In short
By law, a Japanese agency may collect no more than one month's rent plus consumption tax in total from the landlord and tenant combined. For residential leases the default cap from either single party is half a month plus tax, and only rises to a full month where that party consented when the agency took on the request. One month is the ceiling, not the market price.
Hi, I'm Sunny. In this post I want to talk about the move-in cost that's easiest to cut: the agency fee.
The fee is capped by law
Most people arrive believing the brokerage fee simply is one month's rent. In Japan that figure is a legal ceiling, not a price. Under the Real Estate Brokerage Act and the related ministerial notice, the commission an agency may take from both parties to the same rental cannot exceed 1.1 times one month's rent, consumption tax included.
For residential leases there's a second rule: the amount chargeable to any one party is capped at 0.55 times one month's rent, unless that party gave consent when the agency took on the request. Most agencies obtain that consent in the signing paperwork and charge the tenant a full month — lawful, but a ceiling rather than a rate you have to accept.
What the difference looks like
Take an apartment renting at ¥230,000 a month.
| Fee setting | Amount (JPY) |
|---|---|
| One month + tax (common) | 253,000 |
| Half a month + tax | 126,500 |
| 0.3 months + tax | 75,900 |
| Zero | 0 |
Same apartment, same terms, same landlord — a ¥253,000 swing decided by which agency you walked into. Of every line on a Japanese move-in quote, this is the one you control most directly.
Why zero is possible
An agency's income doesn't come only from the tenant. Landlords who want a unit filled quickly frequently pay an advertising fee, called AD, to whichever agency brings the tenant. Where that exists, an agency can charge you nothing and still be paid for the work. It also explains the inconsistency you'll notice while searching: the same agency quotes ¥0 on one apartment and a full month on the next, because only one of them carries an AD.
Judge the total, not the headline
'No agency fee' advertising is everywhere, and some of it is genuine. What varies is what appears elsewhere on the quote: handling charges, disinfection, anti-bacterial treatment, 24-hour support subscriptions. These are hard to evaluate if you can't read the contract, so ask for the complete itemized estimate and ask, line by line, which items are conditions of the lease and which are optional.
Sunny's takeaway
“One month” is the legal ceiling for an agency fee, not the going rate. When you compare agencies, compare the total move-in cost including every line item — for the exact same apartment, the right agency can save you a lot.
Further reading
→What Does It Really Cost to Move Into an Apartment in Japan?→What Is Key Money (Reikin) in Japan? Why You Never Get It Back→Can You Rent an Apartment in Japan Without Speaking Japanese?ieree charges ¥0 to 0.3 months plus tax: find a listing yourself on SUUMO or anywhere else, send it to us, and we handle the rest — without adding the fee back under another name. Message us on LINE in English.
About the author
SunnyLicensed Real Estate Agent in Japan (Takken)
Originally from Taiwan, Sunny has lived in Japan for 17 years and holds Japan's national real estate license (Takken). Having started renting in Japan from scratch as a foreigner, Sunny now helps international tenants find homes in Tokyo with ieree, writes the weekly “Sunny's Tokyo Renting Notes,” and co-hosts the bilingual running podcast RunChat.jp.
Reviewed by the ieree editorial team (licensed Japanese real estate agent)