The Agency Fee in Japan (Chukai Tesuryo): Legal Cap and How to Pay ¥0

Published August 28, 2026 | Kurabeel

Look at any Japanese move-in estimate and you will find a line called 仲介手数料 (chukai tesuryo) — the agency fee. On a ¥120,000 apartment it is typically ¥132,000, and it is usually the single largest line after the deposit and key money combined.

Here is the thing almost nobody explains to foreign renters: this fee is not set by the apartment. It is set by the agency you happen to walk into. Change the agency, and the number changes — without changing anything about the room, the contract, or the landlord.

What the agency fee actually pays for

Legally, it is the brokerage commission for arranging the lease: showing you the property, handling the application, running the explanation of important matters (重要事項説明, juyo jiko setsumei), and preparing the contract. The work is essentially the same at every licensed agency, because the framework is set by the Real Estate Brokerage Act.

What differs between agencies is not the work. It is who pays for it.

The legal cap most tenants never hear about

Under a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism notification issued under the Real Estate Brokerage Act, for residential leases the total commission an agency may receive from the landlord and the tenant combined is capped at one month's rent plus consumption tax.

More surprising: the tenant's share is, by default, half a month's rent plus tax. Charging a tenant the full month plus tax is permitted only with the tenant's consent. In practice virtually every agency treats "one month plus tax" as standard and obtains that consent as part of the paperwork — but it is a custom, not a legal baseline.

Why some agencies charge ¥0

Because the tenant is not the only possible payer. Landlords who want a vacant room filled quickly often attach an advertising fee (広告料, known in the industry as "AD") to the listing — typically one month's rent, paid to whichever agency finds the tenant. It is a success fee: nothing is paid unless someone moves in.

An empty apartment costs the landlord a full month of rent for every month it stays empty. Paying one month of AD to fill it a month sooner is simply good arithmetic. And when an agency is already being paid by the landlord, it can charge the tenant nothing and still be paid for the work.

That is the entire mechanism. There is no catch, no hidden charge, and no difference in the apartment itself — the landlord, the rent, the deposit and the key money are identical either way.

When ¥0 is not possible

This is the part that honest agencies tell you up front. If the landlord has set no advertising fee on a listing, there is no landlord-side income, and the agency fee cannot always be waived. Listings that commonly fall outside a ¥0 offer include:

• No AD set by the landlord — common for popular, new, or well-located buildings that fill themselves
• Rooms the owner advertises directly, with no brokerage involved
• Buildings whose managing company refuses introductions from other agencies
• Peak season (January–March) listings in high-demand areas, where landlords have no reason to pay for help

So the honest phrasing is "as low as ¥0", not "always ¥0". Most rooms currently on the market do qualify — but you should always ask about a specific listing rather than assume.

What you can and cannot change by switching agencies

Roughly 80% of a Japanese move-in bill is fixed by the landlord. The remaining 20% is where your choice of agency actually matters — and it happens to be the most expensive single line on the sheet.

Watch for the fee reappearing under another name

A ¥0 agency fee is only a saving if the total goes down. Before comparing offers, check the estimate for:

• Disinfection / antibacterial treatment (¥10,000–20,000) — usually optional
• 24-hour support plans (¥15,000–20,000) — ask whether enrollment is required
• Document preparation or administration fees — ask what service they correspond to
• Fire insurance — you are usually free to arrange your own policy

Always compare the total at the bottom of the sheet, not one line in the middle. Our full breakdown of every line item is in move-in costs in Japan.

How to actually do it

1. Find a room you like on SUUMO, HOME'S, at Home or any portal
2. Before contacting the listing agency, send the URL to an agency that offers a ¥0 fee and ask if they can handle it
3. Ask for a written, itemized estimate — not a single total
4. Compare it against the listing agency's estimate line by line
5. Apply through whichever gives you the lower total

The order matters: it is far easier to ask before you have applied than to switch after. Nothing about the apartment changes — only the invoice.

* The agency fee is as low as ¥0. Listings for which the landlord pays no advertising fee (AD) may not qualify. We always confirm the exact amount in a written estimate before you sign.