Letting a Japanese house to travellers can earn more than a long-term tenant — but it's regulated, and the rules matter more when you live abroad.

Three legal routes

  • Private lodging (minpaku) notification under the Private Lodging Business Act (住宅宿泊事業法), in force since June 2018. You notify the prefecture (or designated city) and may host for up to 180 nights a year.
  • A simple lodging licence (簡易宿所) under the Hotel Business Act — no night cap, but stricter building, fire-safety and zoning requirements.
  • Special-zone minpaku (特区民泊) in a few designated areas, with minimum-stay rules set locally.

The rules that catch owners abroad

  • You need a registered manager. If the host doesn't live in the property during stays, the operation must be entrusted to a registered housing-accommodation management business (住宅宿泊管理業者). For an owner overseas, that's always the case.
  • Local ordinances can be stricter. Many cities limit minpaku in residential zones — for example to weekends or certain seasons.
  • Safety and records. Fire-safety equipment, a guest register with ID checks for foreign guests, house rules on noise and rubbish, and a reporting schedule to the authorities.
  • Neighbours. Complaints are the quickest way to trouble. A visible local contact matters.

Is it worth it?

With 180 nights at most, compare realistic occupancy, nightly rates, cleaning and linen, platform fees and the management fee against a long-term let. Rural homes near ski fields, onsen towns and pilgrimage routes can do well in season; quiet villages often do better with a long-term tenant. See renting out long-term for the other side, or run the numbers in the rental vs holiday-let calculator.

How we help

We advise on what your house could realistically earn, help with notification, and coordinate cleaning and turnover — see Tenant Management and Arrivals & Stays. Where a registered minpaku manager is required, we'll work with one or tell you plainly if a long-term let suits the house better.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and every case is different — for decisions about your own property, speak to a licensed judicial scrivener (司法書士), tax accountant (税理士) or lawyer. We work with them every week and are happy to introduce you.