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Move-Out Inspection and Deposit Negotiation in Japan

Japan move out inspection decides how much of your shikikin comes back. The walkthrough itself is short, but the settlement that follows it determines every deduction.1

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). This article is general information, not legal advice; for your specific case, consult a licensed lawyer (bengoshi) for a contested deposit claim or court filing.

Overview​

This guide covers the attended walkthrough, the line between tenant damage and normal wear, the common cost-inflation pattern, and the dispute path. It applies to private rental housing at market-equivalent rent nationwide.21

Restoration to original condition does not mean returning the room to its move-in state. A tenant who used the room normally returns it as is, and only damage from intent, negligence, or abnormal use is compensated.1

The 敷金 (shikikin, "security deposit") secures unpaid rent and damage compensation. If no landlord-side claim exists at handover, the full amount returns; otherwise the landlord deducts the proven amount and returns the balance.1

How the Move-Out Inspection Works​

The inspection is a joint confirmation, not a settlement meeting. You gather facts on site and settle money later against the itemized statement.1

Who attends and when it happens​

The agency staff member, the landlord-representative, and you walk the empty room together. MLIT recommends both sides attend at move-in and move-out and record condition with a checklist plus photos.1

Empty the room and finish your own cleaning before they arrive. Missing keys, leftover belongings, or an unfurnished-but-dirty room create separate charges that confuse the restoration discussion.1

Bring your contract, photos, and checklist to the walkthrough

Bring the lease with any special clauses, the move-in photos, and fresh move-out photos. You will match each claimed damage against that evidence on the spot.1

A signature that only confirms damage exists is not agreement to pay every listed amount. Cost allocation still follows the guideline or a valid special clause.1

If you explicitly agree to bear a specific amount, that confirmation basically fixes it. Even then, wear you never owed stays non-payable, so state disagreements in writing before you sign.1

What you receive after inspection​

The landlord must explain the basis for every deduction from the deposit. You can demand the itemized statement and an explanation of each line.1

If no statement arrives after handover, request it in writing. Do not accept a verbal total without quantities, unit prices, or room-by-room attribution.1

The deposit claim arises only after you hand the building back, unless the contract fixes another time. That ordering matters: holding the keys while waiting for money delays the point at which your claim exists.1

What Landlords Can Deduct​

Landlords can deduct genuine tenant-caused damage beyond normal wear, plus unpaid rent and contractual arrears. Every line should trace to the contract or the guideline.1

Tenant-caused damage examples​

Damage from intent, negligence, breach of the duty of care, or use exceeding normal use is tenant-borne. Typical cases include deep scratches requiring wallpaper replacement, cigarette burns, pet scratches and odors, and mold or stains from neglected cleaning.1

Tenants owe the 善管注意義務 (zenkan chui gimu, "duty of care as a good manager"). Use the room with socially normal care, ventilate and clean routinely, and report leaks promptly.1

Leaving spills, condensation, or a water leak unreported turns a manageable repair into a negligence dispute. What starts as a small stain becomes chargeable once neglect is the cause.1

TermMeaning
原状回復 (genjo kaifuku, "restoration to original condition")Return damage from intent, negligence, or abnormal use; normal wear stays landlord-borne1
通常損耗 / 経年変化 (tsujo sonmo / keinen henka, "normal wear / age-related deterioration")Fading, aging, and ordinary-use wear the tenant does not pay for1
特約 (tokuyaku, "special clause")Contract term shifting duties beyond the general rule; valid only with strict conditions1

Unpaid rent and contractual arrears​

Shikikin secures anything you owe under the lease. The landlord deducts arrears and unpaid damage compensation, then returns the remainder.1

Any money serving that security function counts as shikikin regardless of its label. A line called guarantee money on a regional contract is still a deposit in substance.1

A contract may pre-fix a damage amount as scheduled damages. Such a figure is not always enforceable and can fail against actual loss under the Civil Code or the Consumer Contract Act.1

Civil Code Article 621 states the restoration duty and Article 622-2 defines the deposit and its return after lease end and property return. Both sit in the post-April 2020 framework the MLIT materials apply.3

What Landlords Cannot Deduct​

Age deterioration and normal-use wear are landlord-borne absent a valid special clause. A lease line reading only "restore to original condition and vacate" does not make you pay for full interior renewal.1

Sunlight discoloration, nail holes, ordinary aging​

Sunlight fading of wallpaper or flooring, small picture-hook holes within normal use, furniture dents in carpet, and age-related fixture wear are items the guideline treats as non-deductible. They reflect time and ordinary living, not tenant fault.1

Damaged 襖 (fusuma, "sliding paper doors"), 障子 (shoji, "paper-screen doors"), or tatami surfaces follow the same split. Tenant-damaged sheets are replaced per damaged sheet; age or normal-use wear alone costs you nothing.1

Where a long tenancy passed with no landlord-side replacement, the boundary blurs. Discuss whether the wear exceeds normal use rather than accepting a full-replacement demand at face value.1

Upgrade costs stay with the landlord in every case

The tenant does not bear upgrade costs such as higher-grade wallpaper beyond the worn state adjusted for elapsed years and normal wear. Ask for the cost breakdown when a unit price looks high.1

Ordinary cleaning before re-letting​

Ordinary professional cleaning before re-letting is landlord-borne where the tenant already performed normal cleaning. It becomes tenant-borne only through a valid cleaning special clause.1

A cleaning clause is judged on three points. The tenant-borne scope must be shown, the intent to shift normally landlord-borne wear plus its concrete scope must be stated or explained, and the amount must be reasonable.1

Courts split on vague versus explicit clauses. One court upheld a clearly agreed 25,000 yen plus tax professional-cleaning term, while another held a generic "tenant bears room-cleaning costs" line was merely a general restoration statement, not a valid wear shift.1

A disadvantageous clause needs three conditions: objective reasonable necessity without profiteering, tenant recognition of the extra duty, and tenant declaration of intent. Without your understanding and agreement it is not established.1

The Cost-Inflation Pattern to Watch​

The most reported inflation pattern is full-unit replacement billed for partial damage. Knowing the guideline cap lets you cut the bill to its proper scope.14

Full-wallpaper replacement for a partial stain​

One stained wall billed as whole-room repapering to match color is the frequent case. The guideline caps your burden at the minimum workable unit, at most the damaged wall where unavoidable, not the whole room.1

The National Consumer Affairs Center warns about settlements where tenants are told wallpaper is always fully replaced. Its 2025 notice advises consulting a local consumer affairs center when no agreement is reached.4

Where a billed unit price looks high versus a prior tenancy, ask for the breakdown. Material grade and labor differ per property, and no universal unit price exists.1

Depreciation and burden ratio​

Your share shrinks with time. Restoration costs assume the worn state adjusted for elapsed years and normal wear, so a longer tenancy reduces the remaining value you must cover.1

The guideline structures this as elapsed-years thinking, substitution by years of occupancy, and items that ignore elapsed years, with part-by-part burden tables. You do not need the tables to argue the principle: older finishes carry less remaining value.2

Check whether the bill ignored elapsed years entirely

A bill charging full new-material price after years of occupancy contradicts the guideline. Ask how elapsed years and normal wear were applied to each line.1

How to Dispute a Bill​

Work the steps in order: itemization, negotiation, consumer center, then formal routes. Each step looks stronger when the prior one is documented.15

Ask for itemization in writing​

Demand the 精算書 (seisan-sho, "itemized deposit settlement statement") with room, item, quantity, and unit price for every charge. Challenge each line against the contract and the guideline in writing.1

Do not sign a final-amount confirmation under pressure. Take the statement home, compare it with your photos, and reply with the lines you accept and the lines you dispute.1

Consumer Affairs Center and the 188 hotline​

Consumer Hotline 188 connects you to the nearby consumer affairs center or consultation window. Enter your home postal code per the voice guidance to reach the right office (as of 2026-09; confirm current guidance with the Consumer Affairs Agency).5

Consultation itself is free, though navigation-dial call charges apply once connected: 8.5 yen (9.35 yen incl. tax) per 180 seconds from a fixed line, 10 yen (11 yen incl. tax) per 20 seconds from a mobile, and 10 yen per 40 seconds from a public phone (as of 2026-09).5 Check the recorded guidance before the call connects, since plan-dependent exceptions apply.5

Reception is generally weekdays 9:00 to 17:00 and weekends and holidays 10:00 to 16:00, varying by office and open in principle daily except year-end and inspection days. Some IP or prepaid phones cannot connect and must call the local center directly.56

Counselors advise, help negotiate with the business, or refer you to lawyers or welfare bodies. Bring the contract, the itemized bill, move-in and move-out photos, and your written negotiation history.6

Tokyo adds local windows: the Rental Housing Hotline on 03-5320-4958 and the Guidance and Consultation Team on 03-5320-5071 on weekdays in Japanese, plus the Tokyo Metropolitan Comprehensive Consumer Center on 03-3235-1155 Monday to Saturday in Japanese and English (as of 2019-12 publication).7

Certified mail and small-claims court​

If email and calls stall, send a formal demand by content-certified mail. State the amount requested, the disputed items, the guideline or contract basis, a deadline, and the next step.1

Mediation and arbitration sit between negotiation and court. The guideline devotes a full chapter to rapid-resolution systems including conciliation, mediation, and administrative consultation.2

Small-claims procedure covers money claims of 600,000 yen or less at the summary court with jurisdiction over the defendant address. It is decided in principle in a single hearing with limited same-day evidence.1

ItemAmountAs ofNotes
Small-claims filing fee at 600,000 yen claim value6,000 yen2026-091Court fee for the maximum small-claims band; smaller claims cost less

Tokyo guidance points the same way: where dialogue fails, civil conciliation and small-claims action are the routes, with general information at Tokyo consultation services and filing details at the summary court.7

Good to know​

Photograph everything at move-in and move-out​

Shoot every wall, floor, fixture, window, wet area, and appliance on the day you receive the keys, with date stamps on. Send pre-existing defects to the agent in writing so the timing of each mark is fixed before you unpack.1

Repeat the set after furniture removal and cleaning at move-out. The before-and-after pair is what turns a "your damage" claim into a "pre-existing wear" correction.1

Do not sign the settlement on the spot if you disagree​

Treat the walkthrough as information gathering. Ask the inspector to identify each claimed damage item, what work is planned, and how it was priced, then take the paper home.1

An explicit agreement to bear an amount basically fixes it. Writing "to be confirmed later" next to disputed items preserves room that a clean signature closes.1

Check your contract for a fixed cleaning-fee special clause​

Read the cleaning line before you argue it. An explicit, explained, reasonable fixed amount can be upheld, while a generic cleaning line may fail as a wear shift.1

That distinction belongs to the companion discussion of fixed-amount cleaning clauses. For this inspection, the practical point is simple: the clause text decides whether cleaning is even negotiable.1

Tokyo tenants receive a separate restoration explanation sheet​

In Tokyo, the broker must deliver and explain a dedicated restoration document apart from the important-matters sheet, covering the general rule, any special clauses, repair duties, and contact points.7 Outside Tokyo, no such duty exists, so request the same explanation yourself.

See also​

References​

Footnotes​

  1. 国土交通省 (MLIT). 「原状回復をめぐるトラブルとガイドライン」（再改訂版）のQ&A (Q1–Q17). https://www.mlit.go.jp/jutakukentiku/house/jutakukentiku_house_tk3_000024.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24 ↩25 ↩26 ↩27 ↩28 ↩29 ↩30 ↩31 ↩32 ↩33 ↩34 ↩35 ↩36 ↩37 ↩38 ↩39 ↩40 ↩41 ↩42 ↩43 ↩44 ↩45 ↩46 ↩47 ↩48 ↩49

  2. 国土交通省 (MLIT). 「原状回復をめぐるトラブルとガイドライン」（再改訂版）のダウンロード. https://www.mlit.go.jp/jutakukentiku/house/jutakukentiku_house_tk3_000021.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. e-Gov法令検索. 民法 (明治29年法律第89号). https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/129AC0000000089 ↩

  4. 国民生活センター (National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan). 賃貸住宅の退去時トラブル対応注意喚起 (2025-02-21). https://www.kokusen.go.jp/news/data/n-20250221_1.html ↩ ↩2

  5. 消費者庁 (Consumer Affairs Agency). 消費者ホットライン (188). https://www.caa.go.jp/policies/policy/local_cooperation/local_consumer_administration/hotline/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  6. 政府広報オンライン (Cabinet Office). どうしよう?困ったときは、消費者ホットライン188番にご相談を! https://www.gov-online.go.jp/useful/article/201807/1.html ↩ ↩2

  7. 東京都住宅政策本部 (Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Office for Housing Policy). Ordinance for the Prevention of Residential Rental Disputes in Tokyo and Guidelines for Preventing Tenant-Landlord Disputes (English, December 2019). https://www.juutakuseisaku.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/documents/d/juutakuseisaku/310-23-00-jyuutaku_eng ↩ ↩2 ↩3