Signing Day: What Actually Happens
The Japan rental signing process ends at a single appointment where you hear the important-matters explanation, sign the lease, pay the lump-sum move-in costs, and learn when the key changes hands.12 It usually takes one to two hours, and most of that time is listening, not writing.
Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).
Overview
Signing day is the appointment where your application turns into a binding lease. It sits after screening approval and before move-in.1 You attend at the agency office, hear the licensed specialist read the important terms aloud, sign the lease and companion papers, and settle payment.
Most tenants sign an ordinary building lease with a 2-year term.2 Ordinary leases cover 94.7 percent of rental housing in the three major metropolitan areas (as of the Reiwa 6 survey; confirm current figures with MLIT's periodic housing market survey).2 The rest of this article walks through that standard case.
The Important-Matters Explanation
The centerpiece of signing day is the 重要事項説明 (jūyō jikō setsumei, "explanation of important matters"). A licensed specialist reads the written statement aloud before you sign anything.31 This is the last checkpoint where discrepancies surface.
MLIT publishes a sample 重要事項説明書 (jūyō jikō setsumeisho, "written statement of important matters") alongside its standard lease contracts, with versions in 14 languages for foreign tenants.1 Ask which version your agency uses.
What the specialist reads aloud
The read-aloud walkthrough covers the property outline, the rent and cost terms, the contract period and renewal terms, and the management and restriction terms.1 These are the items that bind you once you sign, so each one deserves a direct match against the listing you applied to.
Who delivers it and why it matters
The explanation is delivered by a 宅地建物取引士 (takken-shi, "licensed real-estate-transaction specialist") under the Building Lots and Buildings Transaction Business Act.3 Only a licensed specialist can give this briefing, which is why the appointment cannot be reduced to a paper drop-off.
If anything read aloud differs from the listing or the draft lease, stop the session and ask. Whether remote delivery is accepted for a given signing varies by agency, so confirm the format when you book the appointment.
What You Sign on the Day
You sign the lease itself plus a small set of companion papers. The whole signing sequence looks like this:
The lease itself
The document is the 賃貸借契約書 (chinshaku keiyakusho, "lease contract"), normally an ordinary building lease with a 2-year term.42 Its clauses set the parties, the term, the rent, and the house rules incorporated by reference.
A lease with a fixed term under one year is treated as a lease with no fixed term under the governing statute, so sub-one-year ordinary terms are not offered in practice.42 A minority of signings use a fixed-term building lease that ends at expiry with no renewal right and requires a separate written no-renewal notice.4
A fixed-term lease ends on its end date even after years of tenancy. Check for the separate no-renewal notice and ask directly whether the lease is futsū (ordinary) or teiki (fixed-term) before you sign.4
Related papers signed alongside
Alongside the lease you typically sign guarantor-company papers, fire and tenant-liability insurance papers, and a rent auto-debit authorization where one applies.5 The exact bundle varies by agency, so treat any paper you do not recognize as a question, not a formality.
Fire and tenant-liability insurance on a rental contract commonly runs on the same 2-year cycle as the lease, at roughly 10,000 to 20,000 yen depending on structure and coverage (as of 2025-06-12; confirm current figures with your agency or insurer).5 Guarantor-company renewal-time fees run roughly 10,000 yen or 10 to 30 percent of monthly rent, set lower than the initial guarantee fee (as of 2025-06-12).5
Documents to Bring
Agencies confirm the exact list when they book the appointment, and the list varies. The checklist below is the standard core; bring originals plus one copy of each unless told otherwise.
| Category | Item | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Residence card or other photo ID | Foreign residents present the residence card1 |
| Execution mark | Personal seal or signature | Use one consistent mark across all papers |
| Employment | Proof of employment | Format varies by agency |
| Income | Proof of income | Format varies by agency |
| Contact | Emergency-contact details | Sometimes a parent's contact is requested |
Identity and seal or signature
Foreign residents present the 在留カード (zairyū kādo, "residence card") as identity at signing.1 Japanese residents commonly affix a personal seal, while foreign residents commonly sign instead.
Both a seal impression and a handwritten signature are valid ways to execute the lease. Use one consistent mark across the lease and every companion paper to avoid re-execution delays.
Employment, income, and emergency-contact proofs
Agencies commonly ask for proof of employment, proof of income, and an emergency-contact entry, sometimes including a parent's contact details.61 The exact combination is agency-dependent, so confirm the list a few days ahead rather than assuming last year's paperwork from a friend's move still applies.
Paying the Move-In Costs
The lump sum is settled in full at or immediately before signing. Total move-in costs commonly land at 4 to 6 months of rent once every line item is included (as of 2026-07; confirm current figures with your agency's written estimate).6 A listing with no deposit or key money still commonly lands around 3 to 4 months, while one with both lands around 5 to 6 months (as of 2026-07).6
| Item | Amount | As of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total move-in stack | 4–6 months' rent | 2026-07 | All line items combined6 |
| Fire and tenant-liability insurance | roughly ¥10,000–20,000 | 2025-06-12 | Same 2-year cycle as the lease5 |
| Guarantor-company renewal (reference) | roughly ¥10,000 or 10–30% of monthly rent | 2025-06-12 | Initial guarantee fee is a larger separate item5 |
How the payment moves
The lump sum moves by bank transfer or occasionally in cash on the day, depending on agency instruction.6 The table above already carries the dated bands for each row, so confirm the agency's written total against it and keep the receipt.
A same-day transfer may not clear before an afternoon key release. Agencies commonly instruct payment ahead of the appointment, so ask for the deadline when you book.6
What the total typically covers
The total stacks the deposit, key money where charged, advance rent, the guarantor-company fee, the agency fee, insurance, and lock-cylinder replacement into one figure.6 The full line-item breakdown lives in the move-in cost guide; on signing day what matters is that the agency's written total matches the sum you budgeted.
Key Handover and Move-In Start
Key handover, or 鍵渡し (kagi-watashi, "key handover"), often happens at a separate appointment 1 to 2 days later or on the move-in date itself rather than at the signing table. Timing follows the property manager's room-readiness and cleaning schedule, so it varies by property.
Sign a key-receipt record when the key changes hands. Confirm the contractual move-in (rent-start) date separately, since the rent clock may start on a date other than the signing date.
Good to know
Ask for the explanation documents before the appointment
The read-aloud session is the last checkpoint before commitment. Reviewing the important-matters statement beforehand lets you compare terms against the listing calmly rather than under time pressure.31
Request the statement and the draft lease a few days early. Mark anything that differs from the listing so each item becomes a question at the table.
A signature is legally valid; bring the same seal or signature throughout
Agencies match the execution mark across the lease and companion papers. A foreign tenant signing should use one consistent signature, and a seal-holder one consistent seal, to avoid re-execution delays.
Do not mix a seal on one paper and a signature on the next. Consistency across the set is an administrative expectation, so decide your mark before the appointment.
Confirm whether the key changes hands today
Handover is commonly a separate appointment tied to the rent-start date and room readiness. Confirming the handover date at signing avoids a wasted trip with luggage.
Ask for the handover date, time, and meeting point in writing. If cleaning runs late, the date can shift, so re-confirm the day before.
If the explained terms differ from the listing, stop and ask
The explanation exists so you catch differences in rent, term, renewal fee, or restrictions before the lease binds.34 Once signed, the written lease controls.
Raise each discrepancy before signing rather than after. A corrected reprint takes minutes, while a signed error takes a negotiation to fix.
See also
- How Renting Works in Japan
- Viewings (Naiken): What to Ask and What to Watch For
- Negotiation in the Japanese Rental Market
- Renewal Fees (Koshin-ryo) and the Regional Variation