Management covers what happens after you own a property. Across property management, rental management, running a real estate business and renovation, it explains how to improve occupancy, tenant satisfaction, repair planning and profitability. It gives owners and management companies practical know-how for on-the-ground issues such as reducing vacancy, handling move-out restoration and long-term repairs. It reflects lessons from managing 400-plus units in our own operations.
This section is updated on an ongoing basis as new public information and market developments emerge.
The right time to sell a Japanese mansion (condominium) hinges on four factors: market prices, the neighborhood, building age, and distance to the station. This guide explains the data behind each one, with currency conversions and comparisons for English-speaking property investors.
A practical, Japan-specific guide to house cleaning for pre-owned condominiums used as rental property — a cost item with no exact equivalent in most Western property-management budgets. We cover market rates by floor plan (from around ¥15,000, approx. USD 95, for a studio to ¥100,000, approx. USD 633, for a four-bedroom unit), the ordering process, red flags in vendor selection, and how cleaning interacts with Japan's security deposit and restoration-of-rental-property rules, from the operating perspective of a hands-on rental property manager.
In Japan, MLIT restoration guidelines apply no aging discount to partial flooring repairs. A guide for overseas investors to tenant vs. landlord repair liability, how full replacement differs, and the useful life of composite vs. solid-wood floors.
A guide to what landlords in Japan need to know about evicting a tenant — the legitimate grounds required, how to give proper notice, how to negotiate, when to bring in a lawyer, and what belongs in a settlement agreement.
As Japan's pachinko industry shrinks, former parlor sites are emerging as a distinctive category of commercial real estate: over 100 tsubo (330-plus sqm) of soundproofed floor space in strong locations. Here is how international investors can weigh the ikinuki turnkey advantages and disadvantages, and repurpose these properties into fitness, amusement, or karaoke venues.
In Japan, vacant land loses the residential tax reduction and can face up to 6x higher fixed asset tax. Here is how the akiya risk and reduction system work — and how to legally lower the burden.
Becoming a building owner in Japan — the office-building counterpart to mansion investing — requires no special license and can start with roughly a 5% down payment. Here is what international investors should know about the yield, the risks, and Japan's distinctive skeleton-handover lease practice.
In Japan, planning an office relocation must start six months in advance. Here’s how to choose a specialist vendor that handles LAN wiring and confidential-document disposal, and how to manage the full cost of the move.
Japan's shikikin (敷金) security deposit system runs on rules with no direct Western equivalent: a 2020 Civil Code reform, an equipment-age depreciation formula, and regional customs like key money and deposit forfeiture. Here is how the refund actually works, what the move-out walkthrough involves, and what to do about a bill you don't agree with, with all yen figures converted to USD.
A guide to renovating washitsu, traditional Japanese tatami rooms, in Japanese rental properties for international investors, covering Western-style conversion, wa-modern styling, and DIY options, with cost-benefit calculations and the impact on rent and vacancy rates.
A practical guide to selling residential property at a high price in Japan, covering the traits of top-selling homes, choosing between an agency-brokered sale (chūkai) and a direct purchase (kaitori), and how to optimize viewing preparation, listing timing, and asking price.
A practical guide to replacing built-in equipment in Japanese rental properties — stove burners, range hoods, water heaters, and air conditioners — with replacement timing, USD-converted cost benchmarks, and how Japan's tax rules treat the expense. Essential context for international owners managing rental property in Japan.
A guide for international investors and property managers to PC-zō (precast concrete) apartment buildings in Japan: what it is, how it differs from RC-zō, its soundproofing, fire- and earthquake-resistance advantages, and its rent and thermal-comfort drawbacks.
A look at Japan's chumon jutaku (custom-order house) system: average construction costs (approx. $225,000 for the building, $256,000 including land), the ancillary fees buyers often miss, and how to choose among hausu meeka, komuten, and architectural design offices.
Japan's shikikin deposit is a statutory right, not a landlord courtesy. Learn the legal basis, the 5-year statute of limitations, and the three-step escalation path from a verbal request to certified mail to small-claims court.
What a new three-story house really costs in Japan — per-tsubo pricing, structural calculation fees, and ground-improvement costs, all compared with a two-story build and converted to USD. Includes four practical ways to save.
A complete guide to the five core benefits of investing in Japanese real estate — stable income, tax savings, inflation resilience, a built-in life-insurance mechanism, and capital gains — framed for international investors, alongside the risk-management points unique to Japan's rental market.
A guide for overseas investors to Japan's annual kotei shisan zei property tax — how the 1.4% assessed-value formula works, when the four installments are due, and legal ways to lower the bill, including the condo-versus-house difference and common assessment errors.
A clear guide to Japan's house-maker model — its benefits, drawbacks, and key differences from a local kōmuten builder — plus how to make the most of show-home parks when planning a home build in Japan.
Learn how Japan's kotei shisan zei (fixed asset tax) is calculated for parking lot operations, why it runs higher than on residential land, and proven tax-saving strategies alongside the related city planning tax. Consult INA&Associates for expert guidance.
Furniture placement can transform how livable a room feels. This guide explains practical layout tips — securing the flow line, using window space wisely, and creating smart partitions — drawn from how compact Japanese rental apartments are actually furnished.
Japan's built-in range hoods (renji fūdo) typically last 8 to 10 years. Learn the boot, slim, and flat hood types, who pays for replacement in a rental unit, and what it costs in yen and US dollars.
In Japan, choosing customers is not exclusion. It is a management responsibility to protect the value you can deliver and the trust you have built — for both your people and your clients.
In Japan there is a management philosophy called isoganai keiei, "unhurried management." It is not slowness. It is the discipline of separating what must move fast from what must be given time, and it shapes how Japanese owners protect real-estate value across decades.
Drawing on conversations with Japan's ultra-high-net-worth families, this essay explores a definition of wealth that asset figures alone cannot measure: time, trust, optionality, and the calm of a well-prepared succession.
A Japan-specific guide to turning a vacant apartment into an office or SOHO property: the advantages, disadvantages, tax burden, and change-of-use registration, seen from the owner’s perspective for investors eyeing better returns.
A practical guide to Japan’s distinctive rental-conversion process — key money, renewal fees, fixed-term leases, and more — for owners turning a vacant Japanese home into income property.
A Japan-specific guide for international investors: what “tenant” means in the Japanese market, the three property types tenants occupy — retail, office, and warehouse — how tenant leasing differs from a street-front shop, and the concrete methods (REINS, real estate sites, web ads, flyers) and success factors for attracting tenants to a Japanese property.
A guide for international landlords to Japan's three most frequent rental disputes — rent delinquency, rule violations, and noise complaints — and how Japanese owners prevent and resolve them, from rent-guarantee companies to soundproofing and tenant screening.
What does a "real-estate firm that won't sell your home" mean in Japan? Before any transaction, INA looks at the life, assets, time, and trust behind the property.