Group Home Opening Guide
If you open a group home in Bunkyo, Tokyo—from securing a property to designation and operation
The single biggest reason people stumble when opening a group home for persons with disabilities (shared-living support) is 'finding a good property first, then having to redo the contract because it does not meet the designation requirements.' The property (real estate) and the designation application (administrative procedure) must, by nature, be viewed at the same time. Yotsuba is one of the few offices that holds both a real estate brokerage license (Yotsuba Real Estate) and gyoseishoshi (administrative scrivener) practice (Yotsuba Gyoseishoshi Office). From choosing a property with the designation criteria in mind, through incorporation, the designation application, and post-opening operation, we organize it all in one window.
Our core distinction
Why view the 'property' and the 'designation application' together
Put simply, the most common failure in opening a group home is signing the property contract first and then finding it does not meet the designation criteria (location, structure, floor area, fire safety), leading to cancellation or rework. That is exactly why weaving the designation application into the property search from the start is the shortest route to avoiding rework.
A group home is not the same as renting an ordinary residential unit. You need to choose a property while checking matters tied to the designation criteria for welfare services for persons with disabilities—zoning, room floor area, fire-safety equipment, the Building Standards Act, and more. If you skip this and 'sign a contract for a property you like first,' you may face cancellation, large-scale renovation because it fails the criteria, or—worst case—a property that cannot be used as a business site at all.
The ironclad rule is to consult the ward's disability-welfare division in advance, before signing, using drawings and photos, and confirm conformity with the relevant laws. Because Yotsuba weaves the designation criteria in from the property-search stage, we can structurally prevent this rework. Precisely because the property (real estate) and the designation application (administrative procedure) can be seen in one window, information gained on one side is immediately reflected on the other.
The property-first failure route
Sign for a property you like first → check the designation criteria later → the use, floor area, or fire safety does not conform → cancellation and penalty, or large-scale renovation that breaks the budget and schedule.
Yotsuba's simultaneous route
Share the designation criteria at the concept stage → select the property with the criteria built in → consult the ward before signing → confirm conformity, then sign → proceed to the designation application without rework.
Three types
The three types of group home
The forms of housing for shared-living support fall broadly into three types. Which type fits depends on the residents, the property, and the area. We consider them together with the key points of property selection (Yotsuba Real Estate's perspective).
Detached-house type
Using a single detached house. It is easy to secure a shared living/dining room and to create a homelike atmosphere. Whether a change of use or fire-safety equipment is required varies with the building's scale and the residents, so confirmation before signing is essential.
Apartment type (main residence)
Using several units or a whole building of an apartment/condominium as the main residence. It is easier to keep each room independent, but each unit must meet the room floor-area requirement (7.43 m² or more in principle) and the fire-safety requirements. When converting an existing multi-unit building, confirming conformity of use and structure is the key point.
Satellite type
A type that uses a room in a nearby apartment, attached to the main residence. It is an option when you want to build, step by step, an environment closer to living alone. There are requirements on distance from the main residence and the support structure, so the property is chosen together with the main residence.
Pre-contract check
Designation criteria for a property (to confirm before signing)
Whether a property meets the designation criteria should, as an ironclad rule, be confirmed before signing. The representative items to check are as follows (all are general information as of July 2026; the criteria are amended, and operation differs by municipality and service type).
- Room floor area
- In principle, 7.43 m² or more per resident (excluding storage). Prefectures or designating authorities may set their own standards, so confirmation with the municipality granting the designation is necessary.
- Location
- The property is expected to be in an area used as a residential district, among other conditions. Including a check of the zoning, we consult the ward's window in advance on whether a candidate property conforms.
- Fire-safety equipment
- In principle there is a duty to install sprinklers (the floor-area requirement was abolished by the April 2015 amendment to the Fire Service Act Enforcement Order). However, relaxation may apply on conditions such as residents who would find evacuation difficult (disability support category 4 or higher) making up 80% or less of the total. Automatic fire alarms and a device for reporting to the fire authorities are also required. As this varies with the residents, prior consultation with the fire station having jurisdiction is the key point.
- Building Standards Act
- Conformity of the building's use and structure is a prerequisite. When converting an existing building, a change of use or a confirmation application may be required. Confirm this through prior consultation with the ward's building division.
Note: The criteria are amended. Before starting, always confirm the latest details with the municipality, fire station, and building division having jurisdiction. This guide is general information as of July 2026 and does not judge or guarantee any individual case.
The flow to opening
The flow to opening (incorporation → designation application → operation)
A typical preparation period is a rough guide of 3–6 months. By viewing the property and the designation application at the same time, you can reduce rework during this period.
- 1
Business concept and incorporation
Prepare a corporate form such as a company, NPO, or social welfare corporation. Incorporation procedures are handled with our partner professionals.
- 2
Attending the Tokyo Metropolitan briefing
Attend the briefing that is a prerequisite for designation. Grasp the schedule early and work backward from your desired opening date.
- 3
Securing the property (with the criteria built in)
Yotsuba Real Estate selects the property with the designation criteria (location, floor area, fire safety) in mind. This is the core of our distinction.
- 4
Prior consultation with the ward, fire, and building divisions
Based on the candidate property's drawings and photos, confirm conformity of use, structure, floor area, and fire safety before signing.
- 5
Preparing the staffing
Put in place the necessary staffing, such as a service manager, live-in helpers, and life-support workers.
- 6
Preparing and submitting the designation application
Yotsuba Gyoseishoshi Office supports the preparation and submission of the designation application documents.
- 7
Designation, opening, and operation
Receive the designation and open. You can continue to consult us on post-opening change notifications, renewals, and more.
Note: The details and order of procedures differ by designating authority and service type. Confirm the latest operation with the municipal window at the opening location.
From the field
'Dialogue' with the municipality is, in fact, the shortest route to opening
In opening a group home, there is something more important than how you draw up the documents: continuing careful, one-by-one communication with the municipal staff in charge. It may look like a detour, but in the end it is the fastest way. There are three reasons.
1. The response differs subtly by municipality.
Even for the same 'shared-living support,' the level of detail required in documents, the timing of prior consultation, and the operation of property requirements differ slightly depending on the designating authority (prefecture, city, or special ward). Even though the national criteria are common, what the responsible municipality emphasizes within the 'range' of that operation cannot be known without actually asking. 'They said this elsewhere' sometimes does not apply. That is why, once the opening location is decided, we start by building a relationship with that municipality's division in charge.
2. Email leaves a record. But important nuances, by phone or in person.
Exchanges with the person in charge center on email, because it avoids 'he said, she said' and leaves confirmed items on record. However, points where judgment is divided, the delicate line of whether a property meets the requirements, a moment when you want to check 'is this all right?'—such important nuances only come across by phone or in person. With text alone, the other side, too, tends to give a cautious answer that avoids being definitive. It is within a face-to-face relationship that a more committed word comes back.
3. What I learned as a reporter.
Our representative, Uramatsu, is a former newspaper reporter. Reporting was the work of getting close to the other person, verifying facts one by one, and being present at the moment a desk-bound assumption is overturned in the field. Administrative procedures are, in fact, the same. Drawing out 'that municipality's practice'—which you cannot grasp just by reading the guidelines—from dialogue with the person in charge: this stance leads to an opening without rework.
Example: Bunkyo has its own ward criteria and subsidy schemes. That is why prior confirmation is indispensable.
This is not an abstract argument. Yotsuba's home ground, Bunkyo Ward, is precisely such an example. In addition to the national framework of shared-living support, Bunkyo has its own ward subsidy schemes (such as the subsidy for the development costs of group homes for persons with disabilities, and the grant guidelines for the operating-cost subsidy for group homes for persons with mental disabilities). Because such ward-specific schemes exist, their eligibility conditions, targets, and procedures cannot be known unless confirmed in advance at the ward window. The point of contact is the facilities and development staff of the Disability Welfare Section, Welfare Department (facilities/development, 9th floor of the Bunkyo Civic Center). Consultations with the municipality are recorded as a 'confirmation of consultation status with relevant agencies and minutes' and become attachments to the later designation application to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government—in other words, the prior consultation itself is part of the procedure. It is not 'just meet the Tokyo Metropolitan criteria,' but 'in Bunkyo, confirm Bunkyo's operation and subsidy schemes at an early stage.' This is the starting point for preventing rework.
Note: The ward's schemes and requirements are amended. Always confirm the latest eligibility at the ward window. This guide is general information as of July 2026.
Yotsuba weaves this dialogue with the municipality into the process from the property-search stage. Not 'secure the property, then consult,' but 'choose the property while consulting.' That is how we can structurally reduce redone contracts and rejected designation applications.
Note: This stance of 'careful dialogue' meshes directly with Yotsuba's strength of viewing the property (real estate) and the designation application (administrative procedure) in one window. When the windows are separate, the subtle nuances gained from the municipality are not shared between the real estate side and the gyoseishoshi side. Precisely because there is one window, a single phone call with the person in charge is reflected at the same time in both property selection and the application documents.
What to confirm in prior consultation (a practical checklist)
These are items that, confirmed at the municipal window before you sign a property contract and before you enter the designation application, reduce rework. Yotsuba proceeds with the representative attending or acting on your behalf for these confirmations.
- Ward-specific criteria and subsidy schemes
- The targets, requirements, and deadlines of Bunkyo's development-cost and operating-cost subsidies (ward-specific schemes change by fiscal year).
- Property conformity
- Show the candidate property's drawings and photos and check whether the use, structure, floor area, and location meet the requirements (before signing is the ironclad rule).
- Fire safety
- Whether sprinklers, automatic fire alarms, and a reporting device are required (this varies with the expected disability support category of residents). The timing of prior consultation with the fire station having jurisdiction.
- Building
- Whether a change of use or a confirmation application is required (to the ward's building division).
- How the record is kept
- How the consultation is recorded as a 'confirmation of consultation status with relevant agencies and minutes' (it becomes an attachment to the later designation application).
- Schedule
- The date of the Tokyo Metropolitan briefing, the reception period for the designation application, and the submission deadline working backward from your desired opening date.
Rather than 'asking everything at once by email,' it is more reliable to confirm the key points by phone or in person and leave the conclusions on record by email. The person in charge, too, gives a more committed answer in person.
Common rework, and how to avoid it
We have organized, side by side, the rework that tends to happen in practice and Yotsuba's way of avoiding it.
| Common failure | What happens | Yotsuba's avoidance |
|---|---|---|
| Sign immediately on finding a good property | Cancellation and penalty for failing the criteria, or large-scale renovation | Check drawings with the ward before signing; select the property with the criteria built in |
| Proceed on 'it was OK in another ward' | Rejected for not matching Bunkyo's operation and ward-specific schemes | Always confirm in advance in the opening ward; grasp ward-specific schemes early |
| Seek a decision by email alone | Only cautious answers, and you proceed with the yes/no left ambiguous | Confirm key points by phone or in person and leave the conclusion on record |
| Property contact and application contact are separate | The nuance gained at the window is not shared, causing duplicate work | Manage property × designation application centrally in one window (Yotsuba) |
Subsidies and funding
The big picture of subsidies and funding
Bunkyo has its own ward development-cost and operating-cost subsidy schemes, and the targets, requirements, and deadlines change by fiscal year. First, confirm the latest eligibility at the ward window. We support the preparation of the business plan with a former reporter's 'writing that gets through.'
Note that a subsidy (hojokin; within the scope of gyoseishoshi practice) and an employment-related grant (joseikin; within the scope of a certified social insurance labor consultant) are different things. For labor matters and employment grants, we introduce a partner professional.
Note: The content and eligibility of subsidies and grants change with the fiscal year and circumstances. Confirm the latest at each window. This guide is general information as of July 2026.
Why Yotsuba
The advantages of consulting Yotsuba
Yotsuba's distinction is that you can organize the opening of a group home from both the property and the procedure sides in one window.
- You can centrally manage the property (real estate) and the licensing (designation application) in one window.
- A 'twin signboard' of real estate brokerage and gyoseishoshi practice—combining property selection with the criteria built in and support for the application.
- Chinese and English supported—we also handle consultations on welfare entrepreneurship by non-Japanese founders.
- A local office in Kohinata, Bunkyo, about a 5-minute walk from Myogadani Station. We walk with you close to the ward's operation and its own schemes.
FAQ
Opening a group home: frequently asked questions
I have already signed for a property. Is that all right?
First, please consult us without panicking. That said, if the property does not meet the designation criteria (location, structure, floor area, fire safety), it may require large-scale renovation or—worst case—be unusable as a business site and lead to cancellation. That is exactly why confirmation before signing is the ironclad rule. Even if you have already signed, we will confirm the current situation at the ward window and look together for a workable direction.
Can I open one in a single condominium unit?
It depends on the type. In addition to the detached-house type and the apartment type (main residence), there is a 'satellite type' that uses a room in an apartment attached to the main residence. However, conformity with use, structure, floor area, fire safety, and the Building Standards Act is a prerequisite. We consult the ward's disability-welfare division and the building and fire authorities in advance to confirm whether it is possible with that property.
Are sprinklers always required?
In principle there is a duty to install them (the floor-area requirement was abolished by the April 2015 amendment to the Fire Service Act Enforcement Order). However, on conditions such as residents who would find evacuation difficult (disability support category 4 or higher) making up 80% or less of the total, you may be able to open without installing them. Because this varies with the residents, confirm it through prior consultation with the fire station having jurisdiction.
How long does it take to open?
As a general guide, 3–6 months. You proceed in order through incorporation, attending the Tokyo Metropolitan briefing, securing the property, prior consultation with the ward/fire/building divisions, securing staff, and the designation application. Viewing the property and the designation application at the same time reduces rework during this period.
Can a non-Japanese person start a group home business?
Yes. Even where incorporation, residence status (such as the Business Manager visa), and the designation application are involved, Yotsuba handles both the gyoseishoshi and real estate sides and responds to consultations in Chinese and English. Because the requirements need to be sorted out individually, please consult us first.
Can I use a subsidy?
Bunkyo has its own ward development-cost and operating-cost subsidy schemes, and the targets, requirements, and deadlines change by fiscal year. First, confirm the latest eligibility at the ward window. We support the preparation of the business plan with a former reporter's 'writing that gets through.' Note that an employment-related grant (within the scope of a certified social insurance labor consultant) is separate from a subsidy, and we introduce a partner professional.
Do the procedures differ by municipality?
Yes, subtly. Even though the national criteria are common, there is a range in the level of detail required in documents and the operation of property requirements depending on the designating authority (metropolis, city, or special ward). Some municipalities, like Bunkyo, have their own subsidy schemes. That is why, once the opening location is decided, consulting that municipality's division in charge early and building up dialogue is the shortest route.
How should I communicate with the municipal staff in charge?
It is most reliable to base things on email, which leaves a record, while confirming important nuances—such as points where judgment is divided and a property's conformity—by phone or in person. With text alone, the other side, too, tends to give a cautious answer that avoids being definitive, making it hard to obtain a committed confirmation. Building up careful dialogue is, in the end, the fastest way.
Pages you may also want to see
Legal Basis & Sources
- Act on Comprehensive Support for the Daily and Social Life of Persons with Disabilities (Act No. 123 of 2005)—the positioning of shared-living support (group homes). The designation criteria are set by, among others, the standards on personnel, equipment, and operation for the businesses of designated welfare services for persons with disabilities under the same Act (Ordinance of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare No. 171 of 2006).
- The room floor area for shared-living support is, in principle, 7.43 m² or more per resident (excluding storage). It may differ by the ordinances and operation of prefectures and designating authorities (confirm with the municipality granting the designation).
- Amendment to the Fire Service Act Enforcement Order (in force April 1, 2015)—the abolition of the floor-area requirement for installing sprinkler equipment in group homes and other (social welfare) facilities. There are relaxation provisions based on the proportion of persons with disabilities who would find evacuation difficult (disability support category 4 or higher) (confirm with the fire station having jurisdiction).
- Building Standards Act (Act No. 201 of 1950)—conformity of the building's use and structure. When converting an existing building, a change of use or a confirmation application may be required.
- Bunkyo's ward-specific schemes (the subsidy for the development costs of group homes for persons with disabilities, the grant guidelines for the operating-cost subsidy for group homes for persons with mental disabilities, and others)—the targets, requirements, and deadlines change by fiscal year (confirm with the Disability Welfare Section, Welfare Department, Bunkyo Ward).
Note: The latest content and dates of the most recent amendments to each law and scheme have not been individually verified as of the time this page was prepared (unverified). The figures and legal systems are general information as of July 2026; always confirm the latest at the window of the municipality, fire station, and building division having jurisdiction. This page is intended to provide general information and does not make individual eligibility judgments or guarantee outcomes.
After walking the field in Japan and abroad as a reporter for the Mainichi Shimbun and serving as its China General Bureau Chief, I now run Yotsuba Real Estate and Yotsuba Gyoseishoshi Office in my home neighborhood of Kohinata, Bunkyo. Consultations about opening a group home begin with 'untangling' the property (real estate), the designation application (administrative procedure), and the dialogue with the municipality that are intertwined in it. Building on the listening, organizing, and plain-spoken communication skills honed through reporting, and on my knowledge as a Licensed Real Estate Transaction Specialist and Gyoseishoshi (Administrative Scrivener), I walk with you in one window from the property search to post-opening operation. Where matters fall outside my scope, such as labor and employment grants, I introduce a partner professional.
浦松 丈二
Representative
Feel free to consult us first
About opening a group home, a single line like 'Can I use this property?' is a perfectly fine place to start. You can consult us at our office in Kohinata, Bunkyo (about a 5-minute walk from Myogadani Station; 10:00–18:00; closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays) or online.
The LINE button connects you directly to the personal account of our representative, Joji Uramatsu. Feel free to start with a single line like 'Can this property be used for a group home?'