When applying for a rental in Fukuoka, many people get stuck halfway through the form on the same box: "emergency contact" (kinkyū renrakusaki, 緊急連絡先).
The box usually asks for someone who lives in Japan and speaks Japanese. If you have just arrived in Fukuoka, or are still in Hong Kong or Taiwan, and there is simply nobody like that around you, what can you do?
Let's start with the conclusion: you must fill in this box, and without it you cannot apply.
But its requirements and responsibilities are a different matter from those of a joint guarantor. Today let's unpack this box, and talk about what options you have when you have no friends or family in Japan.
1. What is an emergency contact? How is it different from a joint guarantor?
An emergency contact is a person the management company can call when it cannot reach the tenant, or in an emergency. It is a required box on the application form.
A joint guarantor (rentai hoshōnin, 連帯保証人) is different. When a tenant cannot pay the rent, the joint guarantor has to take on the financial liability.
An emergency contact does not take on financial liability such as rent, and that is the biggest difference between the two. For the details of guarantee companies and joint guarantors, see my earlier article "Guarantee companies and joint guarantors: do foreigners really have to apply?"
※ Note: in practice, the management company may ask your emergency contact to help get in touch with you, so before they agree, make sure they know this.
2. What kind of person do management companies usually ask for?
The most common requirements are:
① Someone who lives in Japan
② Someone who speaks Japanese: because the management company will phone them directly to check
③ Not much restriction on the relationship: a friend, a colleague or a relative are all fine
You need to provide five details about them: name, how the name is read, mobile phone number, date of birth and address.
A few management companies ask for 2 emergency contacts, and some may also ask for one more emergency contact in your home country.
※ Reminder: during the application screening, your emergency contact will receive a confirmation call. Please talk to them before you apply.
3. What if you have no friends or family in Japan?
If you cannot provide an emergency contact, you cannot apply.
So if you are planning to come to Fukuoka, I suggest you look for online groups early, especially ones for foreign residents who also live in Fukuoka. They have been through this themselves, know what an emergency contact involves, and the role does not carry the financial liability that a joint guarantor's does.
That said, you cannot just pick any stranger. I suggest getting to know someone and building a little trust first, and only then asking for their help, and you must always get their consent beforehand. Their personal details, such as address and date of birth, will be handed over to the management company.
💡 Local insight: prepare your emergency contact before you start looking for a flat
Without an emergency contact you cannot apply, and if you only find this out at the application stage, your whole timetable will be pushed back. Going from application to move-in already takes 3 to 4 weeks, so you cannot afford to waste more time.
Please add these suggestions to your preparation list:
- Find the person first, then the flat: treat the emergency contact as the first step before you start looking.
- Explain things to them clearly first: they may receive a confirmation call in Japanese, and may also be asked by the management company to help get in touch with you.
- Have the five details ready: name, how the name is read, mobile phone number, date of birth and address, so you can fill them in straight away when you apply.
If you are looking for a flat in Fukuoka but cannot find a suitable emergency contact, or have questions about the application documents, feel free to get in touch with me any time. I hope my first-hand local information can help you get through the application smoothly.