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Housing tips for international residents, rental & sales knowledge, Bunkyo-ku area information, and more.
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Property and siting requirements for vehicle dismantling and shredding (Automobile Recycling Act) — the environmental impact survey and storage facilities
Dismantling end-of-life vehicles needs a prefectural governor's permit (Automobile Recycling Act Art. 60); shredding needs one too (Art. 67). What matters for the property comes first from the use-zone, the facility standards to stop spill and noise, and whether the shredder is a waste-disposal-facility under Waste Management Act Art. 15 that requires an environmental impact survey. Written by a licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo.
Can an inherited row house or terraced (renmune) building be sold? The practicalities of detachment, neighbour consent, and rebuilding
An inherited row house or terraced building can be sold. But if you "detach" one unit to rebuild it alone, the effect on the adjoining units' structure and weatherproofing means neighbour consent is needed in practice, and you first check the ownership of the party wall and whether a building confirmation is required. Written by a licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo.
Which properties can obtain a hotel/inn (ryokan) business licence — how to tell before you sign
A year-round hotel or inn business is not the same as minpaku, which is capped at 180 nights a year. Whether a property can obtain a ryokan/hotel business licence turns on three things checked before signing — the zoning, the structural standards under the Ryokan Business Act enforcement order, and the fire-service equipment. Written by a licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo.
Selling an inherited building on leased land — how far does the landowner's consent go?
To sell an inherited building on leased land to a third party, you need the landowner's consent as a rule (Civil Code Article 612(1)). There is no statutory figure for the "assignment consent fee." If the landowner refuses, there is the shakuchi hishō route — court permission in place of consent (Act on Land and Building Leases Article 19(1)). Written by a licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo.
An inherited mixed-use rental home — sell, let, or live in it?
An inherited mixed-use rental home (a home and rental portion in one building) can be sold, let or lived in. The forks are whether tenants remain and how the tax specials apply. Selling as an 'owner change' with tenants in place transfers the landlord's position to the buyer (Civil Code Article 605-2), and tenants are protected by the Land and Building Lease Act. The residential 30-million-yen special deduction (Special Taxation Measures Act Article 35) applies only to the portion for residential use. Written by a licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo.
Where can you open a trunk room? — use districts and Building Standards Act requirements
Whether you can open a trunk room (rental storage) is first narrowed by the use district. Under the Building Standards Act it is treated as a 'warehouse' and, in principle, cannot be built in Category 1 and 2 low-rise residential districts or the Category 1 mid/high-rise residential district. An outdoor container that cannot be moved at will is a building under Article 2(1), needing confirmation. Renting storage space needs no warehousing-business registration, but feasibility turns on the use district, structure and fire equipment. Written by a licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo.
Opening a sauna or public bath (koshu yokujo): what does the property need to satisfy? — the Public Bath Houses Act and zoning
For a sauna, public bath or spa, the property hurdle is not zoning. A public bath (other than an adult-entertainment bath) can be built across a wide range of zones. What actually decides it is the structural-equipment standards set by prefectural bylaw, the change-of-use confirmation (a public bath is a special building, so over 200 m² it is generally required), drainage and ventilation, and Legionella control. Written by a licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo.
Can inherited monthly-rental or coin parking land be sold? — carrying over the contracts and the order of sale
An inherited, operating car park can be sold even with its current contracts attached. Both monthly-rental parking and coin-parking (operation entrusted) pass by inheritance (Civil Code Article 896); you can carry them over to a buyer or terminate and sell as vacant land. Monthly parking is a land lease not aimed at owning a building, so the Land and Building Lease Act does not protect it, and a landlord's termination needs no just cause. Inheritance-tax valuation and capital gains are for a tax accountant. Written by a licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo.
A property for Type B continuous employment support or employment transition: use zone, area and fire service
A property usable for Type B continuous employment support or employment transition support is decided by roughly four things — the use zone (these offices count as "child welfare facilities, etc." and cannot be built only in an exclusive industrial zone), the Building Standards Act use and use-change confirmation, fire-service classification, and interior renovation and barrier-free work. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sets out what you can confirm when choosing a property; the designation standard itself and the application go to an administrative scrivener.
Selling an inherited factory or warehouse: who investigates soil contamination and asbestos, and how far?
When you sell an inherited factory, warehouse or workshop, soil contamination and asbestos change the sequence by "who investigates and how far." Soil contamination brings an investigation-and-report duty on the landowner when a designated facility using hazardous substances is discontinued (Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act, Art. 3); asbestos appears in the real-estate disclosure where a survey record exists (Building Lots and Buildings Transaction Business Act, Art. 35), and contractors must report a pre-survey for demolition/renovation (Air Pollution Control Act). A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sets it out.
A used-car lot or second-hand dealer's showroom and storage — zoning and vehicle-storage rules when renting premises
A used-car or second-hand-goods showroom is filtered first by zoning. A shop selling goods is subject to the use restrictions in Appended Table 2 of the Building Standards Act and cannot, in principle, be built in a Category I low-rise residential zone or an exclusive industrial zone. If servicing is involved, the floor-area limit for an automobile repair works applies as well. Written by a licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo.
Selling inherited underlying land (sokochi) — the relationship with the leaseholder, the ground rent, and the routes to sell
Sokochi is the freehold of land that carries a leasehold. Inheriting it needs no consent from the leaseholder (Civil Code Article 896 — universal succession). The buyers are mainly the leaseholder or a third party; if the leaseholder buys, the leasehold relationship ends. Price turns on the ground rent, the remaining term and the leasehold ratio, and is not uniform. Written by a licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo.
Identity verification for non-resident Chinese-speaking buyers (the AML Act): a real estate agent's customer checks and beneficial owner
Even for a non-resident buyer, a real estate agent brokering a Japanese property sale cannot skip the transaction-time verification under Article 4 of the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds. A licensed agent in Bunkyo, Tokyo, sets out identity checks, the beneficial owner of a corporate buyer, and the seven-year record retention, from the statute and the national guidance.
Special-zone minpaku (national strategic special zone foreign-visitor accommodation business): property requirements and the certification flow
A property usable for special-zone minpaku turns largely on three points: the zone and land-use district the municipality allows, a room of roughly 25㎡ or more with kitchen, bath, toilet and washbasin, and the capacity to notify neighbours and handle complaints. The stay is, as a rule, at least two nights and three days. A licensed agent in Bunkyo, Tokyo, sets out the property side from the statute and municipal materials.
What kind of property can host small-scale multifunctional home care? Overnight rooms, registered capacity and use zones
Small-scale multifunctional home care (shotaki) cannot be run in just any property. Four things bite while choosing it: whether overnight rooms can be secured (single occupancy, 7.43 m² or more each), whether the building can meet the scale of registered capacity 29 or fewer / commuting up to 18 / overnight up to 9, whether the use zone and building classification allow it (not in exclusive industrial zones, and the overnight function needs a use classification check), and whether the extra fire equipment for the overnight function can be installed. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sets out what can be narrowed from the documents first.
Disposing of an inherited holiday home or resort condo: options when no buyer appears
An inherited holiday home or resort condominium can be sold, but the situation differs from a family home you lived in. Four things bite: distant, poorly accessed, thin demand; high management fees and reserve funds where arrears pile up; those arrears pass to the buyer (a specific successor) under the Unit Ownership Act; and it easily becomes a 'negative asset' with no buyer. The routes split into re-pricing, purchase by a company, a take-over operator, and consulting the management association; note that inheritance renunciation and land escheat to the state are hard to use for a property with a building. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo lays out the options from the statutes.
What kind of property does a dental laboratory need? (Health-centre notification and structural equipment)
Three things bite first for a dental laboratory property. (1) Zoning — unlike a clinic, a dental lab may be treated as a 'workshop (factory)' using motors under the Building Standards Act. (2) Structural-equipment standard — Ordinance Art. 13-2 requires 10 m² or more, adequate lighting/ventilation, and prevention of dust and microbial contamination. (3) The notification — Dental Technicians Act Art. 21 is an after-the-fact filing within 10 days of opening. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sorts what you can confirm before signing.
How do you sell an inherited 'private-road share (position-designated road)'?
An inherited share in a private road is, in principle, sold together with the front residential land (as one with it): splitting off the share alone narrows the buyer's use and lowers the price. In selling, secure the passage/excavation consent the buyer wants from the road's co-owners; the explanation changes by whether it is a position-designated road (Building Standards Act Art. 42(1)(v)) or a 2nd-para road (Art. 42(2)); and the inheritance-tax valuation of a private road (Valuation Basic Circular 24) splits by whether the public at large passes. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo starts from checking registration and the current state.
What premises can become a registered warehouse? Working back from the facility standards of the Warehousing Business Act
A property that can be a registered (commercial) warehouse first turns on whether you run a warehousing business — storing goods entrusted by others — or simply lease warehouse space as real estate. Running a warehousing business needs registration by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Warehousing Business Act, Art. 3), and the facilities/equipment must meet the standards for the warehouse type. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sets out what you can check before signing.
Can inherited forest or wasteland be sold? Getting past unclear boundaries and regulation
Inherited forest (sanrin) or wasteland (genya) can be sold, but it does not go like residential land. It gets stuck for three main reasons — boundaries and parcel numbers are vague and the area is not fixed; there may be a protection-forest designation (Forest Act, Art. 34) or forest-land development regulation; and felling needs a notification to the municipal mayor (Art. 10-8). If unsellable, the state-escheat of inherited land (Act No. 25 of 2021) may be an option. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo starts from a site survey.
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