I’ve found a good temporary deal for me and I’m skeptical. I’ve recently contacted someone with multiple listings on [realestate.co.jp](https://realestate.co.jp) about a cheap 1K apartment in Osaka. I contacted them and they know English but they mentioned I could pay through Paypal. The only fees are a 100% deposit on the first month and the water bill. and I can leave freely within a months notice.
Again, this could all be completely normal, I just need an experienced or knowledgeable perspective. I wont get there and it never existed to begin with right? aaa
5 comments
I mean those sites ARE legitimate but whos to say a submission can’t be a scam.
When it comes to sites like gaijinpot they are more willing to work with tourists and short-term stays so they’re going to have more flexible leases at the cost of a higher startup. As for paypal I’m not too sure about that. I’ve never used PP to pay for an apartment but again if you think something is off then don’t do it.
Only use gaijinpot to get an idea of what kind of apartment you’d like. Add a resident, you should be able to go to an actual real-estate agent and get an apartment.
I’ve found that the listings on that site are often out of date (the best apartments are not available and are still on there to attract customers) or have inaccurate price information (lower than what the actual rent and fees are), which is sketchy…but the real estate companies on there that I’ve found *are* legit. But there may be sketchy companies on there…
But short-term housing is a thing. If you don’t trust that one listing, try looking at sites like Monthly Mansion for other options.
A couple years ago I signed through them for a 1K. I’ve also since then moved to a bigger place with a Japanese real estate agency. The experience I got from Gaijinpot wasn’t that much different from Japanese agencies and everything seemed to be on par. The only difference was that I actually got a native English speaker agent through Gaijinpot.
They’re fine, you’re probably paying more than what a Japanese listing would have, but I can’t imagine there will be any scams on the site since they all have the realtor listed. If it’s PP then it’s even safer for you since you can chargeback, as opposed to the traditional bank transfer.