How it works
From first conversation to move-in.
Tokyo Rent Desk is a consultative service, not a listing portal. Here is exactly what working with us looks like, from the first message you send to the day you receive your keys.
What to expect
A guided search, not a search box.
Most renters in Tokyo spend weeks filtering portal listings before realising the best units never make it online. We work the other direction: you tell us your conditions once, and the same advisor stays with you through to move-in. No reassignments, no inbox full of irrelevant listings.
The five stages
Five stages, one advisor.
01
Day 1
Tell us your conditions
Send a short brief through our consultation form, or email us directly. Cover budget, preferred wards, layout, target move-in date, and anything specific to your life: pets, schools, commute, working from home. We reply within one business day.
02
Days 1–3
We organize priorities together
Your advisor sets up a 30-minute call (Japanese or English, video or phone) to clarify trade-offs: what is non-negotiable, what is flexible, what you would give up for a better location. We turn that into a written brief you both refer back to.
03
Days 3–10
We curate options across the market
We search the entire Tokyo rental market: public portals, brokerage-only databases, and off-market or pre-listing inventory we surface through landlord relationships. You receive a shortlist of three to seven options with our notes on each, not a hundred-listing dump.
04
Within 1–2 weeks
We coordinate viewings
Pick the units you want to see. We schedule them around your availability, often back-to-back in the same area, and accompany you in person to point out things floor plans don't show: natural light at your time of day, neighbourhood noise, the quality of building management.
05
2–4 weeks to keys
Through to contract and move-in
Once you choose, we negotiate terms with the landlord, prepare the application, walk you through every clause of the lease in your language, and coordinate handover. Move-in costs are itemised and explained before any payment is due.
How we are paid
Transparent, capped by Japanese law.
Our fee is the standard agency fee on the lease you sign, capped by Japanese law at one month's rent plus consumption tax. Consultation, curation, viewings, and contract review are all included; there is no separate retainer or hourly charge. You pay nothing until you choose a property and sign.
Common questions
Before you reach out.
- Do I need to be in Tokyo to start?
- No. Many of our clients begin the search from overseas. We run viewings with video tours, hold units while you fly in for a single viewing trip, and handle the paperwork remotely where landlords allow it.
- Do you only work with foreign clients?
- No. Roughly half of our clients are Japanese. We work bilingually because Tokyo is a bilingual city, not because we serve only one side of it.
- What is the typical timeline?
- From first message to keys is usually four to eight weeks. It can move faster when the brief is clear from the start, or stretch longer if you want to see how an area changes across a season.
- Can you help with off-market or pre-listing units?
- Yes. A meaningful portion of central Tokyo's best inventory never appears on public portals. Through landlord and management-company relationships, we can surface units before they list publicly. These are often some of the best matches we make.
Tokyo Rent Desk
Ready to start the conversation?
Send us a brief and a dedicated advisor will be in touch within one business day.