Can You Rent an Apartment in Japan Without a Guarantor?

September 8, 2026

No Japanese guarantor does not mean no apartment. Most contracts now use a rent guarantee company instead — here is how guarantor companies, joint guarantors and emergency contacts differ, and what each one costs you.

Not having a Japanese person willing to act as your guarantor does not automatically shut you out of the rental market. Most contracts today use a 家賃債務保証会社 — a rent guarantee company — in place of a personal guarantor.

The short answer: you can rent, provided the property and its management company accept an application backed by a guarantor company. You will still have to pass screening, pay a guarantee fee, and repay the guarantor company yourself if it ever has to cover a payment on your behalf.

The thing to get straight first is that three separate concepts are involved: the joint guarantor, the guarantor company, and the emergency contact. These roles are not interchangeable, and one application may be asked to supply more than one of them.

What does a rent guarantee company actually do?

If a tenant misses a rent payment, the guarantor company can pay the landlord or management company, within the scope set out in the guarantee contract. It will then ask the tenant to repay the amount it advanced, along with any other charges the contract provides for.

So a guarantor company is not insurance that wipes out what you owe. The service secures the cash flow of the landlord's side and makes the deal possible for tenants who have no suitable personal guarantor.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) guidebook for foreign residents notes that rental contracts commonly require either the use of a rent guarantee company or a joint guarantor. Apartment Search Guidebook

How is a guarantor company different from a personal guarantor?

Guarantor company `家賃債務保証会社`

A business providing a service under contract.
Charges an initial fee, recurring fees or other amounts on its own terms.
Runs its own screening of your application.
May pay on your behalf within the scope of the guarantee, then recover the money from you.
Not every property lets the tenant choose which company to use.

Joint guarantor `連帯保証人`

An individual who accepts legal liability under the contract.
May be asked for proof of income and a registered seal certificate.
Their liability is not the same as an emergency contact's.
Should only sign after reading and understanding the scope of the obligation.

Emergency contact `緊急連絡先`

The person called when the tenant cannot be reached or something goes wrong.
Not automatically liable for paying rent.
May be required to live in Japan or to meet other contact conditions.
Must know about the role and agree to it before their details are submitted.

A property can require a guarantor company and still ask for an emergency contact. In some cases both a guarantor company and a personal guarantor are required. Ask about this the moment you view the place.

How are guarantor company fees calculated?

There is no single fee schedule that applies across the industry. A quote may include:

An initial guarantee fee payable when the contract is signed.
A renewal fee each year.
A monthly guarantee or administration fee.
A fee for automatic rent collection from your account.
Charges arising from late payment, as set out in the contract.

Do not stop at "how much is the upfront fee". Ask for the total cost across the first year and the ongoing cost from the second year onwards.

For example, two units may have the same rent, but unit A charges a high initial guarantee fee and nothing monthly, while unit B has a low upfront fee and charges on a recurring basis. To see which is actually cheaper, you have to add it up over the period you plan to stay.

Are guarantor companies registered with the government?

MLIT operates a registration system for rent debt guarantee businesses that meet certain conditions relating to how they operate. Within the Housing Safety Net System there is also a mechanism for certifying companies that are a good fit for people who need support securing housing. MLIT Housing Safety Net System

That said, a company appearing on a list does not mean every application will be approved, or that every property uses that company. Landlords and management companies have usually already decided which guarantor company is used for their units.

What is the difference between `登録家賃債務保証業者` and `認定家賃債務保証業者`?

MLIT maintains two separate lists, and many people assume they are the same thing. For foreign residents the distinction has a direct bearing on whether you get asked for an additional personal guarantor.

`登録` — registration, so the government can verify how a company operates

This is a voluntary scheme. A company that has not registered is still permitted to run a rent guarantee business, so "not on the list" does not mean "operating illegally". Registration system for rent debt guarantee businesses — MLIT
Registered companies are published openly, along with their name, the location of their head office and their registration number. As of August 13, 2026, the list contained 123 businesses. List of registered businesses — MLIT
Registered companies are subject to government oversight, including criteria for taking action against them and for striking them off the register if they breach the rules.

`認定` — certifying companies that are easier to access for people who need housing support

The certification scheme picks out, from among registered companies or Housing Support Corporations 居住支援法人, those that meet a further set of conditions, including:

Not refusing to act as guarantor without legitimate grounds.
Accepting an emergency contact that is not an individual — a corporate body counts as valid.
Not making an additional guarantor for the rent obligation a condition of the guarantee.
Not charging unreasonably high guarantee fees.
Publishing their model contract terms and figures on how contracts are performed.

Overview of the certification scheme for rent guarantee businesses — MLIT

Why does this matter to you? Foreign residents fall within the category of Persons Requiring Housing Support 住宅確保要配慮者 as defined by the scheme. If you have no relative living in Japan to put down as an emergency contact, the condition about "accepting a corporate body as emergency contact" is the difference that may untie exactly the knot in your application.

Even so, a company being registered or certified does not oblige a landlord to use it. Ask your agent which category the guarantor company for the unit you are viewing falls into, before you submit an application.

What do guarantor companies screen for?

Detailed criteria are usually not published in full. An application may be assessed on information such as:

Your identity and residence status.
How much of your period of stay remains.
Your job, school and source of income.
The rent relative to your ability to pay.
Your phone number and whether your details can be verified.
Your emergency contact.
The number of occupants and how the property will be used.
Whether your forms and documents are consistent with each other.

Do not try to guess your way to answers that "pass" more easily. Incorrect or contradictory information is usually a bigger risk than an application that has a weak point but explains it clearly.

Will you be rejected if you don't speak Japanese?

Your ability to communicate may be taken into account, because the management company needs to send notices, deal with problems and collect rent. But that does not mean fluent Japanese is required in every case.

You can strengthen your application by:

Using a support service that can communicate with the management company.
Providing a phone number that works reliably.
Having an emergency contact who understands their role.
Showing that you understand the building rules and the payment method.
Answering confirmation calls when they are scheduled.

What if the guarantor company rejects you?

A rejection does not necessarily come with a reason. Talk to your agent about whether there is a workable option within the scope of that property:

Check whether the application contains errors or missing information.
Confirm whether the calls to your workplace and your contact person actually got through.
Ask whether the property will accept a different guarantor company.
Look for a unit whose criteria fit your income or remaining period of stay better.
Add documents evidencing your source of funds, if that is permitted.
Consider another suitable family member as the contract holder, but only if that person really is the tenant and meets the conditions.

Avoid firing off applications on one property after another without knowing where your application is weak. It burns time and can cost you better options.

What is `セーフティネット住宅` and where can you look it up?

If several properties in a row will not take your application, there is one more route that few foreign residents know about: housing under the Housing Safety Net System.

The aim of the system is that everyone should be able to rent somewhere with peace of mind. One pillar of it is a pool of rental units registered with the authorities as not refusing people who belong to the groups needing housing support — including low-income households, older people, people with disabilities, households raising young children, disaster victims and foreign residents as defined by the rules. Landlords register their own units with the prefecture, a designated city or a core city. Housing Safety Net System — MLIT

Registered units can be looked up on the Safety Net housing information system. You can search by area yourself and take the resulting list to your agent. The system is called セーフティネット住宅情報提供システム and is run by MLIT.

MLIT's own apartment search guidebook points to this system as the place to look up rental units that accept foreign residents. Apartment Search Guidebook — MLIT

Beyond registered units, the system also covers Housing with Residential Support 居住サポート住宅, which offers safety check-ins and referrals to welfare services, along with Housing Support Corporations 居住支援法人 and local Housing Support Councils 居住支援協議会.

Keep two things in mind so your expectations stay realistic:

"Not refusing" does not mean you are automatically accepted. You still have to pass the guarantor company's screening and still have to submit the full set of documents.
The number of suitable units in the right area and within your budget may be very small. Use this channel to widen your options, not to replace searching through an agent.

If the guarantor company pays, is the tenant's debt cleared?

No. This is the most dangerous misunderstanding of the lot.

If you are going to be late, contact the management company and the guarantor company early. The guarantor company paying the landlord does not cancel your obligation. You can still be asked to repay it, be charged the amounts the contract provides for, and see it affect whether your tenancy continues.

Do not simply walk out of the apartment or cut off contact. Moving out still means following the proper termination procedure, handing back the keys and settling whatever is outstanding.

8 questions to ask before signing a guarantee contract

Which guarantor company will screen my application?
How much is the initial fee, and what is it calculated on?
Is there a monthly fee?
How often is the renewal fee charged?
How will the rent be paid?
Who do I contact if I am going to be late?
What does the guarantee actually cover?
When does the guarantee contract end, and is any fee refunded?

How can NST Connect help?

If you have no guarantor in Japan, NST Connect can help you filter for properties that use a guarantor company, check the emergency contact requirement in advance, prepare your application and walk you through the fee table in English.

Give us an accurate picture of your situation: residence status, how much of your period of stay is left, your job or school, your income, the number of occupants and your budget. Picking the right property from the start matters more than submitting as many applications as possible.

The properties NST Connect currently lists each show their monthly guarantor fee, so you can estimate that cost before getting in touch.

Frequently asked questions

Does a guarantor company sponsor my visa?

No. A rent guarantee company deals with obligations under a housing contract. It is not a sponsor for residence or visa procedures.

If I have a guarantor company, do I still need an emergency contact?

You may well still need one. They are two different roles. The requirement depends on the guarantor company and the management company.

Can I choose a cheaper guarantor company myself?

Not always. Many properties only accept the company designated by the landlord or the management company.

Is the guarantee fee refunded if my application is rejected?

Do not transfer money before you understand what is being charged and on what refund terms. How it is handled depends on when the fee is collected and what was agreed. Ask for confirmation in writing.

Sources checked on August 27, 2026. Fees and screening criteria depend on the contract, the guarantor company, the landlord and the management company for each individual property.