PSA: Japanese Airbnb laws are changing after June 15, 2018

[ChanduTail]

If you are planning to visit Japan this summer or later & have been considering Airbnb for accommodation, please note that the law is changing as of June 15th and most of the rentals offered on the website are going to be rendered illegal. The regulations are different in every area, so check with the owner of the listing you are considering to be sure that they know about the changes and that the property either does not violate the new laws OR that they applied for & received the necessary license to operate.

For example, in Shibuya, you cannot stay in an Airbnb during the week. You can stay on weekend nights or during school holidays only. This is the kind of thing the owners should be aware of & should be able to help you with.

Don't get stuck without a place to stay or risk a run-in with the police!

 

[corgi_monster]

As a family traveling with children, I'm really disappointed to hear this. Most Tokyo hotels are incredibly child-unfriendly unless you're willing to spend $$$$$, so we prefer AirBnB apartments. Do you know if this a city, regional, or national law?

 

[Haley R]

We are planning our first Japan trip for next May so I'm trying to figure out what we are going to do now. We were only planning on doing a hotel while at Disney and then doing Airbnb in Kyoto and Tokyo. I hope we can still find a host that has the proper licensing. I'm not really sure how to go about making sure they have that, though.

 

[ChanduTail]

As a family traveling with children, I'm really disappointed to hear this. Most Tokyo hotels are incredibly child-unfriendly unless you're willing to spend $$$$$, so we prefer AirBnB apartments. Do you know if this a city, regional, or national law?

National law with different regulations by city & even by ward, which is why I say that the owner of the property should be able to advise on what the specific rules are for their area. There is a maximum of 180 rental days per year for all properties in all locations (and less in some).

We are planning our first Japan trip for next May so I'm trying to figure out what we are going to do now. We were only planning on doing a hotel while at Disney and then doing Airbnb in Kyoto and Tokyo. I hope we can still find a host that has the proper licensing. I'm not really sure how to go about making sure they have that, though.

You can forget it in Kyoto entirely because Airbnb-type rentals will only be legal in Kyoto from mid-January through mid-March - unless, of course, they have the proper license, which is going to be exceedingly rare, to be honest.

 

[Haley R]

National law with different regulations by city & even by ward, which is why I say that the owner of the property should be able to advise on what the specific rules are for their area. There is a maximum of 180 rental days per year for all properties in all locations.


You can forget it in Kyoto entirely because Airbnb-type rentals will only be legal in Kyoto from mid-January through mid-March - unless, of course, they have the proper license, which is going to be exceedingly rare, to be honest.

That's so dumb. We are going to have to REALLY think about where/what we want to do now. We really were not looking to stay in hotels while in Japan. I was hoping to get more of a cultural experience and the Airbnb rentals looked so nice! Do you know what the situation is in Osaka?

 

[ChanduTail]

That's so dumb. We are going to have to REALLY think about where/what we want to do now. We really were not looking to stay in hotels while in Japan. I was hoping to get more of a cultural experience and the Airbnb rentals looked so nice! Do you know what the situation is in Osaka?

Sorry, but I don't know. I just happened to hear about Kyoto on the news.

There is a chance that Osaka has not imposed restrictions beyond the 180 day rule & thus nobody has anything to say about it.

 

[Haley R]

Sorry, but I don't know. I just happened to hear about Kyoto on the news.

There is a chance that Osaka has not imposed restrictions beyond the 180 day rule & thus nobody has anything to say about it.

Okay thanks for the heads up. I'll have to talk to DH and see what he wants to do. Having to stay in a hotel the entire time really does change my view on the entire trip.

 

[corgi_monster]

That's so dumb. We are going to have to REALLY think about where/what we want to do now. We really were not looking to stay in hotels while in Japan. I was hoping to get more of a cultural experience and the Airbnb rentals looked so nice! Do you know what the situation is in Osaka?

Have you thought of staying in a Ryokan? If you're looking for a cultural experience, that's as authentic as it gets. Kyoto has a ton of ryokans and they are legitimate businesses that will not be affected by the AirBnB legislation.

 

[Haley R]

Have you thought of staying in a Ryokan? If you're looking for a cultural experience, that's as authentic as it gets. Kyoto has a ton of ryokans and they are legitimate businesses that will not be affected by the AirBnB legislation.

We thought about that, but I'm a really picky eater so I don't know if that would be our best option.

 

[mel2014]

That's so dumb. We are going to have to REALLY think about where/what we want to do now. We really were not looking to stay in hotels while in Japan. I was hoping to get more of a cultural experience and the Airbnb rentals looked so nice! Do you know what the situation is in Osaka?

We considered this place in Kyoto, which has a variety of different accommodations with kitchen facilities, etc: http://sakarakyoto.com/wp/en/

 

[Haley R]

We considered this place in Kyoto, which has a variety of different accommodations with kitchen facilities, etc: http://sakarakyoto.com/wp/en/

Hey those look great! Thank you for sending that to me! Would those be considered a "hotel" then?

 

[Skippy24]

I have an Airbnb this July in Kyoto. The owner hasn’t said anything, but I will definitely be contacting them immediately.

 

[Haley R]

I have an Airbnb this July in Kyoto. The owner hasn’t said anything, but I will definitely be contacting them immediately.

Probably a good plan. I'm not sure what will happen since you already booked it. Let us know what happens!

 

[ChrisFL]

I found this article if it's useful to anyone:

https://resources.realestate.co.jp/...-as-of-june-15th-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

 

[Haley R]

I found this article if it's useful to anyone:

https://resources.realestate.co.jp/...-as-of-june-15th-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

So far, I have found one renter in Tokyo that has a license and we have already been in contact with them for our May trip. They also helped me get in contact with renters in Osaka that have licenses.

 

[Bobb_o]

Going to contact my host in Shibuya tonight to confirm everything is inline with the new law.

 

[corgi_monster]

Going to contact my host in Shibuya tonight to confirm everything is inline with the new law.

Please let us know what happens. I read that units in Shibuya could only be rented when school is not in session even if the owner has a license. I’m very curious to know if this is true because I avoid TDR (and Japan in general) during school breaks.

 

[ChanduTail]

Please let us know what happens. I read that units in Shibuya could only be rented when school is not in session even if the owner has a license. I’m very curious to know if this is true because I avoid TDR (and Japan in general) during school breaks.

If they have the proper license, which is a hotel license, then the property is classified as a hotel & is exempt from all of the new regulations, including the 180 day maximum. This is going to be extremely rare. Building owners are generally not going to approve this type of usage.

However, all properties now need a different type of license, a minpaku license, in order to operate as legal short-term lodging. Having this type of license does NOT exempt the owner from the new regulations. It only means that they are in accordance with the new law.

 

[Haley R]

If they have the proper license, which is a hotel license, then the property is classified as a hotel & is exempt from all of the new regulations, including the 180 day maximum. This is going to be extremely rare. Building owners are generally not going to approve this type of usage.

However, all properties now need a different type of license, a minpaku license, in order to operate as legal short-term lodging. Having this type of license does NOT exempt the owner from the new regulations. It only means that they are in accordance with the new law.

The host I found is located in Shibuya. They confirmed that we would be able to book with them next May. I'm not sure if they have the minpaku license or the hotel license. I'm gonna go ask to make sure.

 

[rkold]

Kyoto has a lot more family friendly places than they use to. I'm going to Japan in a few weeks and I've seen a ton of reasonably priced apartment hotels, most of them 2 or fewer years old. So if you're going to Kyoto, there are so many options now outside of AirBnBs.

In regards to Osaka, I would be very leery to switch to there unless you know how to use takyuubin services. My friend who just moved from Osaka back to the States said Osaka has finally passed some laws about taking suitcases on local transport. There are now signs up on the subway saying bringing anything larger than a small bag on the subways could lead to fines. I'm pretty sure Osaka is also going to be regulating AirBnBs more strictly.