"No key money, no guarantor" is the headline on almost every furnished monthly rental site in Tokyo. It is true of OHAYO Stay too. But it is not the same as "no upfront cost", and the fastest way to lose trust is to let people discover the deposit and the cleaning fee on the payment page. So here is the whole bill, line by line, and what it looks like next to a conventional Tokyo lease.
What a conventional Tokyo lease asks for upfront
Renting a normal, unfurnished apartment in Tokyo usually involves these items before you get the key:
- Key money (reikin): one to two months of rent, non-refundable, paid to the landlord.
- Security deposit (shikikin): commonly one to two months of rent, refundable in principle, with cleaning and repair costs deducted at move-out.
- Agency fee: commonly around one month of rent plus tax.
- Guarantor or guarantor-company fee: if you do not have a Japanese guarantor, a guarantor company typically charges 50% to 100% of one month's rent at signing.
- First month's rent, sometimes prorated, plus fire insurance and a lock change.
Add those up and the move-in cost of a conventional lease is commonly several months of rent, most of it paid before you have slept there once, after a screening that can take weeks and paperwork that is usually only in Japanese. You also arrive to an empty room: no bed, no fridge, no washing machine, and no internet until you set it up.
What a furnished monthly apartment asks for
At OHAYO Stay the amount due at booking is made of four lines, and every listing shows them before you pay:
- Room charge. The monthly price shown on the listing. Electricity, gas, water and Wi‑Fi are included in it.
- One-time cleaning fee. Typically ¥15,000, charged once per stay, not per month.
- Refundable security deposit. Most listings take ¥30,000. It is returned at check-out.
- Platform fee. 5% of the three items above, charged at checkout.
There is no key money, no agency fee, no guarantor and no guarantor-company fee. You do not need a Japanese bank account or a residence card to book: a passport and a credit card are enough. Minimum stay is 30 nights.
A worked example
Take a listing at ¥189,000 per month and a 30-night stay.
- Room charge: ¥189,000
- One-time cleaning fee: ¥15,000
- Refundable security deposit: ¥30,000
- Platform fee, 5% of ¥234,000: ¥11,700
- Due at booking: ¥245,700
At check-out the ¥30,000 deposit comes back, so the cost of the month is ¥215,700, and that figure already contains the electricity, gas, water and internet you would otherwise be setting up and paying separately.
For a longer stay the room charge scales with the nights, while the cleaning fee and the deposit stay the same. The checkout page shows the exact amount for your dates before you pay, and every listing page shows the same breakdown as an estimate for 30 nights.
The same month in a conventional lease
Put a conventional lease next to it with the same ¥189,000 as the monthly rent. Key money of one month is ¥189,000 and does not come back. A deposit of one month is another ¥189,000 held until you leave. An agency fee of one month is roughly ¥208,000 with tax. A guarantor company at 50% of a month is about ¥94,500. Together with the first month's rent that is over ¥860,000 before furniture, appliances and utility contracts. Some contracts also charge a penalty for leaving early; the contract decides.
The comparison is not that a furnished monthly apartment is cheaper per month than a bare lease. It often is not. The comparison is that the monthly rental costs about one month of rent plus a deposit to start, is furnished and connected on day one, and lets you leave after 30 nights.
What happens to the deposit
The security deposit is held, not earned, and it is returned at check-out. The cleaning fee is a separate, fixed, one-time item that you see before booking.
Cancellation
If you cancel seven or more days before check-in you are refunded in full. Less than seven days before check-in, the security deposit is refunded in full and half of everything else you paid is retained. Refunds go back to the card you paid with.
Questions people ask before booking
- Do I need a Japanese phone number or address? No. Booking is online with a passport or residence card and a credit card.
- Can I book from outside Japan? Yes. Booking is online and does not require a Japanese phone number, address or bank account.
- Is the monthly price really all-in? The room charge includes electricity, gas, water and Wi‑Fi. The cleaning fee, deposit and platform fee are the only other lines, and they are shown before you pay.
- Can I stay less than 30 nights? No. Every OHAYO Stay home has a 30-night minimum.
See the full list of furnished monthly apartments in Tokyo, the FAQ, and the cost comparison with hotels and Airbnb.