The greatest
problem regarding renting an apartment on your own isn't just the
nerve-wracking paperwork, but also the extortionate fees. Agent fees, key
money, guarantor fees, not to mention the contract renewal fees ( every 2 years
), which can be quite tough on your budget. But there's also government funded
housing called UR, which you can also consider as an option. All you need to
pay for is deposit and monthly rent. Here's some tidbit of information below:
http://www.ur-net.go.jp/sumainoshiori/english/
But as you
may notice, demand for UR housing is so high and it's hard to get your
application through, as it's basically on a first-come-first-serve basis. But
that's no excuse to give up on the option, as there are a lot of expats living
in UR housing. As long as you're keeping yourself updated with the latest
information, you won't have trouble looking for an apartment. You can look for
agencies that handle UR apartments. Also, the best time to look for apartments
is around late January to early March, which is just before the end of the fiscal
year in Japan. As the new fiscal year starts in April, a lot of people move to
other areas for job or school related reasons.
As mentioned
earlier, you don't need to shell out a lot of money for initial fees. And
that's what gives UR apartments the edge over conventional ones. However, I
must tell you that there are certain disadvantages for UR apartments that you
should be aware of:
CONs
1) Just like
conventional apartments, your application will be reviewed. However, the
screening standards are slightly higher than conventional housing.
2) Rates can
be a bit expensive compared to a similar conventional apartment with same size
and facilities.
3) Rates
tend to change every 3 years, depending on demand
But whether
it suits your budget and your lifestyle is totally up to you :) I will keep you
posted on other details.
Arm yourself
with other tips on this page here
No comments:
Post a Comment