For owners who use their Japanese house themselves
You bought a place in Japan for yourself.
We look after it between visits.
A second home in Japan is not an investment problem. Nothing is earning while you are away, nobody is in the building, and the trip home is short. We are the people in Japan who keep it in good order and have it working when you land.
From ¥66,000 a year, tax included · Property anywhere in Japan, same price
“His knowledge and responsiveness is second to none!” — James Lauro
What actually happens to an empty Japanese house
None of this is dramatic, and none of it is expensive to prevent. All of it is expensive to discover six months late.
The drains dry out
The water seal in every drain evaporates in two to four weeks. After that the smell comes back up the pipe — the most common unpleasant surprise on return, and entirely preventable.
Gas cannot be restarted remotely
Reopening the supply needs a technician and somebody physically inside the house. Arrive without arranging it and your first morning goes on an appointment, or you have no hot water.
The post keeps coming
Tax notices, insurance renewals, utility bills and condominium papers, all on paper and in Japanese. Japan Post will not forward them overseas, and an overflowing box tells the street the house is unattended.
The garden gives you away
One Japanese summer is enough. A property that is visibly unmanaged can be designated a poorly-managed vacant house, which removes the residential land tax reduction.
We wrote the full version of this up as the checklist for leaving a Japanese house empty.
What we do, around your visits
The year of a second home has four stages. We work to all of them.
While you are away
- Post received, scanned and translated
- Property tax and bills paid from funds you send
- Periodic checks — taps run, building looked over, photographs sent
- Garden cutting and snow clearing arranged
Before you arrive
- Gas reopening booked and attended
- Water restored and checked for leaks
- House opened and aired a few days ahead
- Bedding dried, air conditioning checked
While you are there
- Contractors arranged and interpreted for
- Deliveries received
- Anything you have been postponing, handled while you are in the country
After you leave
- House closed down properly for the season
- Water drained where freezing is a risk
- Condition recorded in photographs
The two things Japan requires of you
Owning a house in Japan from abroad carries two obligations. Both are arranged once rather than every year, and we act as both.
- Tax representative (納税管理人)
- Registered with your municipality so property tax notices reach somebody who can act on them. Without one the notice reaches nobody, and unpaid tax quietly becomes arrears against the registered owner. How to appoint one
- Domestic contact (国内連絡先)
- Asked for when ownership is registered by an owner living abroad, since April 2024 — somebody in Japan who can be reached about the property. You can declare that you have none, but then nobody can. How the roles differ
Written for second home owners
Leaving your house empty for months
The drains, the pipes, the post box and the garden — in the order that matters.
ReadUtilities: leave them on or shut them off?
Why gas is not like electricity and water, and a rule based on how often you visit.
ReadBefore you fly
A four-week timeline so your first morning is not spent on appointments.
ReadQuestions second home owners ask
- Do you work with owners who do not rent their property out?
- Yes — that is most of our customers. Owners who keep a house in Japan for their own use have a different problem from landlords: nothing generates income to pay for itself, nobody is in the building between visits, and the trip home is short. The service is built around that.
- My house is not in Tokyo. Does that matter?
- No, and the price is the same anywhere in Japan. Japan Post redirects your mail to us wherever the property is, and a tax representative is registered with your own municipality — the same procedure in every city, town and village. When physical work is needed we arrange a local company near the property and show you the quote first.
- What do I legally have to arrange as a non-resident owner?
- Two things. A tax representative (納税管理人) registered with your municipality so property tax notices reach somebody who can pay them, and a domestic contact (国内連絡先) recorded with the property registration, which owners living abroad are asked for since April 2024 (or to declare that they have none). Both are arranged once rather than every year, and we act as both.
- I do not have a Japanese bank account. Can you still pay my bills?
- Yes. You send us funds by international transfer, we hold them in a dedicated account used only for money held on behalf of owners, and we pay property tax, utilities and contractors from it. Your balance is visible in your dashboard and moves with every payment we make.
- Can you meet a gas technician or a builder at the house?
- Yes. Attending appointments is one of the main reasons owners use us — gas reopening in particular cannot be done remotely and cannot be done without somebody inside the house. We book it, attend it, and tell you in English what happened.
- How much does it cost?
- Annual plans start at ¥66,000 including tax, with a one-time setup fee of ¥22,000 in the first year. Work at the property — garden cutting, repairs, utility setup — is quoted separately and only goes ahead once you approve the quote.
More in our full FAQ.
Tell us about your house
Where it is, how often you get there, and what you are worried about. We will tell you what we would do and what it would cost — a free 15-minute call, in English, with our founder.
Get in touchNo credit card required · Property anywhere in Japan