Your first home in Tokyo, without the guesswork.
Moving to Tokyo means 'no foreigners' filters, guarantor-company screening, a lease in Japanese and four to six months' rent up front. We check which places will actually accept you, explain every line of the contract and the move-in estimate, and work with a licensed partner agency so the lease is signed properly. Fixed price. We work for you.
Collected rents
What the latest ads are asking in Tokyo.
From 162 listings collected by 2026-10-30. A research snapshot of asking rents, not an offer of a home.
Why it's hard
Renting in Tokyo is safe. Getting in is the hard part.
Tokyo has plenty of homes and fair, well-regulated landlords. What trips up newcomers is the process around them.
'No foreigners' and guarantor screening
Some landlords still decline foreign tenants, and almost every lease needs a guarantor company that screens your residence card, visa, job and phone number. You often only find out after you've applied.
Upfront costs you didn't plan for
Deposit, key money, agency fee, guarantor fee, fire insurance and a lock change usually add up to four to six months' rent before you get the keys.
Listings that aren't really there
Some portal listings are already taken when you ask, and expat groups have fake 'owners abroad' asking for a deposit before any viewing.
How it works
From first call to keys.
You make the decisions. We do the searching, checking, visiting and paperwork, and you can follow every step.
Intake call
Your budget, commute, visa timing and arrival date. We tell you honestly whether to start with a furnished bridge or go straight to a long-term lease.
A shortlist that says yes
8–12 places, each checked with our licensed partner agency for availability and acceptance of foreign tenants, with the full move-in cost worked out.
Viewings, filmed if you're abroad
Our English-speaking scout goes with the partner agent and films the walk-through. We help you prepare the guarantor-company application.
Contract and keys
We go through the important-matters explanation and lease with you in English, check the move-in estimate line by line, then help with phone, bank and ward-office registration.
On your own
- Applying blind and learning later that the landlord doesn't accept foreigners
- Signing a Japanese lease you can't fully read
- Paying fees you didn't know were optional
- Wiring a deposit to someone you met in a Facebook group
- Juggling the residence card, phone and bank account alone
With Settle
- Only places that have said they'll consider you
- Every clause and cost explained in English before you sign
- A move-in estimate checked line by line
- Money paid only to a licensed agency, after a viewing
- A clear order for card, phone, bank and address registration
Rent check
Is this rent fair?
Type in a listing you're looking at. We compare it with the Tokyo asking rents we collected for the same size and neighbourhood.
Before you pay anything
- Never send a deposit or "reservation fee" before you or someone you trust has seen the home in person.
- A rent far below the local median is the most common sign of a fake listing.
- Ask for the owner's ID and proof of ownership, and check the name matches the contract.
- Don't move the conversation to WhatsApp or email at the landlord's request before the viewing.
Pricing
One fixed price, agreed before we start
Rent, deposit and key money go to the landlord or management company, and the agency fee (legally capped at one month's rent plus tax) goes to our licensed partner agency. Settle never handles your rent or deposit. Our fee covers research, checks, English support and setup, and is paid whether or not you sign. Prices in yen, including consumption tax.
Shortlist
For people who want to do the viewings themselves.
- 30-minute intake call
- 8–12 listings with availability and foreigner acceptance checked
- Full move-in cost worked out for each
- Scam and decoy-listing screen
Settled
We stay with you until you have the keys.
- Everything in Shortlist
- Up to 8 viewings with an English-speaking scout, filmed if you're abroad
- Guarantor-company application prepared with you
- Contract and important-matters explanation gone through in English
- Move-in estimate checked line by line
- Arrival setup: phone, bank, ward-office registration, utilities
Companies
For teams relocating people to Tokyo.
- Settled for each employee
- Furnished bridge plus long-term lease, planned together
- One contact and one invoice
- Status report to HR
Settle is not a real-estate broker. Lease brokerage, availability checks in industry systems and contracts are handled by our licensed partner agency, which charges its own fee within the legal cap. We'll tell you that fee before you choose a place. We can't guarantee any landlord or guarantor company will approve an application.
Questions
Before you start
Will landlords really turn me down for being foreign?
Some still do, and it isn't illegal in Japan. Many others are happy to rent to foreign residents. That's why we check acceptance with the agency before we put a place on your shortlist, so you don't spend a viewing or an application on a closed door.
I don't have a Japanese guarantor. Can I still rent?
Yes. Most leases now use a guarantor company, which usually costs 50–100% of a month's rent at signing plus a small yearly fee. You'll need your residence card, a Japanese phone number and proof of work or study. If your employer can sign as guarantor, that's often easier.
Can you find me a place before I land?
We can shortlist and film viewings while you're abroad. Most standard leases need your residence card and a Japanese phone number, so many people take a furnished apartment or share house for the first one to three months and sign the long-term lease once they've arrived. We'll plan both with you.
How much will I pay to move in?
For a standard unfurnished flat, usually four to six months' rent in total: deposit, key money if any, agency fee, guarantor fee, the first month's rent, fire insurance and a lock change. We work out the exact figure for every listing before you view it.
Why do I pay an agency fee as well as Settle?
In Japan only a licensed agency can broker a lease, and its fee is set by law at no more than one month's rent plus tax. Settle works on your side: we check, explain and organise. We tell you both costs up front.
What about NHK, utilities and internet?
Budget roughly ¥12,000–15,000 a month for electricity, gas and water in a small flat, about ¥5,000 for fibre internet, and ¥1,100 a month for NHK if you have a TV or sign up for NHK's online service. Some flats include free internet; we flag those.
Waitlist
Be first when Tokyo opens.
Three quick steps. We're opening cities in the order people ask for them. Nothing is charged until we've spoken.
You're on the list.
We'll email you as soon as Tokyo opens.
Other cities
Moving somewhere else?
Same method and local rules in every city.