Finding an Apartment in Tokyo in September: What Changes vs Spring

Most guides about finding housing in Tokyo implicitly discuss the spring market: the April fiscal start, the March moving peak, the February pressure. What these guides rarely cover: the September rental season follows completely different rules.

If you are arriving in Tokyo in August or September, you have both an advantage and a challenge compared to your spring counterparts.

What changes in September versus spring

Demand is structurally lower

March is the most competitive month of the year in the Tokyo rental market. Large Japanese companies place their new recruits, universities receive first-year students, and tens of thousands of people search simultaneously. Competition for each property is real and intense.

September is a secondary peak, significantly more modest. Companies hiring mid-year and universities running autumn programmes generate demand, but the volume is 40 to 50% lower than spring.

What this means for you: less pressure to decide in 24 hours, more room to negotiate, landlords more open to flexible conditions.

The available stock is different

In spring, the entire Tokyo rental market turns over simultaneously. In September, you are searching among properties whose previous tenants left during summer.

These properties have often been refreshed during the slow July-August period: fresh paint, thorough cleaning, sometimes light renovation. They arrive on the market in better condition than a property vacated urgently in February.

What this means for you: properties in better visual condition, but total supply more limited. You need to be ready to decide more quickly when a good option appears.

Landlords are more open to negotiation

After two vacant summer months (July-August), many landlords are eager to re-let. A vacant property costs 100,000 JPY/month in lost rent. A tenant arriving in September represents 6 to 12 months of guaranteed income before the next potential departure.

What you can negotiate in September:

• Reduction or waiver of reikin (key money) for properties vacant more than 60 days
• Partial coverage of cleaning fees
• Deferred first-month payment to give you time to open a bank account
• Early termination clause at 30 days instead of 60

None of these are guaranteed, but the probability of agreement is much higher than in March, when the landlord has 5 other applications waiting.

Most active neighbourhoods in September

The September intake attracts mainly two profiles: postgraduate students starting international programmes in autumn, and corporate expats whose contracts begin in Q4.

Areas that see the most activity in September:

Bunkyo-ku (Hongo, Nezu, Koishikawa): very close to the University of Tokyo, which runs significant master's and doctoral autumn intakes. Demand rises strongly in August-September.

Shinjuku / Takadanobaba: Waseda University attracts hundreds of international students in autumn. The area sees occupancy rates climb in September after a summer low.

Minato-ku / Roppongi: executives from multinationals whose fiscal year follows the international (not Japanese) calendar arrive in Q3-Q4. Demand for high-end furnished apartments is strong.

Koenji / Nakano: attract remote workers and creative freelancers at the start of autumn. Good availability, stable rents.

The right search timeline

90 days out (late July): start monitoring the market. Listings for September availability begin appearing from mid-July onwards.

60 days out (early August): reach out to operators and hunters. This is when landlords and agencies have the most accurate information on September availability.

45 days out (mid-August): place a hold on the best properties. Good furnished apartments for September are often reserved between 30 and 45 days before the move-in date.

30 days out (mid-August): sign and pay the deposit. For a September 1st move-in.

If you are still abroad: a property hunter can visit on your behalf and send video walkthroughs, allowing you to decide with confidence from a distance.

What not to do

Arrive in Tokyo before confirming housing. In September, with less supply than spring, good properties move quickly once a tenant can visit immediately. Arriving without confirmed housing typically means 2 to 4 weeks of hotel at 80,000 to 150,000 JPY.

Search only on public portals. Suumo and Homes show only part of the market. Off-market properties, circulating through professional networks, often represent the best opportunities, especially in lower-demand periods when landlords accept working with intermediaries to avoid vacancy.

Overlook furnished apartments. For a September arrival, a furnished apartment with no guarantor is often the optimal solution: immediate setup, no furniture costs, English contract, and access to properties available on very short timelines.

Spring vs autumn: at a glance

Our service for September arrivals

We have direct visibility into properties available for the September intake in Tokyo, including no-guarantor furnished apartments accessible to foreigners and share houses with immediate availability.

A 30-minute consultation is enough to review what is available in your budget and target neighbourhood, before you even fly to Japan.

Arriving in Tokyo in September? Book a free consultation now to see current availability and secure your housing before you land.