 保証会社 that doesn’t need a 連帯保証人 to do contract? Note that I have never had this issue before when moving to new places, so this is new for me. Any advise helps! Thanks 🙂
8 comments
Not much you can do. It’s kinda their fault, they should have told you upfront that you needed a guarantor. But still nothing you can do except maybe give up the place.
In this case, yes if you end up not paying or destroying the house, the guarantor is at risk.
Rentai Hoshonin is a guarantor that will be financially responsible for any monetary recourse that you incur. Hoshonin does mean guarantor, but it could be formality reasons (like a guarantor for PR) and they aren’t liable for anything. Rentai Hoshonin does carry a lot more legal liability and it is like a cosigner on a loan pretty much.
Did you stamp the apartment contract and pay already? Because that means the rental agreement is set in stone already and they have no ability to add additional terms and conditions to it.
保証人 and 連帯保証人 are both responsible for paying what the main person in the contract owes. The difference is that, the 連帯保証人 is the equivalent of being the loanee. So when the loaner demands payment from a 保証人, the 保証人 can tell them to go after the main loaner first. The 保証人 can only be held responsible once the main loaner files for bankruptcy. The 連帯保証人, on the other hand, must pay in full the amount owed regardless of whether the loanee has the capacity to pay or not.
And although this is a rare case in housing contracts, if there are multiple 保証人, then the amount owed is divided by that number, and each 保証人 can only be made to pay that amount. However, each 連帯保証人 is responsible for paying the full amount, and the loaner can choose which one to go after.
If you have no family/relative with income in a different household within the country, you would have to rely on a 家賃債務保証会社（保証会社）. The pricing system can vary among the companies, but it seems the normal practice is initially paying 50% of the monthly payment and then 10,000 yen every year after that.
shitty landlord practice that keeps reminding me that never give in and only choose to rent from UR or outright buy
Already signed? Then tell them no.
When I rented my first appartment, back in 1999, they let me pay 30,000 yen for a 連帯保証人.
Almost no one wants to be 連帯保証人, does your friend know? Because he will be on the hook for any late payments and damages. That is very shady practice if the agent put your friend’s name down without his consent.
Your situation may be different of course, but in my case, when I first moved in, I had to pay for the 保証会社 *and* provide a 連帯保証人. I was a little surprised since it wasn’t written on the flyer for the place, but I was a new tenant so let it go. 2 yrs later, I came to renew and told the building owner that my rentai hoshonin had since retired, and asked if that would that be a problem.
They said, “Oh that’s ok you don’t need one anymore, I asked for one cos you are 外国人 but you’ve paid on time and always put your gomi out correctly, better than the Nihonjin who live here” At best a back handed compliment, but in reality I was simply ‘on trial’, maybe that’s why you’ve been asked at this stage to provide one too?