Common Terminology

When searching for an apartment, especially in a different country, you may come across many terms you are not familiar with.

Let's understand them!

・ Deposit ： (shiki kin・しききん)
Deposit paid to cover expenses in case of late rent payment, repairs, or cleaning.
Usually calculated and returned upon moving out.

・ Key Money ： (rei kin・れいきん)
Money paid to the landlord at time of contract, and will not be returned.

・ Agent Fee ： (chuukai tesuuryo・ちゅうかいてすうりょう)
Fees paid to the inter-mediating realtor agent.

・ Fire Insurance ： (kasai hoken・かさいほけん)
Insures the customer's belongings in case of fire or disasters such as flooding.
This is usually a requirement when renting.

・ Pro-rated/Daily Rent ： (hiwari yachin・ひわりやちん)
Rent calculated on a daily basis when the customer moves in or out at the middle of the month.

・ First Month Rent ： (mae yachin・まえやちん)
Your first month's rent.
Depending on how far in the month you move in, next month's rent may be required as well at the time of contract.

・ Renewal Fee ： (koushinryo・こうしんりょう)
Fee paid to the landlord when you renew a lease contract.

・ Restoration Fee ： (genjo kaifuku hi・げんじょうかいふくひ)
Fee required to restore the apartment to its original condition, also called a "cleaning fee".
Usually deducted from the deposit.

・ Management Fee ： (kyo eki hi/kanri hi・きょうえきひ/かんりひ)
Fees required monthly for the maintenance of common areas in each property.

・ Guarantor ： (rentai hoshonin・れんたいほしょうにん)
Takes responsibility for late rent payments, etc., in case the resident fails to pay.
Usually a parent/guardian, or family member.

・ Contract Period ： (keiyaku kikan・けいやくきかん)
The period from move-in date to move-out date. 2 years by standard.

・ Specific Points ： (tokuyaku jiko・とくやくじこう)
Points in the contract that apply on a case-by-case basis, such as having pets, musical instruments, and remediation between residents, etc.

・ Common Areas ： (kyoyo bubun・きょうようぶぶん)
Common areas shared between all residents such as stairs, elevator, building entrance, emergency exit routes, etc.

・ Steel Construction ： (tekkotsu-zo・てっこつぞう)
Steel structured buildings, divided into two types: light and heavy steel.

・ Reinforced Concrete Construction (RC)  ：  (tekkin konkuri-to zo・てっきんこんくりーとぞう)
 Reinforced concrete has some elasticity and sound-blocking properties and provides more support. Commonly found in mid-rise to high rise buildings.

・ Steel-framed Reinforced Concrete Construction (SRC)
(tekkotsu tekkin konkuri-to zo・てっこつてっきんこんくりーとぞう)
 A building method that combines the good parts of steel construction as well as reinforced concrete (RC) construction. It is even stronger than RC construction and is commonly used in high rise buildings.

・ Autolock ： (o-torokku・おーとろっく)
An automatic lock security system at the building entrance.

・ Flooring ： (furo-ringu・ふろーりんぐ)
Hard wood flooring, wooden floors.

・ Cushion Floor ： (kusshon furoa・くっしょんふろあ)
Vinyl flooring material with some elasticity.

・ Unit Bath ： (yunitto basu・ゆにっとばす)
Refers to bathrooms where the walls・floor・ceiling are in one unit with the bathtub.
Commonly refers to a bathroom unit with a toilet, sink, and bathtub.