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Management Fees & Repair Funds
Most condominiums and apartment buildings in Japan require monthly payments from owners, even if the property is unoccupied. These typically include:
- 管理費 (Kanri-hi) — Management Fee: A monthly fee paid to the building management company to cover common area maintenance, cleaning, staffing, and administration.
- 修繕積立金 (Shūzen tsumitate-kin) — Repair Reserve Fund: A monthly contribution to a long-term fund used for major building repairs and renovations (e.g., roof, external walls, elevators). This is mandatory and non-refundable.
Automatic Payment via MailMate
MailMate can receive your management fee invoices by mail and process payment automatically through our bill pay service. When a bill arrives, you will receive a notification and the payment can be remitted on your behalf without any action required on your end.
To set this up, the building management company needs to be instructed to send your bills to MailMate's address. We can contact the management company in Japanese on your behalf to request this.
Notifying the Building Management Company of a Change in Ownership
When you purchase a property in Japan, the building's management company (管理会社) is not always automatically informed of the new owner's details. If the previous owner's information remains on file, you may miss billing notices or the management company may have difficulty reaching you.
Common signs this hasn't been updated:
- You receive no management fee bills after purchasing the property
- The management company continues to send correspondence to the previous owner
- Your first visit reveals the building had no record of the new owner
What MailMate can do:
- Identify the management company from the building's Statement of Important Matters (重要事項説明書) or the on-site management office
- Contact the management company in Japanese to inform them of the ownership change
- Assist with printing and submitting the required ownership transfer forms (these are typically provided by the seller or available online from the management company)
- Request that going-forward bills be sent to MailMate for processing
We recommend addressing this early — ideally within the first month of purchase — so billing is set up correctly before the first payment cycle.
Repair Fund Refunds and Special Assessments
The repair reserve fund balance accumulated by the previous owner typically does not transfer to you as a buyer — it stays with the building. This is normal and standard practice in Japan. However, if the building undertakes a major repair project, owners may occasionally receive a special assessment (一時金) request for additional contributions. MailMate can receive these notices, inform you, and process payment if authorised to do so.
Documentation is updated from time to time — please confirm with MailMate personnel in all cases. Documentation may be out of date, lack details, or have mistakes.