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Summary
- When you leave an apartment, you may be billed a move-out fee (退去費用). Part of it is often not your responsibility.
- You do not have to return the room to “like new.” Normal wear is the landlord’s cost.
- You only pay for damage you caused (cigarette stains, spills, broken items).
- Foreigners are often overcharged because of an information gap. Knowing the rule protects you from paying tens of thousands of yen you don’t owe.
Move-out fees are one of the most common ways foreign tenants lose money in Japan. Some people are billed ¥300,000-400,000 for a single room. Much of that is often unfair. This guide explains what you legally owe, what you don’t, and how to push back.
- The one rule that decides everything
- Examples: what you owe and what you don’t
- Why foreigners get overcharged
- What is the average move-out cost?
- If it looks too high, or you cannot pay
- How to protect yourself – before and after
- If the amount is unfair
- Frequently asked questions
- Before you rent your next place
The one rule that decides everything
Japanese law is clear: you pay only for damage you caused through carelessness or misuse. Normal wear-and-tear is the landlord’s responsibility, because it’s already covered by the rent you paid.
In short: normal living = free; things you broke = you pay. Returning the room to “brand new” is not required, and charging you for aging or sun-faded wallpaper is unfair.
Examples: what you owe and what you don’t
| Situation | Who pays |
|---|---|
| Wallpaper faded from sunlight | Landlord |
| Small dents in the floor from furniture | Landlord |
| General aging after years of living | Landlord |
| Yellow stains / smell from smoking indoors | You |
| A drink spilled and left a stain on the floor | You |
| A door or fixture you broke | You |
| Mould from never ventilating the bathroom | You (neglect) |
Why foreigners get overcharged
Overcharging happens because of an information gap. Some management companies earn extra profit from move-out fees, and tenants who don’t know the rules – especially foreigners, who may face a language barrier – accept whatever they’re told.
Watch for these red flags:
- Claiming a small mark requires a full renovation of the whole room
- Cleaning fees far above the normal market rate
- A single vague total with no itemised breakdown
What is the average move-out cost?
For a one-room or 1K flat of roughly 15 to 20 square metres, expect somewhere around 20,000 to 40,000 yen. If you simply lived there normally, 20,000 to 35,000 yen is the usual range.
Use that figure carefully, though. Cheap does not mean correct and expensive does not automatically mean unfair. The amount is not settled by an average. It is settled by one question.
Did you break it, or did time? The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism guideline says wear from ordinary living, and ageing, are not the tenant’s cost. Sun-faded wallpaper, dents where furniture stood, pinholes in the wall – those are not yours to pay for.
So treat the average as a signal, not an answer. Far above it means open the itemised bill.
If it looks too high, or you cannot pay
Sometimes the invoice arrives and you simply stop.
1. Ask for the breakdown. A bill that says only “restoration costs, one set” is reason enough to ask. What was repaired, where, and for how much – request the itemised list and photographs if they exist. Asking is not rude.
2. Look for ordinary wear inside it. Wallpaper replaced across the whole room, a full cleaning package, every tatami mat swapped. As this article explained earlier, those are not costs a tenant carries in full. This is where the number actually moves.
3. If you cannot pay it at once, say so. Some management companies will agree to instalments or give you time. Going quiet and letting it go unpaid is the worst available outcome, because being unreachable is what really causes them trouble. The earlier you speak, the easier the conversation.
4. If you still disagree, take it outside. Consumer affairs centres handle housing-money disputes like this one. The nationwide number is 188, which routes you to your local office, and advice is free.
If you cannot explain this in Japanese
Honestly: whether an interpreter joins the 188 call depends on your municipality. Nationwide multilingual coverage does not exist yet.
For Nepali, Sinhala, Vietnamese and others, the reliable line is the Immigration Information Centre on 0570-013904, weekdays 8:30 to 17:15. It works in Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Nepali, Thai, Burmese and Sinhala. It exists for residence procedures, but it is a usable starting point when you do not know where to ask.
Whatever you do, do not simply leave without paying and without answering. An unpaid balance and an unreachable tenant end up on record with the guarantor company, and that follows you to the next flat – their screening looks at payment history.
How to protect yourself – before and after
- Photograph the room at move-in. Date-stamped photos prove what was already there. Do the same at move-out.
- Keep your contract and read the restoration (原状回復) clause – see our guide to rental contracts.
- Ask for an itemised bill. “Please give me a line-by-line breakdown” (明細をください). A fair company can show what each charge is for.
- Don’t sign or pay on the spot if the amount seems wrong. You can say you’ll review it and respond. You have the right to question it.
If the amount is unfair
You can push back politely and ask them to separate normal wear (landlord) from your damage. If it isn’t resolved, free consultation is available: your local government’s consumer consultation centre (消費生活センター) and, for foreign residents, multilingual support desks in many cities. Bring your contract and photos.
Official source: MLIT restoration guideline (Japanese)
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to return the room to “like new”?
No. You only restore damage you caused. Normal wear and aging are the landlord’s responsibility.
Can they take it all from my deposit?
Only the fair cost of your own damage. If your damage is less than the deposit, the rest should be returned. Ask for an itemised statement.
What if I already paid too much?
You may still be able to dispute it. Keep the receipt and breakdown and consult your local consumer centre or a foreign-resident support desk.
Is cleaning fee always my responsibility?
A basic cleaning fee may be written in the contract, but charges far above the market rate, or for normal wear, can be challenged.
Before you rent your next place
The best defence starts on day one: take photos at move-in and understand the contract. If you’re about to move, read these next:
- How renting works: costs, documents and guarantors
- Registering your new address (juminhyo)
- Getting a SIM
- Moving house: why March costs twice as much, and the order of the paperwork
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WHO WROTE THIS
mori
Japanese. I read the ministries’ own notices, orders and Q&As in the original, and I start from what my Nepalese and Sri Lankan friends in Japan actually ran into. I do not write about what I have not checked or been told.
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