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Getting Your Deposit Back敷金の返還·shikikin no henkan

Normal wear and tear is the landlord’s cost, not yours. Most people accept deductions they do not owe.

Not verified yet

Drafted from general knowledge. Amounts, thresholds and deadlines change and vary by insurer and municipality — confirm with the office named here before you rely on it.

Why it matters

Moving out is where foreign tenants quietly lose the most money. An itemised bill arrives against your deposit — repainting, new flooring, a full clean — and it is paid without question because the tenant is already gone, possibly out of the country, and does not know the rules. The rule is that ordinary wear and tear from living normally is the landlord’s expense. Guidelines from the national ministry say so, and they are what a consumer centre will cite for you. You are allowed to disagree with the bill.

Deadline
Deal with it at the move-out inspection — not after
Cost
Free
Time
A 30-minute inspection; refunds take 1–2 months

Do these first

  1. 1Move-in Notification 転入届
  2. 2Get a Phone Contract 携帯電話契約
  3. 3Residence Card Address Update 在留カード裏面住所記載
  4. 4Open a Bank Account 銀行口座開設
  5. 5Rent an Apartment 賃貸物件の申込み

What to bring

  • Your lease賃貸借契約書·chintaishaku keiyakusho

    Special clauses (特約) about cleaning fees live here. Read them before the inspection, not after.

  • Photos from when you moved in入居時の写真·nyūkyoji no shashin

    The single best thing you can do, and it costs ten minutes on day one.

How it goes

  1. 1

    Photograph everything the day you move in

    Every mark, scuff, stain and worn patch, with timestamps. This is the entire ball game. A tenant with dated photographs is in a completely different negotiating position from one without, and it takes ten minutes.

  2. 2

    Know what you actually owe for

    You are responsible for damage you caused beyond normal living — a hole in a wall, a burn, a stain from a spill you left. You are generally not responsible for sun-faded flooring, furniture dents in tatami, wallpaper aged by time, or a routine clean. Fixed cleaning fees written into the lease as a special clause can be enforceable, so check what you signed.

  3. 3

    Attend the move-out inspection. Do not skip it.

    Be there, walk the property with them, and do not sign anything you disagree with. Signing an inspection sheet that lists damage is how the argument ends before it starts. You can write your disagreement on the form.

    Say this

    これは通常の使用による損耗だと思います。

    Kore wa tsūjō no shiyō ni yoru sonmō da to omoimasu.

    I think this is normal wear and tear.

  4. 4

    Ask for the bill itemised

    A single lump sum is not a bill. Ask for line items with amounts and the reason for each. Vague charges frequently shrink once someone has to write down what they are for.

    Say this

    内訳を出していただけますか。

    Uchiwake o dashite itadakemasu ka.

    Could I have an itemised breakdown, please?

  5. 5

    If it is unfair, the consumer centre is free

    Your local consumer affairs centre (消費生活センター) advises on exactly this, at no cost, and often in more than one language. They know the guidelines and landlords know they know. Contacting them is frequently enough on its own.