How to find an apartment

[waru]

Where can I find some apartment listings in Tokyo and other cities?

Thanks. And I wasn't sure where to post this, hope it's in the right section.

[KansaiBen]

Originally Posted by waru

Where can I find some apartment listings in Tokyo and other cities?

Thanks. And I wasn't sure where to post this, hope it's in the right section.

Tokyo is an extremely big place and most listings are in Japanese.

Try Leo Palace as they are one of the few companies that willingly rent to foreigners.

http://www.leopalace21.com

Osaka and Kansai try Kansai Flea Market at http://www.kfm.to

[waru]

Thanks. I can probly navigate Japanese listings too. (But then would they be shocked and dismayed when I'm not Japanese?)

[KansaiBen]

Originally Posted by waru

Thanks. I can probly navigate Japanese listings too. (But then would they be shocked and dismayed when I'm not Japanese?)

Not shocked and dismayed. There are no real anti-discrimination laws in japan and many landlords are notoriously racist when it comes to renting apartments to foreigners. They simply instruct real estate agents to say 'Japanese only' and they are simply reflecting the owners wishes. Many owners dont want to deal with tenants who cant speak Japanese or dont know what days to put the garbage out. I have lived here 20 years have PR and was even married to a Japanese but still had landlords say 'no gaijin'.

Look in places that advertise where foreigners look for apartments such as English language magazines and the like. Save yourself a lot of rejection and heart ache in the process.

Originally Posted by KansaiBen

Try Leo Palace as they are one of the few companies that willingly rent to foreigners.

what a welcome!

[hypertokyo]

Try newcityrent.com and amms.co.jp

[Soloskills]

Originally Posted by waru

Where can I find some apartment listings in Tokyo and other cities?

Thanks. And I wasn't sure where to post this, hope it's in the right section.

You should check out ...... http://www.share-style.jp ....... They have native english speaking staff and are looking for foreign tenants. You could also check http://tokyo.craigslist.jp.... Im an american staying in japan as a tourist on a 3 month contract with sharestyle and i didnt need any guarantor or any BS like that. they just want to make sure whatever visa you have, whether is visa waiver status for visitin japan or a working holiday visa, its legit and not expired or anything.

[kotoha]

Every time I have looked for a place to rent, I walked into a realtor's office and spoke to someone face to face. If you are already here, that's the safest way to make sure that you won't be ripped off (not all, but a lot of "gaijin okay" places do charge you extra for that sticker on the listing), and won't be rejected later even though the landlord liked you on the phone or email. The realtors can see your face and get an idea of your Japanese level without you having to EXPLAIN who you are, and if you come off as competent and culturally understanding to the realtor, sometimes they will help to make your case to the landlord. The first time I rented an apartment, the realtor called the management company (if that apartment was owned by an individual I never met him/her or knew his/her name.... I think it was actually owend by a company as well which probably helped as individual prejudice wasnt a factor) and I heard her say "they're two gaijin girls but they speak Japanese really well and seem nice" or something to that effect. They may have said okay anyway without her support, but it was nice to have someone there to kind of vouch for us. A lot of the excuses that landlords give are things like "If there's a problem, they wont understand what I'm saying!" or "They won't know how to use the bath and take their shoes off" crazy things like that.... if you go into the realtor's office speaking Japanese and understanding the way things work, it will do a lot to at least get the REALTOR on your side.

The second time I was with my husband, we looked at three places with two different realtors and all three were willing to rent to us. The first one was kind of a slummy wreak, it was really cheap and the realtor was really trying to push it on us, saying he would lower the rent by 10,000 and we could have as many pets of any size we wanted.... the other two were decent places and even so.... they just wanted our money, in the end. If you have the Japanese language ability and have been here long enough that you don't give off a "fresh off the boat" aura, actually talking to someone face to face may help!

[ひさしぶり]

Originally Posted by waru

Where can I find some apartment listings in Tokyo and other cities?

Thanks. And I wasn't sure where to post this, hope it's in the right section.

Have you tried the search function above your first post? Just type in "apartment" and lots of helpful stuff will pop up.

[blooper]

Originally Posted by Soloskills

You should check out ...... http://www.share-style.jp ....... They have native english speaking staff and are looking for foreign tenants. You could also check http://tokyo.craigslist.jp.... Im an american staying in japan as a tourist on a 3 month contract with sharestyle and i didnt need any guarantor or any BS like that. they just want to make sure whatever visa you have, whether is visa waiver status for visitin japan or a working holiday visa, its legit and not expired or anything.

Which is better? Sharestyle or Leopalace?

[Soloskills]

Originally Posted by blooper

Which is better? Sharestyle or Leopalace?

Leo palace has some new places up...and all of sharestyles places except for "Arden Shin Otsuka" are newly rennovated or just built. Leo palaces is more expensive from what i saw on their website. My friend at sharestyle said theres a new guesthouse ready and they want english speakers. prices range from 43,000 to 56,000 yen per month with a 30,000 yen deposit and 10,000 yen a month for utilities. basically just throw in 10,000 yen to the prices and thats your rent unless you bunk with someone. there are 16 rooms available and the place is really cool. they do open house every saturday and i checked it out. just call the office if your interested in going. Tel. - 03-6277-0511