When you decide to leave a rental apartment in Japan, moving your boxes is only one part of the process. You also need to end the lease in the way your contract requires, arrange a final inspection and return the keys. Start by finding the notice period and notice method in your own lease; do not assume the day you move your belongings is automatically the day your rent ends.
Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) Apartment Search Guidebook (English PDF) describes termination notice, utilities, inspection, key return and deposit settlement. The details for your apartment come from your lease and property manager.
If you are planning the entire rental journey, our Japanese apartment guide connects the search, initial costs, move-in, renewal and move-out steps.
Before setting a moving date: read these clauses
| Japanese term | Meaning | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 解約予告 (kaiyaku yokoku) | Advance notice to terminate | How much notice is required and how the period is counted. |
| 解約通知 / 退去届 (kaiyaku tsūchi / taikyo todoke) | Termination notice / move-out form | Which form or portal to use, who receives it and when it is considered received. |
| 解約日 / 退去日 (kaiyakubi / taikyobi) | Lease termination date / physical move-out date | Whether these dates can differ and which one determines rent. |
| 日割り家賃 (hiwari yachin) | Prorated rent | Whether the final month’s rent is prorated under your agreement. |
| 原状回復 (genjō kaifuku) | Restoration when leaving | What the contract says about repair, cleaning and special provisions. |
| 敷金精算 (shikikin seisan) | Security deposit settlement | When and how an itemized settlement and any balance will be sent. |
MLIT’s guide notes that the lease specifies the advance-notice period and describes written notice. Some agreements require a specific form or online procedure. Confirm the actual deadline, submission route and receipt with your manager before booking movers.
Move-out tasks: open the right guide at each stage
Keep the lease, notice confirmation, move-in photos and messages in one place. These separate guides help when each task comes due:
- Before deciding whether to stay: If you received a lease renewal notice or rent increase request, read the exact reply date and terms before you choose a path. A renewal deadline and the lease’s cancellation notice period may differ.
- Before handing back the room: Use this checklist for notice, inspection, photos, final rent and keys. Compare the room with the condition record you made at move-in.
- After the final statement arrives: Follow the deposit settlement guide to trace the deposit, itemized deductions and any balance. Ask for the basis of a line you do not understand.
- For the next address: Follow the municipal address-change checklist, arrange mail forwarding, and check utility start and stop dates. These are separate from ending the lease.
A practical move-out sequence
- Notify the landlord or property manager. Submit the required notice in the specified way. Keep a copy and ask for written confirmation of the accepted termination date.
- Ask for the handover instructions. Confirm the inspection appointment, cleaning expectations, how to return every key, and where the final statement will be sent.
- Arrange service end dates. Contact your electricity, gas, water and internet providers as applicable. Check each provider’s current process and final billing. See our utility setup guide for the corresponding start-of-service questions.
- Empty and clean the apartment. Dispose of large items according to your municipality’s rules rather than leaving them behind. Ask the manager before removing installed equipment or arranging your own repairs.
- Document the condition. Bring your move-in photos and condition report. Photograph the empty rooms and note any issues before handing over the keys.
- Attend the inspection if arranged. Walk through the property with the manager, ask what each proposed repair concerns, and keep a copy of any signed record. If you disagree with an item, explain it and ask that your concern be recorded before signing.
- Return the keys and follow up. Confirm the handover is complete, provide a forwarding address and bank details through the manager’s approved channel, and request the deposit settlement statement.
How does the security deposit get settled?
A security deposit (shikikin) is not automatically returned in full, and it is not automatically lost. The landlord may apply it to obligations covered by the lease, such as unpaid rent and appropriate restoration costs; any remaining balance is settled after move-out. The amount and timing depend on the agreement and the actual condition of the property.
MLIT’s English restoration leaflet (PDF) explains the general distinction between ordinary wear and aging and damage arising from intentional acts, negligence or use beyond normal use. A valid special provision in a lease can matter, so read the actual terms. If a proposed deduction is unclear, ask for an itemized explanation, the relevant contract clause and the area or damage it relates to. Compare it with your move-in record and the exit inspection; our move-in inspection guide shows what to preserve.
Useful sentences for the manager
「解約予告は何日前までですか。退去届はどこに提出しますか。」
Kaiyaku yokoku wa nan-nichi mae made desu ka. Taikyo todoke wa doko ni teishutsu shimasu ka?
“How far in advance must I give notice, and where do I submit the move-out form?”
「解約日と最終家賃の計算方法を確認したいです。」
Kaiyakubi to saishū yachin no keisan hōhō o kakunin shitai desu.
“I’d like to confirm the lease end date and how the final rent is calculated.”
「敷金精算の内訳を書面でいただけますか。」
Shikikin seisan no uchiwake o shomen de itadakemasu ka?
“Could I receive the itemized deposit settlement in writing?”
One important distinction
Ending a lease with your landlord is separate from submitting a moving-out or address-change notification to the municipal office. It is also separate from Japan Post’s forwarding request. Use our address-change checklist and mail forwarding guide for those steps.
Official references: MLIT’s foreign-resident rental guidance also provides an English move-in and move-out condition form (PDF).
