“How can I look for a sharehouse”
You might be wondering like this.
A way of searching sharehouses is different from searching normal apartments and it’s common to use portal sites and management companies’ websites. Also, you can find a sharehouse more effectively by having a list of your preferences when searching for a sharehouse.
But, it’s not easy to know what kind of ways you can use to find a sharehouse.
So, in this article, we talk about the following:
・Flow of searching sharehouses
・How to search sharehouses
・Ways of finding sharehouses on each website
・Further conditions/things you need to check
・Tips in finding a good sharehouse
・The safest ways to search
Please use this article as reference to find a sharehouse that suits for you.
Flow of searching sharehouses for the first time
Isn’t it hard to imagine clearly what kind of flow you should follow in order to search sharehouses when trying to find a sharehouse for the first time or when moving out of your parents’ house?
So, first, we introduce the general process of looking for a sharehouse.
・Decide your preferences
・Look for sharehouses by searching on the internet
・Narrow down the number of sharehouses you are interested in to three or four.
・Check if there is an available room in the sharehouses
・Visit the sharehouses
・Submit necessary documents if you want to move in
First, you might think “Anyway let’s go visit a sharehouse!,” but we don’t recommend that. Each person has his or her own preferences and requirements when searching for a house, and it is better to have a certain amount of time to think about your preferences before starting the search.
Also, please start searching on the internet first. If you live alone, you may visit real estate agencies’ offices, but basically sharehouses accept inquiries via the internet.
The way of contact is unconventional and it’s more efficient to narrow down the list of sharehouses you are interested in first to a certain number on the Internet before visiting.
As an efficient way of searching, let’s think about the conditions of house that you want to live in. For example:
・Location and the nearest station
・Distance from stations
・Rent
・The number of residents
・Gender ratio
・Nationality
・Private room / Dormitory (shared-room)
The conditions above are different depending on the person, so first please check them out carefully.
Search begins once the conditions are determined and there is a way of searching especially for beginners. We will show it to you next.
Three easy ways of searching sharehouses for beginners
Please use the following three ways when looking for sharehouses on the Internet.
1. Portal sites: Websites of properties with information about sharehouses
2. Seaching by areas: Searching by “the name of areas sharehouse”
3. Management companies’ websites: Websites that each management company runs with the information of their sharehouses
Among the above, the key question is, “What is important to you?” The way of searching sharehouses differs depending on that. Let’s look at them one at a time to find a way that works best for you!
Searching sharehouses through portal sites
Portal site is a website of properties with information about sharehouses from various areas
Basically every kind of sharehouse in Japan is listed, and you can view many properties at once.
In addition, portal sites allow users to search for sharehouses by conditions such as region, rent, and number of people. If you know where you want to live can specify the area, and if you who want to keep rent low can specify your budget, eliminating the need to look at page after page in search of the desired conditions.
Moreover, the sharehouses listed on portal sites are run by the companies that have cleared the requirements. Therefore, there will be hardly a risk of choosing a malicious company or a company with many troubles. It is also possible to avoid trouble in advance.
Sharehouses themselves are mostly located in the Kanto and Kansai areas, and there are still a few in the rural areas, but you can view all of the properties that are limited in those regions.
The following portal sites are especially popular.
Among them, HITUJI REAL ESTATE is very popular. Please refer to the article below for more detail.
→ “What is HITUJI REAL ESTATE, a website specialized for sharehouses? Intdocutions of its characteristicts and properties” (only in Japanese)
Other popular portal sites are listed below.
→ “Five recommended websites for searching sharehouses! Introducing them in the ranking formart” (only in Japanese)
Searching sharehouses by the areas
If you already know the area where you want to live in, we recommend you to search sharehouses with the name of the area.
Considering work and commuting, the ideal area would be as close as possible and easy to get to. The maximum distance is around 1 hour, and for those who have to commute to work, the area is the most important condition.
Thus, deciding the area will make it easier to searching a sharehouse, like typing “the name of the area sharehouse.” (For example, “東京 (Tokyo) シェアハウス (sharehouse)”)
Searching by “the name of area sharehouse” will bring up not only properties in the area, but also websites of sharehouse management companies. You may also be able to find sharehouses that are not listed on the portal site, expanding the range of properties that come up.
If you have a specific area in mind, use the search engine to find one.
Searching sharehouses on management companies’ websites
We recommend searching sharehouses on management companies’ websites since it’s efficient.
Sharehouse management companies mean real estates specialized for sharehouses. They often operate a number of sharehouses in a particular area, and you can sometimes find three or four sharehouses just by looking at one website.
In fact, we, Hidamari, run many sharehouses in the same area. For example, twelve sharehouses only in Tokyo and six sharehouses in Shonan & Kamakura.
If there are several sharehouses that you are interested in run by the same management company, you can ask if you can visit a few sharehouse in one day. Since they are both owned by the same company, they will most likely allow you to visit the sharehouses on the same day.
If you want to find a sharehouse efficiently or already have a company you are interested in, please look for it on the management company’s website.
How to search sharehouses on each website
We introduced three ways of searching so far and now would like to explain how to search on each website. This is because several sharehouses are listed on the same website, and it’s necessary to further narrow down the list of candidates.
Please search based on the following conditions on portal sites and management companies’ websites.
・Areas
・Rent
・The number of residents
The portal site allows you to narrow down the number of sharehouses by entering the above criteria.
Websites of management companies depends on the company, but most sharehouses are listed by region. It is easy to look for a sharehouse by region.
Further criteria to check when looking for sharehouses
We have introduced how to look for sharehouses, but there are some properties that will give you a different impression on the website than when you visit them in person.
It won’t be a problem if the actual property is good. But if it is not as good as the impression on the website, your search for a sharehouse will be back to square one.。
To avoid such additional hassles, please make sure to check the following criteria on the website.
・Photos
・Floor plan
・Size of property and the number of rooms
・Facilities and furniture/home appliances
・The number of residents
・Reviews
Especially, photos and floor plan are important.
The different impression occurs due to the appearance/photogenicity of the photos, and it is possible to manipulate the impression with brightness and the way the photo is taken. Please be careful of photos that are excessively bright or look like they have been manipulated.
Also, by looking at an overall drawing of a sharehouse on the floor plan, you can see how rooms and shared-spaces are positioned. For example, if a living room and private rooms are far apart, you are less likely to be bothered by the sounds of daily life, but you may feel stressed by the sounds if they are close to private rooms.
Furniture and home appliances are also a unique feature of sharehouses, but the number of them and their quality vary from property to property. We recommend that you check the website to see how much furniture and home appliances are provided.
Things you need to check to meet a good sharehouse
Lastly, here are some things to check to find a better sharehouse.
・Make sure to visit sharehouses
・Check if there are any rules
・If possible, ask about residents’ age, occupation, and rhythm of life.
・Make sure you know where to go for advice if something goes wrong
Please visit a sharehouse before moving in. Photos on the website are different from the real propety, and there are many things you can find out by meeting with the manager of the management company, such as whether or not there are any rules.
In addition, we often judge whether a person in charge seems trustworthy from the actual his/her atmosphere and responses. It is easier to determine reliability by meeting the person in charge, and it is also easier to discuss any problems that may arise if you know the person face to face.
Furthermore, since a sharehouse is shared with others, most sharehouses have rules made up about how to use the shared-space and more. It is important to ask about things related to daily life, such as whether cleaning is done by turn, who takes out the trash, and so on.
The more rules there are, the less trouble there will be between residents later on.
On the contrary, it is also effective to know the characteristics of sharehouses you should avoid.
Sharehouses that you should avoid are the ones that can cause stress and trouble for anyone who lives there, and is basically not recommended.
Simply removing such sharehouses can reduce the possibility of trouble.
It is said that you should avoid sharehouses whose rent is too low. For more information, please refer to the following article.
→ “Three pitfalls of super cheap sharehouses! Too cheap rent could be a scam…?” (only in Japanese)
The safest way is to search from management companies’ websites
We have introduced various ways to search sharehouses and some tips, but the most recommended way is to search from management companies’ websites because:
・You can check may properties at one time
・Easy to see the person in charge
・Smooth process from inquiry to house viewing
Management companies have and operate multiple sharehouses in each region, so you can learn about many properties just by looking at one website.
Also, since inquiries are delivered directly to them, you don’t have to wait to be contacted. The process is often smoother than through portal sites.
When you are lost in searching sharehouses, please check out management companies first before looking for a sharehouse.
Please refer to the following article for more information about the ranking of the management companies.
→ “Top Five Sherehouse Management Companies and the Criteria for Choosing the Right Property for You”
Summary: To find a sharehouse, we recommend checking management companies’ websites
We talked about the ways of looking for sharehouses
The three recommended ways of looking for sharehouses are:
1. Portal sites: Websites of properties with information about sharehouses
2. Seaching by areas: Searching by “the name of areas sharehouse”
3. Management companies’ websites: Websites that each management company runs with the information of their sharehouses
Also, we introduced the following tips for finding a good sharehouse.
・Make sure to visit sharehouses
・Check if there are any rules
・If possible, ask about residents’ age, occupation, and rhythm of life.
・Make sure you know where to go for advice if something goes wrong
Even if you are new to a sharehouse, you can avoid problematic sharehouses if you know how to look for a sharehouse and know some tips. As a result, your sharehouse life will be more enjoyable.
The most recommended way to look for a sharehouse is through management companies’ websites, but we, Hidamari, also put information about our sharehouses by region.
Please check our sharehouses from here:
