Do you know the meaning of "Deposit" and "Gift Money"? You probably have never heard about these terms if you have never rented a room, but you must know about these terms if you want to rent a room in Japan.

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Usually in Tokyo metropolitan area, fees such as "2 months deposit, 1 to 2 months gift money", the fees that equal to about 5 months of rent must be paid before moving in.

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So what are deposit and gift money?

 

〇What is deposit

Deposit is the deposit money that the tenant gives to the landlord. For example, it might be used if the rent can not be paid by the deadline. Therefore, deposit is a protection for the landlord.

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In addition, not only that, if you return a room in Japan, it must be as the same condition as it was rent out. For example, if any items in the room is damaged, or the wall is stained by the cigarette, the landlord needs to fix and clean them before renting it out to the next person.

 

At that time, the tenant needs to pay the cost of fixing. However, if the deposit was paid, the landlord can just deduct the cost from the deposit.

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Moreover, if there are any money left, it might be returned to the tenant. If you do not have any unpaid rent and keep the room clean, deposit is the same as saving.

 

〇What is gift money

Gift money a tradition in Japan from the past. It contains the thought of being thankful to the landlord. Even Though not that kind of meaning is getting faded, it still exists as a custom.

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Therefore, gift money is different from the deposit, it would not be refunded to the tenant.

 

〇Apaerments with no deposit nor gift money

There are also some apartments with no deposit nor gift money. Although it seems like these apartments are cheaper at first, if you compute well, the landlord might be setting the rent of these apartments higher.

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In addition, even the apartments without deposit, the tenant still need to pay the cleaning and fixing cost when moving out. It is only the time problems.

 

Usually, apartments that do not need deposit nor gift money are very rare. If you want to find an apartment without those fees, it not only limited the options you have to choose your apartment, but also might have you treated by other details, such as, changing the titles of deposit and gift money to other cleaning fees that needed to be collect at the beginning. Do not treated by the apartments with no deposit nor gift money, it is important to check the detail of the contact.

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​Refernce

 

アパマンショップ,「ゼロゼロ物件」あるある

https://www.apamanshop.com/oheya/feature/singlelife_06/index.html

 

暮らしっく不動産, 敷金礼金ゼロってどうなの？デメリットについて考える

https://www.kurachic.jp/column/523/

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