Move-out costs in Japan: is there a typical amount, and which years are 'free'?
There is no single 'typical' move-out cost — it depends on the spot and the cause. What actually matters is how many years of tenancy reduce your share, under Japan's MLIT restoration guideline.
Updated: 2026-06-13
When a move-out invoice arrives, the first instinct is to search for a "typical" amount. The problem is that there isn't one. Move-out costs are decided spot by spot, depending on what was damaged and why.
Normal wear and aging — sun-faded wallpaper, dents from furniture — are the landlord's burden, so the tenant pays nothing. Damage caused by use, like cigarette stains or pet scratches, is the tenant's. So a flat "typical cost" figure is just the sum of someone else's case.
The metric that actually matters is the useful life. Wallpaper, carpet, cushion flooring and tatami base all reach effectively zero value after 6 years, with the tenant's share calculated as (6 − years occupied) ÷ 6. After 5 years it's about 16.7%; after 6 years or more, no replacement charge should normally apply. Use the checker below to estimate the burden split for your case.