When you move out of a rented apartment in Japan, there is more to settle than just handing back the keys. Before your deposit is refunded, your landlord or management company will typically charge you a move-out cost (taikyo hiyō) to cover repairs and cleaning. Understanding how this cost is calculated, what is a fair price, and what you are and are not responsible for is the best way to avoid being overcharged and to make your move-out go smoothly.
What Exactly Is a "Move-Out Cost"?
A move-out cost is the amount a tenant pays, at the end of a tenancy, toward restoring the unit to a condition close to how it was before move-in. In practice this money is applied to two things: repairing fixtures and surfaces damaged during the tenancy, and professional house cleaning to prepare the room for the next tenant.
What Does "Restoration to Original Condition" Actually Require?
The Japanese term for this obligation is genjō kaifuku: restoring the room to the state it was in when you moved in, with one key exception — ordinary wear and tear and deterioration from normal aging are explicitly excluded from the tenant's responsibility. A patch of discoloration on the wall behind the refrigerator, caused simply by the appliance blocking airflow over time, counts as ordinary wear and is the landlord's cost to bear. Damage caused by clear negligence or misuse — mold from condensation left untreated for months, or a fixture broken through mishandling — is charged to the tenant instead.
House Cleaning Fees
Separately from repairs, tenants are typically billed for professional house cleaning covering the kitchen, toilet, bathroom, and other water-use areas. This applies even if you kept the apartment spotless: a specialist cleaning pass is standard practice between tenancies, not a penalty for how you lived.
How Much Should You Expect to Pay?
The total move-out cost depends heavily on the size and layout of the unit. The table below shows typical house-cleaning charges by floor plan.
| Floor Plan | Typical House Cleaning Cost |
| Studio / 1K | ¥15,000–¥30,000 |
| 1DK / 1LDK | ¥20,000–¥40,000 |
| 2DK / 2LDK | ¥30,000–¥50,000 |
| 3DK / 3LDK | ¥50,000–¥80,000 |
Once repair costs are added on top of cleaning, the average total move-out cost comes to roughly ¥50,000 for a studio through a 1LDK, around ¥80,000 for a 2K through a 2LDK, and around ¥90,000 for a 3DK or larger.
How Is the Final Amount Decided?
Two factors mainly determine what a tenant actually owes: the useful life of the fixture or finish being repaired, and whether the lease contains a special clause (tokuyaku) that overrides the usual rule.
How Depreciation Reduces What You Owe
Interior finishes are treated as depreciating assets under Japanese rental practice. Wallpaper, for instance, has an assumed useful life of six years. If a tenant moves out three years after a brand-new wallpaper installation, its value has already fallen by roughly half, so out of a ¥60,000 replacement cost, the tenant would only be responsible for about ¥30,000 — the remaining, undepreciated value. In short, the longer you have lived somewhere, the smaller your share of any repair bill becomes, and once a fixture's useful life has fully expired, its residual value drops to essentially nothing.
The Exception: Special Clauses in the Lease
Depreciation-based reductions can be overridden if your lease contains a special clause — for example, a clause stating that if smoking occurred inside the unit, the tenant must cover the full cost of replacing the wall and ceiling wallpaper regardless of how long they lived there. Where such a clause exists and was properly explained at signing, the tenant may be liable for the full amount even though the fixture would otherwise be mostly depreciated. This is why it is worth reading the special-clauses section of your lease before you sign, not after you move out.
What You Do — and Don't — Have to Pay For
The following are generally treated as the tenant's responsibility:
- Scratches or dents caused while moving furniture in or out
- Grease stains or mold that resulted from neglecting routine cleaning
- Torn sliding doors (fusuma) or paper screens (shōji)
- Damage caused by leaving a water leak unattended
- Walls or flooring damaged by do-it-yourself work that could not be properly restored
By contrast, the following are generally not chargeable to the tenant:
- Small holes in the wall from a thumbtack or picture hook
- Indentations in the flooring left by furniture or appliances
- Discoloration on walls caused by a television or refrigerator
- Fading of walls or flooring from sunlight exposure
- Cleaning the inside of an air conditioner unit
What to Do If You Are Billed an Excessive Move-Out Cost
If you believe you have been charged an unfairly high move-out cost, the following steps can help:
- Check the relevant case examples in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's official guideline, "Trouble and Guidelines Concerning Restoration to Original Condition," which sets out the standard division of responsibility between landlords and tenants
- Ask your landlord or management company for a detailed, itemized breakdown of the charges rather than accepting a single lump-sum figure
- If you are still not satisfied with the explanation, contact the national Consumer Hotline (dial 188) or the Japan Association of Rental Housing Management, both of which handle disputes of this kind
How to Keep Your Move-Out Costs Down
A few simple habits during your tenancy can meaningfully reduce what you owe when you leave:
- Photograph any existing scratches or stains as soon as you move in, so there is a clear record of the unit's starting condition
- Clean water-use areas regularly to prevent mold from taking hold
- If you need to put a hole in the wall, keep it to the size of a thin pin rather than a larger nail or screw
- If you keep a pet, take proper precautions to protect the floors and walls
- Do whatever cleaning you reasonably can yourself before the professional cleaning crew arrives
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I Get My Security Deposit Back When I Move Out?
If the move-out cost is less than your security deposit (shikikin), the remaining balance will be refunded to you. That said, because house cleaning fees are almost always deducted as a matter of course, it is uncommon to have the full deposit returned.
When Is the Move-Out Cost Actually Settled?
Settlement is typically completed within one to two months after you move out. Where the amount is deducted from your security deposit, any remaining balance is refunded to you, and if the costs exceed the deposit, you will be billed for the difference.
Am I Allowed to Handle the Restoration Work Myself?
If your lease specifies that restoration work must be carried out by a professional contractor, doing it yourself instead may put you in breach of contract. Light cleaning on your own is generally fine, but attempting more substantial repairs yourself is best avoided.
Does the Move-Out Cost Get Cheaper After Living Somewhere for Over 10 Years?
Yes. Once a fixture's useful life has been fully exhausted, its residual value is treated as essentially zero, so under normal use, a long-term tenant's share of repair costs should be minimal.
