Tips and Notes on How to Rent an Apartment
How to Find an Apartment in Tokushima
- In general, students or people ask a real estate agency to find their apartment, you may also contact TU Co-op and ask them find an apartment for you. Every early Feburuary, TU Co-op holds Apartment Fare and posts various apartment information around the campus. Of course, UT Co-op supports to find your apartment as usual and there is no commission to a real-estate agent if you contract at UT Co-op.Since you can easily find various reasonable information on apartments at that fare, it may be also good to visit that fare and ask the staff to find a reasonable apartment for you.
- Click here to access TU Co-op Housing Information (in Japanese only)
- If you are going to rent an apartment at a real-estate agent other than TU Co-op, please consult with the Division of International Affairs.
Basic Knowledge to Rent an Apartment
- Security Deposit and Key Money
Average monthly rent for a single room in Tokushima City is about 25,000 yen to 60,000 yen. However, since renters need to pay following charges apart from the monthly rent for the first month, students are advised to prepare 6-7 times of the monthly rent at first:
- Security Deposit
- Key Money
- Commission to the Real Estate Agency
- Prepaid rent
- Common Service Fee
- Housing Insurance
You can find various reasonable information on apartments on the Co-op’s Housing Information. You may sometimes find cases where you do not have to pay security deposit and key money. We advise you to consult the Co-op’s housing service at first.
- About Guarantor for Housing
In Japan, renters need to find a guarantor before they rent an apartment. Please consult your advisor about this first.
About TU Guarantee System for International Students
Tokushima University (TU) started a guarantee system for International students that TU (Director of International Center) act as a guarantor when you rent an apartment. In order to use this system, an international student himself / herself has to be registered at TU and also has to make a contract for “Renters’ Insurance for foreign students living in Japan.”
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
- Decide an apartment and make a contract with TU Co-op or a real estate agent.
- Receive application forms for guarantee system (form 1), letter of pledge (form 2) and your own premium payment form, then pay at Japan Post Bank ATM. You must keep the payment receipt(3)!
- Submit 4 items as those form 1&2(with your supervisor’s signature and his/her seal), that payment receipt(3) and the lease contract for your apartment to TU.
- After TU screening the documents, an international student receives the contract whose guarantor is Director of the International Center.
- Afterwards, TU refund you a part of the premium of “Comprehensive Renters’ Insurance for Foreign Students Studying in Japan.”
WHERE TO APPLY
- Josanjima area: International Affairs Division (Building 4, 1F)
- Kuramoto area: Kuramoto Branch of International Affairs Division(Kuramoto Hall, 2F) or Section of Academic affairs of your department
NOTICE
- In renewing the lease contract , you are also required to contact TU and need to apply for re-admission to Housing Insurance.
- Even if you are registered at TU, there are possibilities that your application be rejected if you have been absent from school for a long time or asked TU temporary leave from school.
- In the case that there are any changes in registration details such as address or phone number, you must notify TU.
- When you graduate, complete or leave TU, you need to submit the document for Cancellation.
- Upon losing your status as an international student at our university due to graduation, resignation from our university or a change your VISA status while on a year’s leave, Tokushima University will resign as your guarantor. In this case, you are obliged to declare this fact to your landlord, TU Co-op or the real-estate agency.
- Sometimes the real-estate agency do not accept this guarantee system for International students, please ask that each.
About Housing Insurance
When you rent an apartment, please be sure to enroll in a housing insurance.
If you ask a real-estate agency to find an apartment for you, the agency will introduce you a housing insurance. You may enroll in the housing insurances they introduced you. Or you can also enroll the Comprehensive Renters’Insurance for Foreign Students Studying in Japan if your guarantor is your supervisor, Director of International Center or who is involved in TU.
About Comprehensive Renters’ Insurance for Foreign Students Studying in Japan
This insurance covers the compensation for the physical damages caused by an International student to the apartment room s/he rents or for the liability claim by the landlord to the gurrantor of the student, for example for the arrears of rent by the student.
- Application Counters
Jousanjima Campus: International Affairs Division (Building 4, 1F)
Kuramoto Campus: Kuramoto Branch of International Affairs Division (Kuramoto Hall, 2F)
- Application Period: Anytime
- Insurance Fee
One-year Membership: 4,000 yen (1.500 yen will be reimbursed later)
Two-year Membership: 8,000 yen (3,000 yen will be reimbursed later)
- Others
When you moved to another address, you must notify International Affairs Division, Kuramoto Branch of International Affairs Division and also th e academic section in your department. You can continue this insurance.
When you cancel this insurance before the contract expires with your graduation or leaving from TU, you will have a chance to receive reimbursement of the membership fee.