Japanese Lease Agreements: 敷金, 礼金, 更新料, 原状回復
The reader can read Japanese lease agreements and distinguish initial costs, renewal terms, repair obligations, deposits, and move-out liabilities.
Core examples: 敷金, 礼金, 更新料, 原状回復, 賃料, 管理費, 保証人, 解約, 特約, 禁止事項.
Housing words become money when they enter a contract
A rental listing says:
敷金1か月、礼金1か月、更新料1か月、管理費5,000円
The words look short. The cost is not. A lease agreement turns ordinary housing vocabulary into obligations: what you pay before moving in, what you pay monthly, what may be returned, what is not returned, what happens at renewal, and what you owe at move-out.
The key principle is:
A lease must be read as a cost-and-duty map.
Do not stop at translating the nouns. Ask which payments are refundable, recurring, conditional, negotiable, or tied to damage and move-out.
This article is language-literacy guidance, not legal advice.
敷金: deposit
敷金
is a deposit. It is usually paid at move-in and may be used to cover unpaid rent, damage, or move-out obligations depending on contract and law.
Important related phrases:
返還 return/refund
差し引く deduct
未払い賃料 unpaid rent
Learner action: check conditions for return. 敷金 is not simply “extra rent.”
礼金: key money
礼金
is key money, a non-refundable payment to the landlord in many rental arrangements.
It literally contains 礼, thanks, but in practice it is an upfront cost. It is not a deposit.
Learner action: distinguish 敷金 from 礼金 immediately. One may be refundable; the other generally is not.
更新料: renewal fee
更新料
is a renewal fee paid when renewing the lease.
Related:
契約更新 contract renewal
更新期間 renewal period
更新手続き renewal procedure
A lease may renew every two years, for example, and require payment.
Learner action: calculate renewal costs before assuming monthly rent is the only long-term cost.
賃料 and 管理費
賃料
means rent.
管理費
means management fee.
Related:
共益費 common service/common area fee
Monthly cost may be:
賃料 + 管理費 / 共益費
A cheap-looking rent may be less cheap after fees.
Learner action: read total monthly cost, not 賃料 alone.
原状回復: restoration to original condition
原状回復
means restoration to original condition.
This is one of the most important lease terms. It concerns what the tenant must restore or pay for when moving out.
Related:
通常損耗 ordinary wear and tear
故意・過失 intentional/negligent damage
退去時 at move-out
原状回復 does not mean the tenant must make the room brand new in all contexts. But the exact contract language and applicable rules matter. It is a common source of disputes.
Learner action: read 原状回復 clauses carefully, especially special clauses.
保証人 and guarantor companies
保証人
means guarantor.
Related:
連帯保証人 joint guarantor
保証会社 guarantor company
保証料 guarantee fee
Many rentals require a guarantor or guarantor company. This affects initial cost and application screening.
Learner action: do not assume guarantor language is optional administrative detail.
解約: cancellation/termination
解約
means cancellation or termination of a contract.
Lease documents may specify:
解約予告 advance notice of termination
1か月前までに通知 notify at least one month in advance
中途解約 early termination
Learner action: find how much notice you must give before moving out.
禁止事項
禁止事項
means prohibited acts.
Common lease prohibitions may involve:
- pets,
- instruments,
- smoking,
- subleasing,
- renovation,
- business use,
- overnight guests in some arrangements,
- garbage rules,
- dangerous materials.
Learner action: prohibited acts can affect deposits, termination, and disputes.
特約: special clause
特約
means special agreement/special clause.
This is a high-attention word. A 特約 may modify ordinary expectations about cleaning fees, repair costs, renewal, early termination, or use restrictions.
Learner action: never skip 特約. It is where important exceptions often live.
Example bank walkthrough
敷金
Deposit.
Learner action: check refund and deductions.
礼金
Key money.
Learner action: normally non-refundable upfront cost.
更新料
Renewal fee.
Learner action: long-term cost.
原状回復
Restoration to original condition.
Learner action: move-out liability term.
賃料
Rent.
Learner action: monthly base cost.
管理費
Management fee.
Learner action: add to monthly cost.
保証人
Guarantor.
Learner action: application and liability issue.
解約
Termination/cancellation.
Learner action: notice period.
特約
Special clause.
Learner action: exception and cost risk.
禁止事項
Prohibited acts.
Learner action: use restrictions.
Lease-cost matrix
When reading a lease:
- Upfront refundable: 敷金.
- Upfront non-refundable: 礼金, fees.
- Monthly: 賃料, 管理費, 共益費.
- Renewal: 更新料.
- Move-out: 原状回復, cleaning, repair.
- Guarantee: 保証人, 保証会社, 保証料.
- Termination: 解約予告, 中途解約.
- Restrictions: 禁止事項.
- Special clauses: 特約.
- Plain total: first-month cost, monthly cost, renewal cost, move-out risk.
Lease-cost and refund matrix
The most important lease terms should be organized by whether money returns, recurs, or appears at exit.
| Cost/duty | Timing | Usually refundable? | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| 敷金 | move-in | possibly, after deductions | return conditions and deductions |
| 礼金 | move-in | usually no | whether charged and how much |
| 仲介手数料 | move-in | no | agency fee amount |
| 保証料 | move-in / renewal | usually no | guarantor-company terms |
| 賃料 | monthly | no | rent due date |
| 管理費 / 共益費 | monthly | no | total monthly cost |
| 更新料 | renewal | no | amount and renewal cycle |
| 原状回復 | move-out | cost/deduction risk | normal wear vs damage |
| クリーニング費 | move-out or upfront | usually cost | special clause details |
A lease is not expensive because of one word. It is expensive because several categories stack.
Special-clause warning
特約
is a danger word because it may override the reader’s expectation. It can define cleaning fees, pet conditions, restoration duties, early termination penalties, or smoking-related costs.
When you see 特約, ask:
- Does this add a fee?
- Does it change move-out duties?
- Does it create a stricter rule than the main clause?
- Is the tenant explicitly agreeing to it?
- Does it mention 原状回復, クリーニング, 禁煙, ペット, or 短期解約?
Never skim 特約 in housing documents.
Move-out liability distinction
A critical pair:
通常損耗 ordinary wear and tear
故意・過失による損傷 damage caused intentionally or negligently
In plain terms, the question is whether deterioration is normal living or tenant-caused damage. Real disputes can be fact-specific, but language-wise this distinction is central.
A strong tool for this article would parse rental contracts and listings into cost categories.
Suggested functions:
- Initial-cost calculator: 敷金, 礼金, 仲介手数料, 保証料.
- Monthly-cost display: 賃料 + 管理費/共益費.
- Renewal alert: 更新料.
- Move-out clause highlighter: 原状回復, 退去時.
- Special-clause warning: 特約.
- Prohibited-act checklist.
- Legal caution label.
Final rule
Japanese lease vocabulary is budget vocabulary and duty vocabulary.
敷金, 礼金, 更新料, 管理費, 原状回復, 保証人, 解約, 特約, and 禁止事項 tell you what you pay, what you may recover, what you must not do, and what happens when you leave.
Read the money and the exit before signing.
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