This article is part of the Zagdim Japan property series on rules for foreign buyers. It answers one question: when a foreigner buys a condominium (マンション) in Japan, what else needs checking besides the price? For the overall rules of buying in Japan, see the main article “What Foreigners Need to Understand Before Buying Property in Japan”.
Beyond the price, a Japanese condo comes down to three things: the building’s management rules, its long-term repair plan, and which seismic standard it was built to. Each of the three is backed by documents, and you should obtain them before signing. The sections below follow the order in which buyers usually ask.
What Do You Pay Every Month After Buying a Condo?
You share the cost of the parts of the building that all owners use (共用部分, common areas). In principle the share follows your ownership fraction, which is calculated from the floor area of your own unit (専有部分, the privately owned part) as a proportion of the whole.
All the owners in the building form a body called the management association (管理組合, the organization of condo unit owners). The association can hold meetings and set the bylaws (規約), which are the building’s own management rules. Bylaws can replace the default method of splitting costs with another one, so how costs are actually shared depends on that building’s bylaws.
Part of the monthly payment is saved up for future repairs. This is the repair reserve fund (修繕積立金, long-term repair fund).
How Much Repair Reserve Fund Is Reasonable?
There is no legal standard, only reference values in guidelines from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (国土交通省, MLIT). Divide the monthly amount by the floor area of your unit to get a figure per square meter, then compare it with the table below.
| Number of floors / total floor area of the building | Range covering two-thirds of cases | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 floors, under 5,000 m² | JPY 235 to 430 | JPY 335 |
| Under 20 floors, 5,000 m² to under 10,000 m² | JPY 170 to 320 | JPY 252 |
| Under 20 floors, 10,000 m² to under 20,000 m² | JPY 200 to 330 | JPY 271 |
| Under 20 floors, 20,000 m² or more | JPY 190 to 325 | JPY 255 |
| 20 floors or more | JPY 240 to 410 | JPY 338 |
The figures are monthly averages over the whole plan period, per square meter of unit area. They exclude mechanical parking (機械式駐車場); a building that has it needs an extra amount on top. The “two-thirds range” is the range left after removing the highest one-sixth and the lowest one-sixth of cases.
If the Amount Is Low Now, Will It Rise Later?
It may. It depends on which method the building uses to accumulate the fund. The guidelines treat the level contribution method (均等積立方式) as the preferable one. The other is the stepped increase method (段階増額積立方式), in which the amount is raised in stages.
For a stepped plan, the guidelines suggest a starting amount of at least 0.6 times the monthly amount under the level method, and a final amount of no more than 1.1 times. That range does not, however, stop a management association from raising the current amount sharply when it reviews the plan, for example because construction costs have risen.
An official survey for fiscal year Reiwa 5 (2023) found that 36.6% of condominiums had saved less than their plan called for, and in 11.7% of them the gap was more than 20%. If the monthly amount looks low, ask which method the building uses and what the plan says the amounts will be later.
How Can You Tell Whether a Building Is Well Managed?
Look at its long-term repair plan (長期修繕計画). The guidelines call for a plan that covers at least 30 years and includes at least two major repair projects (大規模修繕工事). The building should be surveyed and diagnosed roughly every 5 years, with the repair reserve amount reviewed at the same time. This is a guideline, not a legal obligation.
In the same survey, 88.4% of management associations had a long-term repair plan, and 62.1% of condominiums had no case of management fees or repair reserve payments more than 3 months overdue. You can ask the agent or seller three questions:
- In which year was the plan last reviewed?
- How far apart are the actual savings and the planned amount?
- Does the unit carry any unpaid amounts that arose under the bylaws or a resolution of the owners’ meeting?
The third question deserves special attention. Under the Act on Building Unit Ownership, etc. (建物の区分所有等に関する法律), claims of this kind can also be enforced against the person who takes over the unit.
How Should You Read the Age of a Building?
The dividing line is the date the building confirmation (建築確認) was obtained, and the cutoff is June 1, 1981. The current new seismic standard (新耐震基準) has applied since June 1981. It aims to prevent collapse that endangers life in a large earthquake of about upper 6 to 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale.
For a building whose confirmation was obtained before that date, existing structural calculation documents cannot be used to check compliance with the new standard. MLIT states that many buildings constructed under the old seismic standard (旧耐震基準) before 1981 have inadequate earthquake resistance.
The number of aging condominiums keeps growing. MLIT estimates that at the end of 2025 there were about 1.588 million condominium units for sale in buildings 40 years old or more, rising to about 2.0 times that figure in 10 years and about 3.2 times in 20 years.
It is also unwise to assume that an old building will be rebuilt later. A rebuilding resolution (建替え決議) needs the agreement of at least four-fifths of the owners by number and four-fifths of the voting rights. In cases such as a building that does not meet the legal seismic safety standard, the threshold drops to three-fourths.
What If You Live Overseas: Meetings and Notices
From April 1, 2026, an owner who has no domicile or residence in Japan may appoint a person living in Japan as a domestic administrator (国内管理人). The domestic administrator can receive meeting notices, vote at meetings, and pay on the owner’s behalf debts owed to other owners.
The law says an owner “may” appoint one, but a building’s bylaws can require it. So the answer depends on the bylaws of the building and on whether you have a domicile in Japan.
For resolutions, apart from motions that dispose of ownership, such as rebuilding, a majority of those attending decides. Voting by written ballot (表決権行使書) or by proxy (委任状) counts as attending. Changes to the common areas have a higher bar: a majority of owners and of voting rights must attend, and at least three-fourths of the owners attending and three-fourths of the voting rights attending must agree. The bylaws can lower this, but not to a level of one-half or below. For repairing a defect in the common areas, or for changes needed to help elderly or disabled residents move around, the threshold is two-thirds.
FAQ: Japanese Condo Management and Repair Reserve Funds
Is there an official standard amount for the repair reserve fund when buying in Japan?
No. There is no legal standard. The MLIT guidelines list reference values. For example, a condominium with under 20 floors and a total floor area under 5,000 square meters averages JPY 335 per square meter per month, excluding mechanical parking.
How are new-standard and old-standard seismic buildings distinguished in Japan?
By the date the building confirmation was obtained. The new seismic standard has applied since June 1981. For a building whose confirmation was obtained on or before May 31, 1981 (that is, before June 1), check its seismic condition separately with the seller or agent.
Do I have to appoint a domestic administrator if I do not live in Japan?
The law does not make it mandatory; it provides that you may appoint one. But a building’s bylaws can require it, so check the bylaws of the building you are buying.
Notes on Sources
The information was checked on September 29, 2026. The repair reserve and long-term repair plan figures come from MLIT guidelines. They are reference values, not legal obligations. The survey figures come from the Reiwa 5 Condominium General Survey (マンション総合調査), which covered 4,270 management associations; 1,589 responded (about 37%).
The provisions of the Act on Building Unit Ownership do not distinguish by nationality, and they do not directly use the terms “management fee” or “repair reserve fund”; the explanation of arrears owed by a previous owner follows the wording of the provisions. The seismic safety standard on which the rebuilding threshold depends is set in detail by the Minister of Justice, and this article did not check it.
The explanation of the seismic standard comes from an MLIT Q&A published in 2005, and the reference date has not changed. The number of condominium units aged 40 years or more is MLIT’s estimate for the end of 2025, based on building start statistics and other data. Also, according to Japanese government documents published as of July 24, 2026, measures such as regulating the acquisition of condominiums were still under review and not final. Later developments were not checked.
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Sources
- e-Gov法令検索－建物の区分所有等に関する法律（昭和37年法律第69号）: https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/337AC0000000069
- e-Gov法令検索－マンションの管理の適正化の推進に関する法律（平成12年法律第149号）: https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/412AC1000000149
- 法務省民事局－区分所有法・被災区分所有法の改正について: https://www.moj.go.jp/content/001460460.pdf
- 国土交通省－マンションの修繕積立金に関するガイドライン: https://www.mlit.go.jp/jutakukentiku/house/content/001747009.pdf
- 国土交通省－長期修繕計画標準様式・長期修繕計画作成ガイドライン・同コメント: https://www.mlit.go.jp/jutakukentiku/house/content/001747006.pdf
- 国土交通省－令和5年度マンション総合調査結果からみたマンションの居住と管理の現状: https://www.mlit.go.jp/jutakukentiku/house/content/001750158.pdf
- 国土交通省－令和5年度マンション総合調査の結果について（資料4）: https://www.mlit.go.jp/jutakukentiku/house/content/001752287.pdf
- 国土交通省－マンションの耐震性等についてのＱ＆Ａについて: https://www.mlit.go.jp/kisha/kisha05/07/071208_2_.html
- 国土交通省－築４０年以上の分譲マンション数の推移（2025年末現在）: https://www.mlit.go.jp/jutakukentiku/house/content/001903887.pdf
- 国土交通省－住宅・建築物の耐震化について: https://www.mlit.go.jp/jutakukentiku/house/jutakukentiku_house_fr_000043.html
- 内閣官房－総合的対応策 進捗等を踏まえた、今後の取組の方向性: https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/seisaku/symbiotic_society/pdf/sougoutekitaiousaku_torikumi_houkousei_r80724.pdf
- 内閣官房－総合的対応策 国民の安全・安心のための取組における進捗状況（令和8年6月時点・詳細版）: https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/seisaku/symbiotic_society/pdf/sougoutekitaiousaku_shinchoku_shosai_r80724.pdf
Important Notice
This article is a general information summary and does not constitute individual legal, tax or investment advice. The information was checked on September 29, 2026. Rules may change, so rely on the current announcements of the competent Japanese authorities and the documents of the specific property.
