The vocabulary on every listing
Property vocabulary is closed and appears constantly in writing, which makes it one of the easier specialist sets to acquire. Layout abbreviations in particular recur on every listing.
Learning these first makes listings readable, and reading is where most of the information in this job lives.
| Term | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 敷金 | Deposit | Partly returnable |
| 礼金 | Key money | Not returnable |
| 仲介手数料 | Agency fee | Often one month |
| 管理費 | Management fee | Monthly, on top of rent |
| 保証会社 | Guarantor company | Usually required |
| 築年数 | Building age | Years since construction |
| 間取り | Layout | As in 1DK, 2LDK |
The first three are the ones that surprise tenants. Explaining them before a viewing rather than after prevents most collapsed deals.
Enquiries and viewings
The enquiry and viewing conversation is the conversational part of the job, and it follows a predictable shape: what they need, what the budget is, what is available, and arranging a time.
Establishing the budget early, including the initial costs rather than only the rent, saves everyone time.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ご希望の条件を伺えますか。 | Gokibō no jōken o ukagaemasu ka. | May I ask your requirements? |
| ご予算はどのくらいでしょうか。 | Goyosan wa dono kurai deshō ka. | What is your budget? |
| 何名様でお住まいですか。 | Nanmei-sama de osumai desu ka. | How many people will live there? |
| 内見はいつがご都合よろしいですか。 | Naiken wa itsu ga gotsugō yoroshii desu ka. | When would a viewing suit you? |
| こちらが間取り図でございます。 | Kochira ga madorizu de gozaimasu. | This is the floor plan. |
| 駅から徒歩八分でございます。 | Eki kara toho happun de gozaimasu. | It is eight minutes on foot from the station. |
The cost conversation
This is the conversation that decides most deals, and the mistake is leaving it until after a viewing. Initial costs in Japan frequently total several months of rent, which surprises tenants from many countries.
Give the numbers in writing as well as saying them. A tenant who has the breakdown on paper can make the decision without a second conversation.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 初期費用は家賃の四か月分ほどです。 | Shoki hiyō wa yachin no yonkagetsu-bun hodo desu. | Initial costs are about four months' rent. |
| 内訳をご説明いたします。 | Uchiwake o gosetsumei itashimasu. | I will explain the breakdown. |
| 敷金は退去時に精算いたします。 | Shikikin wa taikyo-ji ni seisan itashimasu. | The deposit is settled when you move out. |
| 礼金は返金されません。 | Reikin wa henkin saremasen. | Key money is not refunded. |
| 保証会社のご利用が必須となります。 | Hoshō-gaisha no goriyō ga hissu to narimasu. | Use of a guarantor company is required. |
| 書面でお渡しいたします。 | Shomen de owatashi itashimasu. | I will give it to you in writing. |
Say plainly that key money is not returned. Tenants frequently assume it works like a deposit, and discovering otherwise later damages trust.
Application and contract
The application process involves a guarantor company screening, documents, and then the formal explanation of important terms before signing. That explanation is a legal requirement delivered by a qualified person, not a formality to be rushed.
Being clear about what documents are needed, at the start, prevents most of the delays.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 入居審査がございます。 | Nyūkyo shinsa ga gozaimasu. | There is a tenant screening. |
| 必要書類をご案内いたします。 | Hitsuyō shorui o goannai itashimasu. | I will explain the required documents. |
| 在留カードをお持ちください。 | Zairyū kādo o omochi kudasai. | Please bring your residence card. |
| 重要事項説明を行います。 | Jūyō jikō setsumei o okonaimasu. | We will carry out the explanation of important terms. |
| ご不明な点はございませんか。 | Gofumei na ten wa gozaimasen ka. | Is there anything unclear? |
| ご署名と押印をお願いいたします。 | Goshomei to ōin o onegai itashimasu. | Please sign and stamp here. |
Foreign tenants
Foreign clients are a growing part of the market, and most of what they need is procedural rather than linguistic: what the fees are, how the guarantor company works, what documents are required, and what the rules of the building are.
Providing the numbers and the document list in writing at the first contact resolves the majority of it, and it saves you repeating the same explanation.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 外国籍の方も入居可能です。 | Gaikokuseki no kata mo nyūkyo kanō desu. | Foreign nationals may also rent here. |
| 日本語での対応が必要な場合があります。 | Nihongo de no taiō ga hitsuyō na baai ga arimasu. | Japanese may be required in some dealings. |
| ゴミの分別ルールをご説明します。 | Gomi no bunbetsu rūru o gosetsumei shimasu. | I will explain the rubbish sorting rules. |
| 契約書の英語版はございません。 | Keiyakusho no eigo-ban wa gozaimasen. | There is no English version of the contract. |
| ゆっくりご説明いたします。 | Yukkuri gosetsumei itashimasu. | I will explain slowly. |
| ご質問はいつでもどうぞ。 | Goshitsumon wa itsudemo dōzo. | Please ask questions at any time. |
Rubbish sorting rules cause more friction between foreign tenants and buildings than anything else. Explaining them at handover prevents complaints later.
The conversation to rehearse
Most of this job's vocabulary is acquired by reading listings, which happens on its own. One conversation recurs and decides outcomes: the cost explanation.
It is worth rehearsing properly, including the follow-up questions, because a client who does not understand the initial costs withdraws at the application stage after everyone has invested time. Running it with an AI Sensei in Unihongo's immersive 3D classroom supplies the questions clients actually ask, which is the half you cannot script.
The register is the other thing to check. Client-facing property work is conducted in keigo throughout, and the session report will flag the slips that a colleague would notice and not mention.
Explain the costs before the viewing, not after. It is the single change that most improves how many enquiries become contracts.