The Property Management Column

A property management company's work broadly falls into three areas: tenant response, building management, and contract and money management.

Self-management avoids paying a fee, but the owner has to handle tenant response and rent-arrears follow-up alone.

The management outsourcing fee is generally around 3-5% of the rent.

When a vacancy drags on, the effective order is to review the rent appraisal first, then improve photos and listings, and only then consider replacing equipment.

When rent arrears occur, the response proceeds in stages — from initial contact, to notifying the guarantee company and joint guarantor, to legal proceedings if necessary.

Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism restoration guideline (genjō kaifuku guideline) treats ordinary wear and tear as the landlord's cost, and damage from tenant negligence as the tenant's cost.

Sublease (rent guarantee, or sabu rīsu) is a scheme where the management company master-leases the property and re-lets it to tenants — but the guaranteed rent can be reduced at renewal.

Tenant trouble such as noise complaints, garbage-rule violations, and unauthorized bicycle or car parking can be handled through the management company as the point of contact, easing the burden for both owner and tenants.

Major equipment like water heaters and air conditioners, and building elements like exterior walls and waterproofing, each have a rough replacement or repair timeline.

An owner-change property is sold with tenants already in place, carrying over the existing lease agreement.

When a vacancy comes up, the property management company acts as the listing agent (motozuke) and asks leasing agencies (kyakuzuke) to market the unit.

How should you decide on rent for a new listing, or judge when to revisit rent for an existing tenant? Here's how to read the local market and think about timing for a rent review.

What's the going rate for the renewal fee (kōshinryō) on a standard lease (futsū shakuya) renewal, how do you go about changing terms, and how does statutory renewal (hōtei kōshin) work when the parties don't reach agreement? Here's an overview.

What's the process for a move-out inspection? Here's what gets checked on the day, how the deposit settlement statement gets prepared, and how to avoid disputes.

Rental income from managing property is taxed as real estate income (fudōsan shotoku) and must be reported on your tax return.

Fire insurance and facility liability insurance (shisetsu baishō sekinin hoken) protect against the risks of running a rental property.

If you're unhappy with your current property management company, what's the process for switching? Here's everything from checking the cancellation notice period to notifying tenants and handling the handover.

For owners uneasy about accepting elderly or single tenants, here's how to think it through — watch-over (mimamori) services, securing emergency contacts, and more.

For owners considering converting to a pet-friendly property as a way to fill vacancies, here's the demand-side upside and the rules worth putting in place when you make the switch.

If you're considering converting a vacant unit to minpaku (home-sharing) or a monthly rental, here's the basics to know — the differences between the Minpaku Business Act, the Hotel Business Act, and Special Zone minpaku.

What should you check during tenant screening? Here's an overview of the screening points landlords should keep in mind — from ability to pay to choosing between a joint guarantor and a rent guarantee company.

For rental owners, here's an overview of the difference between a standard lease and a fixed-term lease, the situations a fixed-term lease suits, and the procedures required to set one up.

Can rent be raised? Here's an overview of the rent increase demand (chinryō zōgaku seikyū) under the Act on Land and Building Leases, plus the practical steps and points to watch when carrying one out.

When equipment like an air conditioner or water heater breaks down during a tenancy, who is responsible for repairs, and what happens to the rent? Here's an overview based on the 2020 Civil Code amendment.

Here's an overview of how rent guarantee companies (yachin hoshō gaisha) work, the benefits from an owner's perspective, and the points worth checking when choosing one.

For an owner-occupied building that combines a home and rental units (chintai heiyō jūtaku), here's an overview of the management considerations that differ from an ordinary rental property.

Here's an overview of the practical steps for taking over a rental property you've inherited — including transferring the lease agreement, security deposit (shikikin), and property management contract into your name.

What owners should do when a tenant dies or an accident occurs, and how to think about the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's guideline on disclosing a death on the premises (kokuchi gaidorain).

What changes when you incorporate (hōjinka) your rental property business — a look at the benchmarks for starting to consider it, the pros and cons, and an overview of the process.

Unlike residential units, rent for a property leased as retail or office space is subject to consumption tax.

Security measures for a rental property — an auto-lock entrance, security cameras, lighting in common areas — affect not just tenants' peace of mind but leasing outcomes too.

Reducing move-outs is helped by checking in with tenants at renewal time and stacking up small, everyday improvements.

How should you go about ordering restoration-to-original-condition (genjō kaifuku) work after a tenant moves out? This article covers how to get competitive quotes, what to check on a quotation, and how construction timing interacts with re-listing the unit.

Insulation upgrades and water-heater replacements in rental housing affect both tenant comfort and running costs.

Rent can be collected by bank transfer, direct debit, or guarantee-company collection, among other methods.

Handling the area around a property is a separate matter from disputes between tenants.

How quickly you respond to viewing requests affects your leasing success.

Special provisions in a lease can later be ruled invalid if they don't meet the requirements for validity.

Rental listings have a peak season and an off-peak season, and the strategies that work well differ by time of year.

Rental property ownership eventually calls for an exit strategy — selling, rebuilding, or major renovation.

DIY-allowed and customizable rentals are drawing attention as one option for reducing vacancies.

Furnished rentals see demand mainly from single tenants and short-term residents.

Accepting foreign-national tenants calls for multilingual guidance and a solid emergency contact setup.

Even for the same rental property, needs differ between students, single tenants, and families.

When an incident such as a water leak or fire occurs during a tenancy, it's important to have a grasp of the initial response and the process for filing a claim with the insurer.

Vacant parking spaces and small unused areas on your property can become a source of income, depending on how you use them.

Wood-frame apartment buildings face maintenance challenges specific to their structure — waterproofing, soundproofing, and termites.

Electronic contracts, tenant apps, smart locks — digitalization is spreading through property management.

Even if a tenant leaves belongings behind after moving out, a landlord cannot simply dispose of them without following proper procedure.

Are you just filing away the monthly report your property management company sends? Here's how to read it and put it to use in your rental property management, along with how to work with your management company.