At Himawari Ltd, we give full advice and customer service in English.
Whilst we will not always have English speaking staff in every office at all times, we are equipped to handle any queries by email.
Here is a list of frequently asked questions regarding resort mansion property purchases in Japan:
Are purchases bought on a freehold or leasehold basis?
Apartments are bought on a freehold basis.
The purchaser buys both the resort mansion apartment, and a fraction of the land on which the resort mansion is built.
To give a simple example, if an apartment is 100m2, and the total area of the resort mansion is 1000m2, then the purchaser will obtain the 100m2 apartment and 1/10th of the land on which the resort mansion is built.
What is kanri-hi?
Kanri-hi is the Japanese term for management fees.
Resort mansions are maintained by a property management company, who arrange cleaning, reception staff, building maintenance and repairs.
Apartment owners typically pay maintenance fees every month to cover these costs, and to make payments into a fund which saves money for the eventuality of more substantial building repairs.
When purchasing an apartment, it is recommended to check the level of savings in this repair fund.
What are my other liabilities?
1) Utilities – bills will either be sent to your home or resort mansion flat, or debited by direct debit.
Unfortunately, it is not currently possible to arrange direct debits using Citibank accounts.
2) Tax – The apartment is liable to annual tax.
The current level of annual tax is indicated when making the apartment purchase.
The tax level is calculated in accordance with changes in land prices – small changes take place every year, with a more wide-ranging review completed every 4 years.
What kind of contract document is used?
All transactions are completed using a standard Japanese law property contract.
This document is in Japanese language.
We arrange for a translator to verbally explain the terms of the contract for you.
There is no need for a Japanese stamp – the purchaser’s signature can be used.