Property Managers for Overseas Owners

1. What an overseas-owner PM must do

• Bilingual client communication (email OK; phone response window < 24h)
• Tenant sourcing and screening (guarantor company + rent guarantor)
• Rent collection + monthly statement in English + JPY payment to your account
• Withhold 20.42% and remit to tax office; issue year-end statement for filing
• Act as tax representative (nōzei-kanri-nin) or coordinate with one
• Repair coordination — including approval workflow with dollar caps
• Property-tax payment on your behalf
• Support annual tax filing with your accountant

2. Fee structure

Domestic-only PM:          3–5% of monthly rent
Overseas-owner PM:         5–8% of monthly rent
Tax representative:        ¥5,000–¥15,000/month or bundled
Tenant sourcing (AD):      1 month rent at fill (broker fee, not PM)
Renewal handling:          ¥10,000–¥20,000 per renewal
Emergency callout:         ¥5,000–¥15,000 per event

3. Vetting questions before signing

1. How many overseas-owner accounts do you currently manage? Ask for count, not names.
2. Who is the English-speaking point of contact? Availability window and holidays?
3. Sample monthly statement in English — can you show me one?
4. What's your rent-collection process if tenant is 30 days late?
5. What's the approval workflow for repairs above ¥50,000?
6. Do you provide the year-end tax package? Format?
7. What tenant-guarantor company do you use? (Some are far more collections-effective.)
8. Termination notice period? Data handover terms?

4. Known operators (research your own — not endorsements)

• Housing Japan — English-fluent, Tokyo-focused, luxury bias
• Plaza Homes — long-standing, Tokyo/Yokohama
• Real Estate Japan — investor-focused, English throughout
• Nihon Housing — large scale, moderate English capability
• Ichii Group — regional-city coverage, less English
• Local single-city PMs — often best-value but require bilingual bridge (tax accountant or you)

5. Red flags

• No monthly statement discipline
• Cannot show you a repair-approval workflow with $ caps
• Refuses to work with your tax accountant directly
• Pushes their in-house sublease guarantee
• Charges an “overseas surcharge” without listing what it covers

Interview 3 PMs before signing. First-year fee difference is a rounding error; getting a bad partner costs multiples in vacancy and repair overspend.