3. Reservation
3.1Find a place
3.2 Book a showing
3.3 Reservation process
3.4 What’s needed to rent from Fontana?
4. Our Apartments and Guesthouses
4.1 Minimum stay
4.2 Internet
4.3 Utilities
5. Moving in with Fontana
5.1 Arranging the move-in
5.2 Move-in day
5.3 Move-in process in short
6. During your stay
6.1 Guesthouses
6.2 Apartments
6.3 Things that Fontana will repair/replace
6.4 Friend or family coming over to stay
6.5 Paying your rent
7. Moving-out
7.1 Submitting the moving-out notice
7.2 Final Payment
7.3 Move-out day
7.4 Information about the security deposit
8. Special Deals
8.1 Student Discount
8.2 Introduction discount offer
Fontana is a real estate company providing affordable apartments and guesthouses in the heart of Tokyo.
Established in 1990, we currently rent out over 800 furnished apartments and rooms in convenient, central locations.
Why choose Fontana?
With over 25 years of experience, we know how difficult and expensive it can be for foreign nationals to find a place to live in Tokyo.
Most Japanese real estate agencies do not rent out to foreign nationals and if they do, the initial cost is usually around 4-6 months’ worth
of rent with additional contract and renewal fees, and what’s more, is that you will then need to get your own furniture.
Instead, what you will get at Fontana is the following:
No key money
No agency fee
No maintenance fee
No contract renewal fee
No guarantor needed
All nationalities are welcome
Fully furnished
Possible to move on the same day
Simple contract procedure
Reservation
On our easily navigated website, you can find an apartment or guesthouse room that suits you and your needs.
You can search by location, rental price, train line, etc.
If you are already in Japan and want to see a place that you are interested in, please get in touch
with us to book a viewing appointment day and time. One of our agents will take you by car from our office and give you a guided inspection of the property.
Please note that we will need to give notice before the visit can take place, should there be a person currently occupying the property.
To reserve a room with Fontana, you can contact us by phone, e-mail, Skype, Facebook, or via our website and inform us
which property you are interested in. One of our agents will then guide you through the reservation process.
Once you have decided upon a place you like, you can then pay a partial deposit to secure it.
Reservation deposit payment:
Guesthouse room: ¥20.000
Private Apartment: ¥30.000
Please note: A property is only reserved once the reservation deposit is paid.
We will only hold a room pre-reserved in your name for up to 3 days while your payment is being processed. Once we can confirm the reservation fee has been paid, we will reserve the room in your name.
At this time one of our agents will then contact you with information regarding the move-in procedure.
If the reservation fee is not completed within 3 days, the property will be made available again for other prospective tenants.
You can pay the reservation fee either in cash at our office, via Paypal, TransferWise, or by bank transfer.
The reservation fee will be added to your security deposit after you sign the lease contract.
Please note that the reservation fee is non-refundable.
Please note: Fontana has a maximum 21-day move-in window policy before we will start charging rent. What this means, is if you pay the reservation fee for an apartment that is available now, your rent will start in a maximum of 21 days' time. This is whether you have moved in yet or not. Likewise, If you pay the reservation fee for an apartment that is becoming available, your rent will start a maximum of 21 days after the available date or the day you check-in. Whichever comes first.
If you wish to extend the 21-day move-in window for 1 more week, please ask your agent.
For people who have been referred to Fontana by a current Fontana client, please leave the tenant's name, building name, and room number in the "How did you hear about Fontana" section of the inquiry form. If you fail to do so, the current tenant will be unable to claim their discount offer.
What’s needed to rent from Fontana?
We will need a copy of your ID (e.g. Passport or Residence Card), a Security deposit, and the first month’s rent.
You need to come to our office to sign the rental contract and take care of the payment.
With Fontana, you do not need a guarantor. Instead, Fontana will act as your guarantor and in return, we require
that you always pay your rent on time.
Our Apartments and Guesthouses
The minimum stay in our apartments is 2 months and 1 month for guesthouses.
Internet is free of charge in all of our properties.
Apartments
In our apartments, gas, water and electricity are not included.
In general gas, water and electricity are not included in the rental price. Before you move into your apartment we will contact each respective company and set up the utility contracts in your name. You will then receive the bills in your post-box around 1 month from the time you move in.
You can pay the bills at any convenience store.
With all of our apartments we require our clients to select one of the following insurance plans; ¥2,000 (1 month), ¥7,500 (6 months), ¥15,000 (1 year)
Guesthouses
Utilities are normally included in the rent. Please refer to the specific property page for details.
Service Fee
From June 1st, 2019 a maximum service fee of 0,5 months rent will be charged at the check-in time.
Please inquire for more information.
Once the reservation has been confirmed, the sales representative in charge will contact you to arrange a move-in time between 10.30 and 17.30 and explain the check-in procedure.
*Note that if your arrival time exceeds the time previously fixed by your agent, you will need to find accommodation
for the night and come again the next day to move in.
**The contract signature and move-in inspection must be done by the tenant in person. It cannot be done by a third
party on your behalf.
***Note that we cannot hand you the keys without performing the check-in inspection.
On the day of your move-in, we will first meet at our office in Shin-Nakano. One of our agents will take you through the contract and take any
remaining payments if due.
Lastly, we will accompany you to the apartment or guesthouse and complete a walkthrough inspection.
Arrange a date and time for your move-in with your agent.
Meet at our office in Shin-Nakano.
Go through the contract.
Payment of Security Deposit and Rent.
We make a copy of your ID (e.g. Passport or Residence Card).
We accompany you to the apartment or guesthouse room to complete the move-in.
The common spaces in our guesthouses are cleaned on a weekly basis by our cleaning staff. However, the tenants are
responsible for cleaning their private rooms and cleaning up after themselves after using the shower, kitchen, toilet, etc.
When you are staying in a private apartment you will be responsible for the everyday maintenance and taking care of it.
This includes, for example, making sure to separate and dispose of the garbage on the designated days, keeping the sink and shower
drains from getting clogged, etc.
Things that Fontana will repair/replace
Fridge
AC
Microwave
Internet/Wifi
Gas stove/IH stove
Washing machine
Major damages such as water leaks, cracks, etc.
Friend or family coming over to stay
If you have a friend or family coming over:
- Private apartments: they are welcome to stay without any extra charge. We would however like you to
provide Fontana with a copy of the identification of the person staying.
- Guesthouse: All guests are required to leave the guesthouse by 10 p.m.
*Guestrooms are only suitable for one tenant per room. Please contact Fontana for more information.
The rent is due on the 28th of each month and you always pay for the coming month. For example, on or before the 28th of July, you will
need to pay the rent for August.
You can pay the rent at our office in cash (JPY), via bank transfer, or TransferWise.
Be advised that there will be transfer fees involved when paying by bank transfer.
TransferWise
TransferWise is the best option for most people not paying in cash. Please make sure to set up your account in advance of coming to Japan.
Bank transfer
You can pay either with a Japanese bank account or a foreign bank account (please add ¥4000 to each international bank transfer), use the following information:
Domestic Bank Transfer
Bank Name: Mizuho Bank
Branch name: Nakano branch #351
Account number: 3024249
Account Type: Futsu
Account holder: Fontana
International Bank Transfer
Bank Name: Mizuho Bank
Branch name: Nakano branch #351
Account number: 3024249
Account Type: Futsu
Swift code: MHCBJPJT
Account holder: Fontana
Submitting the moving-out notice
Before you move out you will need to give us notice at least one month in advance with the exact date you intend to leave, otherwise, the rent will be due in full.
You can give your notice via email, in person at our office, or via telephone. Please ensure that you also receive a confirmation
via email or that you sign the move-out notice form in our office.
Electricity: 0120-995-001 or 113
Water: 05-7009-1100
Gas: 03-5722-0111
If you are living in an apartment you will need to call the gas, water, and electricity companies to cancel your contracts with them. One of our agents will explain this
in more detail when you submit your move-out notice.
Once we have received your move-out notice, the apartment or the room you are renting will be advertised on our website again.
Therefore, it is likely that a potential tenant would like to view the apartment/room. If that is the case, we will contact you before any visit will be made.
Finally, please arrange a time on the move-out day between 10.30 a.m. and 16.30 p.m. for one of our agents to come and inspect the apartment/room.
Your rent is always due on the 28th of each month, even if you are moving out at the beginning of the next month.
The rent will then be calculated until your move-out date.
For example:
You give the notice of moving out on the 15th of July, you will then need to pay rent until August 15th on or before July 28th.
What you need to have prepared before moving out
If you are living in an apartment you will need to call the gas, water, and electricity companies to cancel your contracts.
They will send a representative so that you can pay your final bills. Please keep the receipt for water and electricity as
Fontana will need to keep them or copies of them to verify the utilities have been paid.
We suggest you contact the utility companies around one week prior to your move-out day.
Please note that you will have to close your gas contract as well, however, you will not need to provide the final receipt to Fontana
in order to get the security deposit back.
Electricity: 0120-995-005 (Dial 2 at the automated message)
Water: 03-5326-1100 (Weekends 03-5326-1102)
Gas: 03-5722-0111
Information about the Security Deposit
To be able to rent from Fontana you will need to pay a partially refundable security deposit equal to 1 month's rent for a private apartment and half a month's rent for a guesthouse room.
Private Apartments: 1 month's rent
Guesthouse rooms: 0.5 month's rent
Getting back your Security Deposit
On the day of move-out, one of our agents will come to your apartment or guesthouse for inspection.
Make sure that you have emptied the apartment/room of all your personal belongings and that you have not left any garbage.
For apartments, you will need to provide us with the final bills for the gas, water, and electricity.
All keys (including copies) need to be returned to Fontana on the day of your move-out.
If everything is in the correct order you will then get back the security deposit minus a cleaning fee corresponding to the amount stated in your contract.
Once the deposit has been returned and the keys have been given back to Fontana, the customer will no longer have access to the apartment/room they checked out from.
Special Deals