I apologize in advance if i sound frantic, im a little shaken up and very very scared right now.
I live in the country side in Chiba and i am renting an old 2 storey house here (rent is 79,000yen if it matters). The upstairs flooring is okay but the downstairs has some “soft” parts. Like if you step on it, it bends.
When i moved in here 2 years ago, it already has the beginnings of the soft floors but it just got worse and worse from wear and tear till I decided to finally tell my landlord.
They told me the entire first floor flooring needs to be replaced and I will have to pay for it because “I” caused the damages.
I dont have enough money to pay the repairs and frankly, I don’t think I deserve to pay because i wasn’t negligent, it’s just the floors are old. I am not sure who to talk to about this and i am, to say the least, very very worried.
Please help! Any advice would be helpful!
Edit more info in case anyone who had a similar experience is seeing this:
Upstairs floor is solid and only parts of the first floor have soft parts. Like a squarefoot or so. Two in the hallway, two in the livingroom and one in the kitchen.
I also noticed it’s in the parts where people would often walk along.
Someone in the comments pointed out termites or rot. Definitely no termites. I sprinkle insecticide around the house because i am worried about that exact thing.
It could possibly be rot though because i live close to the ocean so its humid here.
The hallway is made out or real wood but the kitchen and living room has fake wood. I don’t know what it’s called but i know it’s like a mat with boards underneath it. I know because i had to glue the edges when i first moved here.
I only verbally pointed out the soft floors to the landlord when they were showing me around and didn’t document anything. And when they said “it’s normal and it’s going to be daijobu” I believed them because I’m an idiot.
The 1.8M quote is from the landlord himself and not from a renovator. I didn’t speak to anyone else except for him. It’s also for the ENTIRE first floor. Hallway, kitchen and livingroom.
Seriously, thank you everyone. I am feeling a lot less in despair and I am so glad i posted this here. Thank you everyone for your advice.
I am going to take this to the city office on Monday and hope they can save me from this nightmare.
35 comments
You never brought it up as an issue with your landlord while you were touring the place?
I don’t have experience to tell you how to resolve this, but that is over 23 months rent. I hope there is a way to make this guy pay for trying to scam you.
I hope you get help. I doubt you will be liable for all, but also not sure why you would not immediately tell your landlord of defects after moving in.
I remember that after I moved into an apartment there was water leaking from underneath the faucets when I turned them on. Immediately notified the landlord and they fixed it. Never had any issues after that.
I believe consumer affairs center can help you but some other people may be able to help you.
That is outrageous, do not pay it. For 1.8 million Yen you could buy a whole house in rural Chiba, this sounds like a scam on the landlord’s part.
Sorry but you need an attorney, not Reddit.
What does “soft floors” mean? Like it’s rotten underneath or something?
What did he tell you exactly about the kind of damage? What is it caused by? What does he accuse you of doing exactly?
If all of that wood flooring is replaced how many square meters are we talking about? And how much of it actually needs replacement?
Not knowing much it is hard to say anything but, assuming you did nothing wrong but just normal wear and tear, it sounds to me your landlord is trying to scam you. Another thing I would do is check the contract for damages related stuff.
Your specific location is unknown so I can only recommend you to visit the town hall or city hall and ask for free legal advice. Most bigger cities offer free legal consultation but it is in Japanese and by appointment.
Another option will be to pay for legal consultation which is not a waste of money.
Hiring a lawyer could be expensive but definitely cheaper than just paying what your landlord is requesting. Lawyers know legal arguments to reduce the demands as much as possible.
Lesson learned, don’t forget to take photos/video of the new place you rent as soon you move in. Also, once you notice something in the new place you move to, take photos and call the landlord or real estate company and mention what issues you have found and record the conversation or send copies to them if you consider that the issues are serious.
Don’t sign or pay anything. Get consolation. I’m sure you’ll be fine and he’ll take your deposit.
For they amount of money, make him prove that you did it. If I’m taking you at your word, it seems the house is old enough that there is no way this happened suddenly in 2 years.
That’s a common problem for older houses. Our house has some “soft spots” also where the boards under the flooring have weakened with age. That problem occurs gradually over time and can be made worse by termite damage if the house has ever been infested. Your landlord is trying to rip you off. You may need to consult a lawyer if he insists that you pay to have the floor replaced.
You need to go to your city office and talk to someone. If you’re lucky they’ll have certain days of the week or month with foreign language legal support. I’m no lawyer, but what your landlord is suggesting sounds like a scam at the least, and fraud at worst. I’d suggest going in person rather than the phone, so they’ll take your concern more seriously. Don’t leave until you have a solid understanding of your rights and path forward. Best of luck.
In case its dead lock and the owner still insist, tell him you will fix it by yourself it will be much more cheaper.
What a fucking joke. Sue his ass.
Get to your town office and ask for legal help on the matter 99% chance the landlord is trying to screw you.
Chiba may be a bit different than Tokyo but here is the general guidelines for wear and tear in Tokyo.
https://www.juutakuseisaku.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/juutaku_seisaku/tintai/pdf/310-6-jyuutaku_eng.pdf
Basically even if it cost 1.8m to swap, you only have to pay corresponding to the value you are responsible. Unless the whole flooring was brand new when you arrived(and they have proof of it), you’ll almost never have to pay full amount. And over X years, for example tatami floor is 6 years in tokyo, you have to pay nothing. The 6years timer starts when they last changed it and not when you arrived.
In any case you’ve been there 2 years so you shouldn’t pay for 100% of wear and tear.
Get everything he asks for in writings, and bring it to your city hall.
You definitely don’t owe anything. On the other hand, I don’t know if you have any power to make them replace it
Talk to a lawyer. You’ll be fine. Most likely result will be that the lawyer will charge you like 10,000 yen to send a letter to the landlord, and the landlord will back off of trying to egregiously screw you. I’ve seen this exact scenario play out a number of times among my acquaintances over the last 25 years.
You’re being scammed. Even if you caused it it would be the landlorda responsibility but also uts all wear and tear they cant charge you for it. I had that when i moved in and it got soft and i stepped through the floor one day. Landlord had to do it. Get a lawyer. Lesson learned report all damages as soon as they’re there
Tldr: find legal advice in city hall or with a lawyer. Long: So if you break something, due to your negligence, etc they can make you pay but “soft floor” just sound like something old, rotten, etc which you obviously cannot do much about. The house also should have some insurance (fire, flood etc insurance), so if you eg leave the water open and destroy the floor, the insurance would pay large part of the damage. 2 mill sounds like in order of the full price of a complete floor repair, so it is clearly BS.
This is a scam.
If you rent out property in Japan, you are responsible for the maintenance as the owner.
Even if you own an entire apartment building, as the landlord you are responsible to repair everything in the property.
If you were purposefully causing damage to the property and the landlord has evidence that would be a different story.
But you are not responsible for repairs.
The property needs to be up to safety code by government regulations and the landlord is entirely responsible for that.
Shakedown. Start looking for a new place to live now. Don’t respond or give any information.
If he pushes you, lie and say you’re moving back to your country.
In the remote chance they find you later AND hire a lawyer… then you can either lawyer up or actually go back to your country.
It’s mostly an empty threat, and if he needs the money that bad, he probably can’t afford a lawyer.
You need a strong Japanese person to put the landlord in their place very strongly (if you can’t do yourself). This is absolute bullshit and you should not even entertain the idea of paying this. When I moved out of my apartment there was a tiny tear in the wallpaper and the guy told me it would cost like 200,000 to replace the whole wall – I after an angry rant that went down to 5000 – there are a lot of crooks who will try this shit on (especially with foreigners it seems).
Don’t panic or pay. Old houses here get like that. My MIL’s had that problem which was simply the house being old. Seeking advice at your govt office or with a lawyer makes sense.
First and foremost, if you did damage anything in the rental (beyond normal wear and tear), you would only be liable for the depreciated value of the affected area (assuming the affected area could be repaired without having to replace all of the flooring). In other words, if the house was 10 years old, you wouldn’t have to pay the full cost of brand new flooring. You’d only have to pay whatever the cost of brand new flooring is MINUS ten years of depreciation (or however old the original flooring was). I don’t know a lot about depreciation rates, but I would assume the value if flooring drops pretty significantly over time, especially if it is vinyl flooring.
Second, I’d heed the advice of others here and seek free legal council at your town office.
Third, (maybe someone can correct me on this), depending on what the free legal council suggests about your potential liability, it might make more sense to leave it to the landlord to file suit (unless you plan on going after him for fraud) before paying for a lawyer. It sounds like this landlord is trying to scam you. He has little to lose by trying to scare you into thinking that you’re liable. But if you refuse to pay, it’s on him to lawyer up and make his case. But considering that this sounds like a scam, it seems unlikely that he’d actually go that far.
Just my two cents. But if I were you, I wouldn’t stress over it because even if you were to be found liable, the figure he is proposing seems laughable.
Definitely challenge this. The exact same thing happened to me. Basically the subfloor (ie the basic wood under my normal floor) had rotted away in my bathroom. It was a super dangerous situation that had to be fixed asap. Similar thing happen to a friend in their spare bedroom. It’s just a thing that happens as the house ages. Definitely not your fault and you should not be paying for it. Consult a lawyer
I would tell him there is no way you will pay and for him to sue you if he wants. Also, as many people have said…consult a lawyer.
Call his bluff and move out sans paying 1.8 mil. If he sues then get a lawyer and fight.
You’re being scammed. Call every bluff. If the landlord tries to evict you, sue. You’ll win.
Read this page — summary of renter’s rights in English.
[https://www.debito.org/?p=2801](https://www.debito.org/?p=2801)
Here’s an excerpt:
**DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES FOR MAINTENANCE OF RENTAL PROPERTY**
**LANDLORD’S RESPONSIBILITIES**
**Flooring**
*Responsible for: marks on flooring and carpets caused by heavy furniture; fading of tatami and flooring due to age and/or sunlight*
*Procedures: replacing tatami, waxing floors*
Similar thing happened to us. Was a 1ldk apartment we rented for 80,000 a month in Osaka and the futon left a slight mark on the floor. They said they can’t fix it and have to replace all the flooring for 800,000. I told them to fuck off. We got help from my wife’s dad who has some good lawyer connections and in the end we threatened them and they dropped it to 70,000. Funny how they magically managed to make do with 70,000 to fix it rather than 800,000.
Horrible cunts.
scam.
He’s trying to scam you and make you pay for a new floor. Talk to a lawyer and he will shut it down asap.
According to Japanese law, degradation of property due to normal use will not be shouldered by the tenant. Do not worry.
Obvious scam. Landlords like these purposefully frighten foreigners bc they know they feel intimidated in a foreign country
I’m no expert but if it was like that when you moved in it’s the landlord’s responsibility
Consult a lawyer
If you call the nationwide uniform number 188 (no area code),
you will be directed to a nearby consumer affairs center or consumer affairs consultation counter set up by a local government.
Restoration to original condition, security deposit problems, etc. We provide consultation and mediation to resolve problems.
(Sorry for my bad English)
​
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Other consultation desks:
• Search website for consultation services (相談窓口の検索webサイト)
[https://www.chord.or.jp/kikan/others/index.html?red_param=220106](https://www.chord.or.jp/kikan/others/index.html?red_param=220106)
​
• Independent Administrative Agency National Consumer Affairs Center (独立行政法人 国民生活センター)
[https://www.kokusen.go.jp/ncac_index_e.html](https://www.kokusen.go.jp/ncac_index_e.html)
​
• Zero-fee legal advice center (日本司法支援センター 法テラス)
[https://www.houterasu.or.jp/en/index.html](https://www.houterasu.or.jp/en/index.html)
TEL 0570-078374
​
I hope your problem is resolved successfully.
We Japanese usually call the “Independent Administrative Agency National Consumer Affairs Center” first when we have a dispute like this.
First call the “Independent Administrative Agency National Consumer Affairs Center”,
Then we call “Zero-fee Legal Advice Center”.
Hey OP did you lease the property through a real estate broker? If so, please check the 重要事項説明書 you must have received and signed a copy its mandated by law. In this document there is going to be mentions on damage liability etc… read the document and find out what it says.
Also, when you first move in, you are supposed to report any damages, even minor and small ones, to the real estate company in order to avoid future conflicts when getting your deposits back(if you paid any). Some properties are listed as 敷金0 (zero deposit) but I stongly recommend you avoid these properties in future most likely you will be scammed whem you move out.
How old is the property? If its more than 30 years old, ask the real estate company if any renovations were done to the floor. It is mandated by law that landlords are responsible for ensuring that properties are “safe” for daily usage.
Ask the real estate company if someone else lived there before you and when they moved out. It is landlords responsibility to repair and renovate their property before next renter moves in.
Finally, report this issue to the real estate company and seek their advice. But if you made a contract directly with the landlord…then yeah sorry but you might just get fxxked.
What you need is this [https://www.houterasu.or.jp/en/index.html](https://www.houterasu.or.jp/en/index.html).