Property requirements for a care-equipped fee-charging home for the elderly (a 'specified facility'): room area, fire-resistance and the supply cap

The key point: A property for a care-equipped fee-charging home for the elderly (a fee-charging home that receives the designation for "daily life care for residents of a specified facility") is blocked by two walls the residential type does not face. One is the "supply cap". Daily life care for residents of a specified facility is a home-based service designated by the prefectural governor under Long-Term Care Insurance Act (Act No. 123 of 1997) art. 70, and if the required capacity for the old-age welfare zone is already reached, the governor may refuse to designate a care-only type under art. 70(4) and a mixed type under art. 70(5). Even if you secure the property, without a designation slot you cannot make it care-equipped, so confirming the slot in the prefecture/municipality's long-term-care-insurance plan comes first. The other wall is building standards. Establishing a fee-charging home requires, under Act on Social Welfare for the Elderly (Act No. 133 of 1963) art. 29(1), a prior notification to the prefectural governor; rooms are, under the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's "Standard operation guideline for fee-charging homes for the elderly", in principle 13 m² or more per person (new builds guided to 18 m² or more with a toilet and washbasin), with toilets, baths and a temporary-care room required. For fire safety, a facility mainly admitting care-needing persons who cannot evacuate on their own falls under the Fire Service Act Enforcement Order Appended Table 1 (6)(ro), and sprinklers are in principle required regardless of floor area. Property brokerage is ours (a real-estate transaction business); the designation application is an administrative scrivener's; fire-resistance and change-of-use confirmation a licensed architect's; the design and installation of fire equipment a fire-equipment officer's and the fire station's; care-fee calculation and tax a tax accountant's; and staffing standards and night-shift labour a labour and social security attorney's—each an independent business contracted with separately (no referral fees are exchanged).

For operators and property owners considering a new care-equipped fee-charging home (a specified facility), this article organises what can be confirmed before deciding on a property, in the order of statutes and public materials. This is general information; the judgment on whether a designation can be obtained or whether a building conforms rests with the prefecture/municipality and qualified professionals such as architects and administrative scriveners.

Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (四葉不動産株式会社), based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, provides surveys and brokerage of properties usable for care and elderly facilities. You can consult us from the stage of "can this property obtain a specified-facility designation?".

How do the property requirements differ between a care-equipped fee-charging home (specified facility) and a residential-type fee-charging home?

Both are fee-charging homes under Act on Social Welfare for the Elderly art. 29 and need a prior notification to the prefectural governor. The difference is whether they receive the care-insurance designation.

The care-equipped type receives the designation for "daily life care for residents of a specified facility" (Long-Term Care Insurance Act art. 8(11)), and the facility's staff (or an external service) provide bathing, toileting, meal care, etc., based on a specified-facility service plan. The residential type does not receive this designation; residents use outside home-visit care, etc., under individual contracts as needed.

Type	Care-insurance designation	Property issues that bite first
Care-equipped fee-charging home (specified facility)	Designation for daily life care for residents of a specified facility required (art. 70)	The supply-cap slot / staffing and equipment standards / 13 m² rooms / fire (sprinklers)
Residential-type fee-charging home	Not designated	Notification and the guideline's equipment standards / fire

This presence or absence of a designation changes the premise of property selection. Property requirements for the residential type are covered in the conditions for a property usable as a residential-type fee-charging home. This article focuses on the supply cap and the building/fire standards, on the premise of the care-equipped = specified-facility designation. For the similar service-oriented housing for the elderly see the conditions for a serviced senior housing property; for a smaller care form see the requirements for a small-scale multifunctional in-home care property.

Where are the building standards—room area, toilet, bath, corridor width—decided?

The building standards are decided largely in two streams: the MHLW "Standard operation guideline for fee-charging homes for the elderly" covering fee-charging homes generally, and the specified-facility chapter (art. 174 and after) of the "Standards for personnel, equipment and operation of designated home-based service businesses" (MHW Ordinance No. 37 of 1999) for the care-insurance designation. The guideline is national technical advice, and concrete operation is set by each prefecture/municipality in its own rules, so the final figures must be confirmed with the municipality where the property is.

Equipment	Skeleton shown by the guideline
Room	In principle 13 m² or more per person (excluding storage, toilet, etc.). New builds guided to 18 m² or more with a toilet and washbasin
Toilet / bath / washbasin	In-room or shared, at a position and spec usable by care-needing persons
Temporary-care room	A room for concentrated temporary care (whether it can be omitted differs by scale)
Corridor / step / handrail	Barrier-free width, handrails and step elimination (concrete widths follow the municipality's rules)

Because concrete corridor widths overlap the guideline, the municipality's rules and the Building Standards Act's evacuation provisions, it is surest to confirm with an architect per property. This article shows only the verifiable skeleton and leaves individual figures to the local rules. Since room area ties directly to the non-residential floor area, when converting an existing building, checking on the floor plan in advance whether "13 m² (or 18 m²) × capacity + shared/office/care-staff rooms" fits reduces backtracking.

With a "supply cap (reference standard)", what should be confirmed before deciding on a property?

The designation for daily life care for residents of a specified facility has a "supply cap". The prefecture/municipality sets, in its long-term-care-insurance plan, the required capacity for specified facilities per old-age welfare zone. If a new designation would exceed that number, the governor may refuse to designate under art. 70(4) for a care-only type and art. 70(5) for a mixed type.

So even if the building meets the standards, you cannot make it care-equipped if the zone's slot is full. Before deciding on a property, confirm the following.

Where to confirm	What to confirm
The prefecture/municipality (care-insurance section)	The required capacity for specified facilities in that old-age welfare zone, and the remaining developable capacity
The timing of public offering/consultation in the plan	Where an open-call/prior-consultation system is used, the call timing, eligibility and selection schedule
Mixed vs. care-only type	A care-only type limiting residents to care-needing persons, or a mixed type also admitting independent/support-needing persons

In a zone with no slot, unless you confirm the plan's revision timing and whether a call exists before securing the property, only the acquisition/lease burden runs ahead. Whether a slot exists or is likely is the municipality's call; we help within the scope of property-suitability survey and brokerage, from arranging this confirmation.

What are the fire-equipment (sprinkler, etc.), fire-resistance and evacuation requirements?

A care-equipped fee-charging home is generally classified under Fire Service Act Enforcement Order Appended Table 1 (6)(ro) as a facility mainly admitting care-needing persons who cannot evacuate on their own (one yardstick being that residents of care level 3 or higher make up at least half the capacity).

By the Enforcement Order amendment in force 1 April 2015, (6)(ro) facilities in principle require sprinklers regardless of floor area (previously the standard was 275 m² or more of total floor area). There is, however, an exemption for those under 275 m² with a fire-spread-suppressing structure prescribed by ministerial ordinance, and a separate relaxation for small facilities under 100 m². Whether these apply depends on structure, so prior consultation with the fire station is essential.

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Item	Point to confirm
Sprinkler	(6)(ro) in principle installed regardless of floor area; whether the structural exemption under 275 m² / 100 m² applies is confirmed with the fire station
Automatic fire alarm / alarm notifying the fire department	(6)(ro) is subject to installation duty per area, etc.
Fire-resistance / evacuation (Building Standards Act)	A fee-charging home is included in "child welfare facilities, etc."; confirm the use zone, the need for a fire-resistant building, two-direction evacuation and fire compartments
Change-of-use confirmation	When converting from an office, apartment, etc., a confirmation application may be needed depending on scale

In converting an existing building, new sprinklers and the change-of-use confirmation drive the cost and schedule. The design and installation of fire equipment are the field of a fire-equipment officer and the fire station; fire-resistance, evacuation and change-of-use judgments an architect's. We separate these issues from the property's current state and hand over an arrangement of who to approach for each.

Who should I consult about the designation application, care fees and labour?

Opening a care-equipped fee-charging home spans separate professional fields—property, licensing, fees and labour. A real-estate company handles only the property survey and brokerage; everything else is contracted separately with each professional/authority as an independent business.

Trouble	Who to ask
Survey and suitability check of a property usable for the facility; acquisition/lease brokerage	Us (a real-estate transaction business)
The specified-facility designation application; fee-charging-home notification documents	Administrative scrivener
Fire-resistance, evacuation and change-of-use confirmation; design	Licensed architect
Design/installation of fire equipment such as sprinklers; fire consent	Fire-equipment officer / the fire station
Care-fee calculation; corporate tax	Tax accountant
Staffing standards, night-shift structure, work rules and other labour	Labour and social security attorney
Residence contracts; disputes with neighbours	Lawyer

These are each independent businesses, contracted with separately. We neither receive nor pay referral or introduction fees. Whether a designation can be obtained and whether the building meets the standards are ultimately judged by the municipality, architect and administrative scrivener. Looking at the property, we take consultations from separating the issues—the supply-cap slot, building standards, fire—and arranging who to consult on each. For how to find commercial property see also the consultation desk for commercial/investment real estate (Japanese), and for fitting out a base the consultation on business bases/offices (Japanese).

Consult Yotsuba Real Estate about a property usable for a care-equipped fee-charging home—initial consultation is free

In your message, write "care-equipped fee-charging home (specified facility)" and include the intended resident capacity, the location (municipality), whether it is a conversion of an existing building or a new build, and whether you have confirmed the supply-cap slot with the municipality. Without presuming a designation can be obtained, we begin with the property-suitability survey and arranging which parts to refer to the designation, building, fire and labour professionals.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can I make it a care-equipped fee-charging home if the building meets the standards?
A. Meeting the building standards alone is not enough. The care-equipped type presupposes the designation for daily life care for residents of a specified facility (art. 70), and if the required capacity per old-age welfare zone is reached, the governor may refuse to designate a care-only type under art. 70(4) and a mixed type under art. 70(5) (the supply cap). Before deciding on a property, confirm the slot and call timing in the location's long-term-care-insurance plan. Whether a slot exists or is likely is the municipality's call.

Q. How many m² per person does a room need?
A. The MHLW "Standard operation guideline for fee-charging homes for the elderly" shows in principle 13 m² or more per person, and guides new builds to 18 m² or more with a toilet and washbasin. The method of calculation (treatment of storage, toilet, etc.) and corridor widths and other concrete figures overlap the location's rules and the Building Standards Act's evacuation provisions, so confirm with an architect and the municipality. The figures here are a skeleton yardstick, not an individual conformity judgment.

Q. Can I convert an existing office or apartment?
A. Conversion is sometimes possible, but whether 13 m² (or 18 m²) × capacity plus shared/care-staff rooms fit, whether new sprinklers are needed, and whether a change-of-use confirmation is required greatly change cost and schedule. A fee-charging home is included under "child welfare facilities, etc." in the Building Standards Act, so the use zone (it cannot be built in an exclusive industrial zone) and fire-resistance/evacuation provisions apply. Fire-resistance and change of use are confirmed with an architect, fire with the fire station.

Q. Are sprinklers always required?
A. A facility mainly admitting care-needing persons who cannot evacuate on their own falls under Fire Service Act Enforcement Order Appended Table 1 (6)(ro), and the amendment in force 1 April 2015 made sprinklers in principle required regardless of floor area. There are relaxations where a facility under 275 m² has a fire-spread-suppressing structure, or for small facilities under 100 m², but whether they apply depends on structure, so confirm with prior consultation at the fire station.

Sources

The following public materials are starting points. Laws are amended, so check the current text, paragraph, item, enforcement date and latest amendment on e-Gov Law Search. The operation of room area, corridor width and the supply cap differs by municipality, so confirm with the prefecture/municipality where the property is. All were consulted on 30 October 2026. They do not guarantee an individual designation or building conformity. The sources below are in Japanese.

• e-Gov Law Search: Long-Term Care Insurance Act (Act No. 123 of 1997; art. 8(11) = definition of daily life care for residents of a specified facility, art. 70 = designation of a home-based service business [prefectural governor], art. 70(4) = care-only specified facility, art. 70(5) = mixed specified facility, supply-cap refusal of designation)
• e-Gov Law Search: Act on Social Welfare for the Elderly (Act No. 133 of 1963; art. 29(1) = a person intending to establish a fee-charging home must notify the prefectural governor in advance)
• MHLW "On the standard operation guideline for fee-charging homes for the elderly" (national technical advice; shows rooms in principle 13 m² or more per person, new builds guided to 18 m² or more with toilet and washbasin, and toilets, baths and a temporary-care room. Concrete operation follows the municipality's rules. Consulted 30 October 2026)
• e-Gov Law Search: Standards for personnel, equipment and operation of designated home-based service businesses (MHW Ordinance No. 37 of 1999; art. 174 and after = personnel, equipment and operation standards for daily life care for residents of a specified facility)
• e-Gov Law Search: Fire Service Act Enforcement Order (Cabinet Order No. 37 of 1961; Appended Table 1 (6)(ro) = a facility mainly admitting care-needing persons who cannot evacuate on their own, art. 12 = sprinkler installation standard. The amendment in force 1 April 2015 made (6)(ro) in principle required regardless of floor area, with structural exemptions under 275 m² / 100 m²)
• The long-term-care-insurance plans of each prefecture/municipality (required capacity for specified facilities and the reference standard; the timing of open calls/prior consultation differs by municipality. Consulted 30 October 2026; whether a slot exists is the municipality's call)

This article provides general information and does not guarantee an individual designation, building conformity or the need for fire equipment. The specified-facility designation application and notification documents are by an administrative scrivener; fire-resistance, evacuation and change-of-use confirmation by an architect; fire equipment by a fire-equipment officer/the fire station; care fees and tax by a tax accountant; staffing and labour by a labour and social security attorney; and disputes by a lawyer.

Joji Uramatsu (浦松 丈二), Representative Director and licensed real estate transaction specialist, Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (四葉不動産株式会社). We provide surveys and brokerage of properties usable for care and elderly facilities. Author profile

Updated: 30 October 2026