Monthly accommodations or Shared houses?
Hi everyone! Are you enjoying your spring break? During this break, are you looking for a new place to live? For those of you wishing to find a furnished place under a short-term contract and with low initial move-in costs, you might want to explore options like monthly accommodations or shared houses. Today, let’s compare the similarities and differences between the two.
Similarities:
- Short-term contracts
Most shared houses and monthly accommodations in Japan offer rooms for a stay of at least one month, so if you want to find something for less than one month, hotels, vacation rentals, or weekly accommodations are good alternatives. Vacation rentals and weekly accommodations provide kitchenware, unlike hotels, so they may be practical for people wanting to cook for themselves. Please note that some of these places require a minimum two-night stay. You may also be able to stay there long term depending on vacancy.
- Initial costs
The initial move-in costs when renting an apartment can be quite high, as it often includes paying a security deposit, “key money” (a non-refundable, monetary form of gratitude to the owners), real estate agency fee, and rent for the first month. A guarantor is also required, but for many foreigners who do not know anyone in the country, a guarantor company can be used for a fee. This brings your total to around five months’ rent plus any addition expenses like insurance and management fees. In addition to all this, you will need to buy furniture and appliances because, typically, Japanese apartments are leased completely unfurnished. The initial costs of shared houses and monthly accommodations, on the other hand, are significantly lower than that of apartments. Fees are limited to rent, an initial management fee (non-refundable), utilities, and furniture rental, if applicable, making these the more appealing option over regular rental apartments.
- Furniture and appliances
There are other advantages to having a furnished place like a shared house or monthly accommodations besides a lower initial move-in cost. Another would be that your life can begin right after moving in without the added chore or stress of furniture shopping. In addition, when you move out, you will not need to worry about disposing of the furniture or appliances since they belong to the apartment/house.
Differences:
- Shared houses vs. monthly accommodations
There are several types of shared houses, but most of them offer you a private bedroom with a key with the rest of the house being shared spaces: the kitchen, living room, toilet, washroom, shower room, and laundry room as well as shared appliances such as cookware, microwave, and washing machines. So, if you want to enjoy international exchange with other residents, you should choose a shared house!
Monthly accommodations, on the other hand, offer you an entire, private suite that is fully furnished. Therefore, you have the luxury of cooking in the comfort of your own kitchen, for example, as well as the complete privacy of a regular apartment.
So, which do you prefer – monthly accommodations or shared houses? Visit Tokyo Tech Housing Support’s website for more information on accommodations!
←Example room of
monthly accommodations
Shared space of a shared house