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Support System for Finding Accommodation
When entering into a contract for rental accommodation, you will usually be required to name a guarantor. Becoming a guarantor constitutes a promise to assume the same legal responsibilities as the renter: because this involves a significant psychological and financial commitment, it is not easy to find a guarantor right away. It is likely to be particularly difficult for international students, owing to differences in language and cultural background.
Two systems have been developed to help alleviate these problems: the Comprehensive Renter’s Insurance for Foreign Students, and the Kyoto Area Foreign Students Housing Guaranty System.
A. Comprehensive Renter’s Insurance for Foreign Students
This insurance system combines coverage in the unlikely case of an accident leading to legal liability, and indemnity for guarantors. By taking out insurance, international students can reduce the psychological and financial burden associated with guaranteeing their rental contracts and make the acceptance of guarantor duties less onerous.
| Who can take out insurance |
Any student with “College Student” residence status |
| Who is covered by the insurance |
The student above and his/her guarantor under the rental contract |
| Coverage |
(a) International Student’s Legal Liability (Insurance paid when the international student is held legally liable for damages arising from an injury caused to a third party or damage caused to property belonging to a third party, as a result of an incident occurring the course of everyday life or in relation to possession, use or management of a residential property)
→Up to 50 million yen
(b) Residual Impediment from Injury (Insurance paid when the international student suffers a “residual impediment” arising from an injury incurred in an accidental incident)
→Up to 2.6 million yen
(c)Guarantor’s Legal Liability (Insurance paid when the guarantor, in place of the international student, discharges a surety obligation for payment of rent, common services charges, or expenses for repairs or restoration to the rented property.)
→Actual costs incurred up to 300,000 yen
Items (a) and (b) are, in principle, paid directly to the international student, and (c) is paid to the guarantor. |
| Insurance premiums (borne by the international student) |
1 year coverage – 4,500 yen
2 year coverage – 9,000 yen
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| Insurance premiums (borne by the international student) |
1 year coverage – 4,500 yen
2 year coverage – 9,000 yen
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*As a rule, the insurance period will be the same number of years as the rental contract period.
*Please contact the Office of International Education for details regarding application procedures, coverage, etc.
B. Kyoto Area Foreign Students Housing Guaranty System
Under this system, “The Consortium of Universities in Kyoto” can act as an institutional guarantor where students are finding it difficult to locate an individual guarantor required when signing contract to rent residential property. The system is designed to eliminate the burden of looking for a guarantor and thereby facilitate the process of securing accommodation for international students.
| Who can use the system |
Students with “College Student” residence status who live in Kyoto Prefecture. |
| Eligible properties |
To be eligible for this system, the apartment or property in question must have been secured through the services or mediation of an agent officially collaborating with the system or a university cooperative. Please check with the Office of International Education to ascertain whether or not the agent you used is one of the system’s official partners. |
| Conditions of use |
Must be covered under “Comprehensive Renter’s Insurance for Foreign Students” |
| Duration of guaranty |
As long as the international student retains “College Student” residence status and coverage under the “Comprehensive Renter’s Insurance for Foreign Students”
*When you cease to be a Doshisha University Student upon graduation or withdrawal from the university, the guaranty will also
terminate. If you plan to stay in the same property after graduation/withdrawal, you will need to find another guarantor. |
| Extent of guaranty |
Limited to the following items, up to a maximum of 300,000 yen after all bond monies have been applied.
A. Rent and common services charges
B. Expenses for rental property repairs and restoration to original condition
C. Expenses for disposal of household effects, etc. if the renter goes missing |
*Please contact the Office of International Education for details regarding application procedures, coverage, etc.
Reference
Please use the following table as a guide to the average housing expenses paid by students at Doshisha University.
Average Housing Expenses for Doshisha University Students
| Size |
Expense Item |
Student Apartment
(communal kitchen, bath and lavatory facilities) |
Student Apartment
(private kitchen, bath and lavatory facilities) |
| 6 tatami mats (approx. 10m2) |
Rent (1 month) |
20,000-29,000 yen |
33,000-60,000 yen |
| Common services charge (1 month) |
1,000-3,000 yen |
3,000-6,000 yen |
| Utilities (1 month) |
3,000-5,000 yen |
5,000-10,000 yen |
| Key money (2 year contract) |
30,000-50,000 yen |
100,000-150,000 yen |
| Bond (2 year contract) |
20,000-50,000 yen |
30,000-120,000 yen |
*Residents in accommodation with no bathing facilities use public baths (“Sento” – approx. 390 yen per admission)
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