When considering moving to a shared house, it is important to understand the specific initial costs.
In this article, we will introduce the initial costs and breakdown of costs for a shared house, as well as how the costs compare to regular rental properties.
If you are concerned about the costs involved in starting a new life, be sure to check this out.
If you are looking for a property, please contact us via LINE.
Breakdown of initial costs for a share house
First, let me introduce the breakdown of the initial costs for living in a shared house.
rent
Rent is paid for that month when you move into a share house, so it is included in the initial costs.
If you move in at the beginning of the month, you will pay full month's rent. If you move in mid-month, you will pay pro rata rent from the day you move in to the last day of the month.
When calculating the daily rent, use the formula "one month's rent / 30 days x number of days of occupancy in the first month." The formula may differ depending on the management company, so be sure to check with the person in charge in advance.
Common area fee
The initial costs of living in a shared house include rent as well as monthly maintenance fees.
Common area fees are the monthly living expenses in a shared house, such as utility bills and daily necessities.
The exact amount of the common area fee will vary depending on the share house, but the general guideline is around 10,000 to 15,000 yen per month.
Contract fee (administrative fee)
The contract fee is also included in the initial costs of the share house.
The contract fee is a fee paid to the management company that provides support such as showing the property and completing the application process.
It is similar to the "brokerage fee" for typical rental properties such as condominiums and apartments, and the average rate is around 30,000 to 50,000 yen.
The cleaning fee at the time of moving out is also deducted from this contract fee, so you do not have to pay a cleaning fee when you move out.
However, depending on the share house management company, you may be required to pay a cancellation fee when you move out, so be sure to check with the management company about this as well.
Deposit (security deposit)
The initial costs of living in a shared house consist mainly of three: rent, maintenance fees, and contract fees, but you may also be required to pay a deposit.
A deposit, also known as a security deposit or a deposit, is a fee charged to prevent users from failing to pay their fees.
For example, if you damage any of the facilities or interior while you are tenant, the repair costs will be paid from this deposit.
This is similar to a security deposit, but with the exception of a shared house, it can be kept much cheaper, at around 10,000 to 50,000 yen.
Also, depending on the property, your deposit may be returned when you move out, so it's a good idea to check with the person in charge in advance to find out the detailed regulations.
Cross House, which operates this site, does not require payment of a security deposit. If you want to keep your initial costs down, please contact Cross House.
If you are looking for a property, please contact us via LINE.
Breakdown and comparison of initial costs for a typical rental property
So far, we have introduced the breakdown of the initial costs of living in a shared house.
Next, we will introduce the breakdown of initial costs when renting a property other than a shared house and compare the amounts.
If you would like to know the specific differences in initial costs between the two, please refer to this article.
Breakdown of initial costs for a typical rental property
- rent
- Deposit and key money
- Brokerage fee
- Fire insurance premiums
- Key exchange fee
- Cleaning costs
Looking at the breakdown above, we can see that the initial costs for a typical rental property have more items than a shared house.
In addition, fire insurance is often optional in shared houses, and some places do not charge cleaning fees.
To easily compare the difference in initial costs between the two, we have put together the amounts in the table below based on the market prices for each, assuming a rent of 45,000 yen.
Comparison of initial costs for a share house and a regular rental property
| Share House | Typical rental property | |
| rent | 30,000 yen | 30,000 yen |
| Common area fee | 10,000 yen | 2,500 yen |
| Contract fee | 30,000 yen | none |
| Deposit | none | 30,000 yen |
| key money | none | 30,000 yen |
| Brokerage fee | none | 33,000 yen |
| Insurance company usage fee | none | 15,000 yen |
| Fire insurance premiums | none | 7,500 yen |
| Key exchange fee | none | 7,500 yen |
| total | 70,000 yen | 155,500 yen |
Even if the rent is the same, you will find that the initial costs for a shared house are about half that of a regular rental property.
Furthermore, the common area fee can be used to cover utility bills and the cost of purchasing daily necessities, so you can even save on living expenses.
If you are looking for a property, please contact us via LINE.
How to reduce the initial costs of living in a shared house
So far, we have introduced the differences in initial costs between a shared house and a regular rental property.
Did you figure out the difference between the two?
Finally, we will introduce ways to further reduce the initial costs of sharing a house.
Method 1: Choose a share house with a flat initial fee
You will be more likely to be able to keep costs down if you choose a shared house where the initial costs are set at a flat rate.
This is because in order to keep initial costs down, it is important to have a clear understanding of the breakdown of costs.
If initial costs vary depending on the rent, you may end up spending more than you expected, but if the fee is flat, you can calculate the costs in advance, making it easier to plan.
Method 2: Choose a share house that is running a campaign
Another way to reduce initial costs is to look for properties that are running special campaigns for tenants.
For example, some share house management companies offer services such as halving the initial fees or offering the first month's rent for free to people who sign a contract during a campaign period.
Therefore, we recommend that you search for properties that are running campaigns.
Please contact Cross House for great deals and campaigns.
Method 3: Choose a reasonable room type
Since the initial costs include rent, choosing a room with reasonable rent is one way to keep costs down.
Share house rooms can be broadly divided into three types: dormitories, semi-private rooms, and private rooms.
These rooms come in different price ranges, with dormitories being the most affordable type.
A dormitory is a shared room with bunk beds.
You will use one of the bunk beds as your personal space, and share the other with the other occupants of the room.
Some shared houses have beds equipped with tables, clotheslines, storage boxes, curtains, and other features to create a comfortable space.
This is recommended for people who want to keep initial costs down or who want to try living in a share house for a short period of time.
If you are looking for a property, please contact us via LINE.
The initial cost of living in a shared house is about half that of a regular rental property.
What did you think?
In this article, we have introduced the breakdown of the initial costs of living in a shared house and how it differs from a regular rental property.
The initial costs for living in a shared house are basically the sum of rent, maintenance fees, and contract fees.
On the other hand, the initial costs for a typical rental property have many items, and even when comparing the costs, it ends up costing more than twice as much as a shared house.
Therefore, if you want to keep your initial costs as low as possible, why not consider moving to a shared house?
Cross House is currently running great campaigns such as "no initial costs," "one month's rent free," and "half price for the first month's rent"!
If you are thinking about moving to a share house, please feel free to contact us.
If you are looking for a property, please contact us via LINE.
