When renting an apartment in Japan, you generally need 1 to 2 guarantors (co-signers) for the lease contract.
The guarantor bears the same obligation for the room as that of the tenant, and so bears a lot of responsibility.
For example, if the tenant does not pay his or her rent, it becomes the guarantor's responsibility to pay the real estate owner. In addition to rent money, if the tenant damages the room in any way, or causes accidents such as water-leakage that require money to repair, the real estate owner can call upon the guarantor to pay for the expense.
However, the guarantor can seek from the tenant, reimbursement plus interest for the money that he/she had to pay for the tenant. So the tenant cannot simply get away with not paying rent or for damages.
Most Japanese people ask their parents or siblings to become their guarantors.
Ultimately, the real estate owner decides whether or not a person is suitable as the tenant's guarantor. In most cases, real estate owners expect that the guarantor's income is equal to or more than that of the tenant. For this reason, tenants who propose that their guarantor be their parents who are retired or who live off of government pension may be turned down.
Another option is to use a system called the "Comprehensive Renters Insurance for Foreign Students Studying in Japan," provided by an organization called Japan Education Exchanges and Services (JEES). If the institution that you would attend is a member, the institution or its personnel can become guarantor for the tenant's lease contact. Many universities and educational institutions in Japan are members of this system.
However, we must mention again that that the real estate owner makes the ultimate decision about who qualifies to be your guarantor. It is disappointing, but there have been cases where real estate owners have even turned down the tenants' proposals for institutions under the JEES system to become guarantors.
Under such conditions, Transborders provides service to become your guarantor.
For more information, please contact us HERE. |
