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Moving in · Updated September 2026Ad · Affiliate links

Oakhouse review for foreigners in Japan

Oakhouse (also written Oak House) rents furnished share-house rooms in Greater Tokyo with no deposit, key money or guarantor. A private room's median is ¥75,000 a month with utilities and internet, on leases of 1 to 6 months.

Prices as read on October 9, 2026.

On this page

Oakhouse pros and cons

From Oakhouse's own pages, 4,546 rooms we sampled on October 9, 2026, and posts by residents. Each point is sourced further down.

Good for

  • No deposit, key money, agency fee or guarantor at houses Oakhouse runs itself
  • Stay from 1 month, and leave with 1 month's notice and no penalty
  • Utilities and internet are in one monthly common fee
  • Any valid visa; book online from abroad and pay by card without a Japanese bank account

Watch out for

  • A ¥50,000 contract fee for a private room, not refunded
  • Leases run 6 months at most with no renewal, and Oakhouse can decline a new one
  • Utilities are covered only up to a cap; above it you pay the difference
  • Noise through thin walls is the most common complaint in resident posts
  • Some listings on its site are ordinary apartments with their own terms, not Oakhouse's

Our view: Oakhouse fits if you need a room for 1 to 6 months and have no Japanese bank account or guarantor yet. In that case, the next step is to pick a house on Oakhouse's own site and compare its monthly total with the costs on this page. For a stay of a year or more, compare that total with an ordinary apartment first: you will be signing a new contract every 6 months.

See Oakhouse rooms

Opens Oakhouse's site (Japanese; English version too)

The button opens Oakhouse's home page, which is in Japanese. Its room search (部屋を探す, "find a room") lists share houses, Social Residence houses, apartments and furnished apartments by area, and links to English, Chinese and Korean versions are in the header.

What Oakhouse costs each month

Oakhouse lists rent and a common fee (共益費) separately, and the common fee is part of what you pay each month. These are the medians of both together, across every room in the 133 houses Oakhouse runs, on October 9, 2026. Occupied rooms show the price the next tenant would pay.

Oakhouse rooms by type: count, median rent, median common fee and median monthly total
Room typeRoomsMedian rentMedian common feeMedian a month, totalRange, total
Private room 4,084 ¥57,000 ¥20,000 ¥75,000 ¥47,000 to ¥160,000
Apartment 413 ¥80,000 ¥22,000 ¥102,000 ¥62,000 to ¥399,000
Semi-private 25 ¥42,000 ¥10,000 ¥52,000 ¥50,000 to ¥74,000
Dormitory bed 14 ¥46,000 ¥10,000 ¥56,000 ¥56,000
Compartment 6 ¥39,000 ¥10,000 ¥49,000 ¥49,000
Shared room (2 people) 4 ¥47,000 ¥13,500 ¥62,000 ¥57,000 to ¥64,000

A private room is your own lockable room with a shared kitchen, toilet and shower. An apartment has its own kitchen, toilet and shower. Listed prices on October 9, 2026; they change as rooms come free and campaigns start. Counted by our script from each house page on oakhouse.jp.

What the common fee covers, and the utility cap

The common fee covers electricity, gas and water, and internet is free (help center). The utilities are included only up to a cap written into your contract. Oakhouse's example is 150 kWh of electricity a month, about 5 kWh a day; above that you pay the excess with your next contract (utility cap). Where a room has no meter of its own, the house bill is split between residents.

What you pay to move in

The move-in bill is the contract fee, rent for the rest of the month you move in, and a bed pad every resident must buy. Move in on the 21st or later and the next full month is added (move-in page). This is a real room: Private room 101 (12.5 m²) at Social Residence Yokohama Bayview, rent ¥42,000 plus common fee ¥20,000 a month.

Oakhouse move-in costs for one private room, moving in on the 1st
At bookingAmount
Contract fee, not refunded¥50,000
Rent for the first month, moving in on the 1st¥42,000
Bed pad, required¥2,200
Bedding set rental (optional)¥17,600
Total without bedding¥94,200
Total with bedding¥111,800

Oakhouse's move-in page does not say whether the first month's ¥20,000 common fee is billed at booking. If it is, add it. No deposit, key money, agency fee or guarantee fee. A campaign at some houses waives the contract fee, but canceling within 7 days of move-in still costs the full normal fee (cancellation).

Check today's rooms and move-in costs

Opens Oakhouse's site (Japanese; English version too)

Discounts

Oakhouse contracts: 1 to 6 months, then a new one

Every Oakhouse contract is a 定期建物賃貸借契約 (fixed-term lease) of 1 to 6 months, your choice (contract length). It ends on its end date. There is no renewal: to stay on, you sign a new fixed-term contract online, and Oakhouse emails you about it before yours ends (staying longer).

Oakhouse can decline the next contract if the house closes, its management changes, a disaster stops the service, or it decides you have not kept to the contract or house rules (when it declines). One resident on Reddit had to move when the building's owner did not renew with Oakhouse.

If you may stay longer than 6 months, our Oakhouse vs Sakura House comparison sets Oakhouse beside an operator with no maximum stay: fees, bedding, keys and address registration.

How to rent an Oakhouse room as a foreigner

Any valid visa is accepted, and nationality, job or study status make no difference. You show a passport or residence card (requirements). There is no guarantor, but you name an emergency contact, normally one of your parents, in Japan or abroad; Oakhouse phones them during screening (emergency contact). You must be 18 or over, with a parent's consent form under 20.

The whole booking is online: choose a room, fill in the form, wait 3 to 4 days for screening, and pay the move-in fees. Without a Japanese bank account you can pay by Visa or Mastercard, Pay-easy or Flywire (payment). You sign and get your keys at the house on move-in day, between 10:00 and 18:00. You get the exact address only after booking, and you cannot ship luggage there before you move in.

Viewing is optional. The online viewing is a Zoom call in which staff walk you through a 3D panorama of the room, not a live camera tour (online viewing).

Registering your address: Oakhouse's own guide says share-house residents register at the city office within 14 days, using the house name and room number (Oakhouse guide). It publishes no house-by-house policy, so if you need the address for your residence card or a bank account, ask Oakhouse before you book.

The documents to have ready, who can be your emergency contact and what screening checks are in Oakhouse for foreigners.

Where Oakhouse houses are

Almost all of them are in Greater Tokyo: 86 of the 133 houses Oakhouse runs are in Tokyo, with a median of ¥77,000 a month for any room. Outside Tokyo and the three prefectures around it there are 11: Hyogo 4, Kyoto 4, Aichi 1, Fukuoka 1 and Osaka 1.

Houses, rooms and median monthly total by prefecture
PrefectureHousesRoomsMedian a month
Tokyo862,012¥77,000
Kanagawa211,210¥74,000
Chiba8573¥74,000
Saitama7287¥91,000
Hyogo4221¥71,000
Kyoto4113¥78,000
Aichi150¥67,000
Fukuoka141¥81,000
Osaka139¥69,000

Prices by Tokyo ward and by station, and what a 1, 3 or 6 month stay costs, are in Oakhouse Tokyo prices.

Other share-house operators in Tokyo and Osaka, with their costs, are on share houses in Tokyo.

Find an Oakhouse room near you

Opens Oakhouse's site (Japanese; English version too)

What is an Oakhouse Social Residence?

A Social Residence is an Oakhouse share house built around community: a lounge where residents hold events and workshops and, in some houses, a studio, a soundproofed music room or a 24-hour office space with Wi-Fi (Social Residence facilities). Oakhouse's page for it lists no deposit, key money or agency fee, no guarantor, a contract fee paid once, free internet and contracts from 1 month (Social Residence terms).

Most of Oakhouse's rooms are in a Social Residence: 3,147 of 4,546 on October 9, 2026, in 47 of 133 houses. The median room costs ¥76,000 a month with the common fee, against ¥77,000 in the houses Oakhouse labels SHAREHOUSE, and it is larger: 13.5 m² against 10 m². The move-in example above is a Social Residence room.

Listings on oakhouse.jp that Oakhouse doesn't run

In September 2026 the home page counted about 980 properties and 8,900 rooms, but that includes hotels and 849 ordinary apartments that Oakhouse only brokers, marked 仲介物件 (brokered property). Their terms depend on the listing: the example we read (example listing) had key money, a guarantee company, an agency fee of 1.1 months' rent and a 2-year lease. The no-deposit, no-guarantor terms on this page apply to houses marked オークハウス管理物件 (managed by Oakhouse).

Oakhouse house rules

  • No curfew. Laundry machines have set hours, which vary by house (rules).
  • Guests may stay up to 3 nights a month free, in rooms built for 2, if you tell Oakhouse first. A fourth night costs ¥20,000 for the month (guests).
  • Most houses are mixed. Some are women-only, or have women-only or men-only floors, shown on each room (gender rules).
  • Couples, friends or family can share a room built for 2, for ¥20,000 more a month (two people).
  • Large houses have cleaners for shared areas; you clean your own room, and in small houses residents may share cleaning (cleaning).
  • No pets, as a rule (pets).

Moving out of Oakhouse

Give notice in My Page at least 1 month before you leave (2 weeks for a dormitory bed), even on your contract's end date. There is no penalty for leaving early; rent runs to the date you gave (moving out). There is no fixed cleaning fee. You clean your room and take everything out, and damage or cigarette smell is charged as repair, wallpaper and cleaning.

Moving to another Oakhouse house after your first month costs ¥30,000 for a private room or apartment (¥10,000 for shared types) plus a new bed pad, instead of a new contract fee (transfers).

Oakhouse reviews: what residents say

We read 43 first-hand comments about Oakhouse from 2018 to 2026, on Reddit and a Japanese housing forum. Praise is mostly for the company: quick English replies and clean shared areas (9 comments each). Complaints are mostly about particular houses and housemates: noise and thin walls (9), a high price for a small room (5), and dirty shared bathrooms (3). Six said the experience depends on the house and who lives there.

“All in all, I liked my experience with OH. The staff was nice, the lady who handled my contract was very friendly.”

Reddit, r/japanlife, March 24, 2024

“Biggest problems are those you’d expect from several people living under the same roof, mostly noise, what to do when all the bathrooms or showers are occupied”

Reddit, r/japanlife, March 24, 2024

“If your neighbour is talking with someone on the phone, you can hear it, altough muffled and not really comprehensible.”

Reddit, r/Osaka, March 16, 2025

“there is a lot of cleaning being done, i‘d say the informations are correct.”

Reddit, r/Osaka, April 27, 2025

“Got bedding with dark spots on it, saw a cockroach in the hall one time (took pics of it to prove), and overall the room smelled badly.”

Reddit, r/Tokyo, August 28, 2026

“The property i am in looks very outdated from their photos online, though, which was disappointing.”

Reddit, r/movingtojapan, October 26, 2025

“Really expensive but convenient to get an address bank account and phone number.”

Reddit, r/japanlife, March 24, 2024

How we checked

Fees and rules come from Oakhouse's Japanese help center and house pages, read on September 18, 2026. Its English pages disagree with the Japanese in places (payment methods, what points can be used for), and we used the Japanese. Room counts and prices come from every house page Oakhouse lists as its own, read by a script on October 9, 2026. Resident quotes are from Reddit, each linked to the comment. We found no government action, lawsuit or consumer-agency notice naming Oakhouse. We have not lived in an Oakhouse, so there is no star rating here.

The Oakhouse buttons on this page are A8.net affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you sign up through them. It does not change what we write. Read our editorial policy.

Oakhouse FAQ

Does Oakhouse need a guarantor?

No. Houses Oakhouse runs itself need no guarantor and no guarantee company. You give an emergency contact instead, normally one of your parents, who can live outside Japan; Oakhouse phones them during screening.

How much does it cost to move into an Oakhouse?

In a real listing we checked (a ¥42,000 private room plus a ¥20,000 common fee), moving in on the 1st costs ¥94,200: the ¥50,000 contract fee, the first month's rent and a ¥2,200 bed pad. Renting bedding adds ¥17,600. There is no deposit or key money.

How much is the Oakhouse contract fee?

¥50,000 for a private room or apartment, ¥20,000 to ¥40,000 for shared rooms, compartments and semi-private rooms, and ¥10,000 to ¥30,000 for dormitory beds. You pay it once, at your first contract, and it is not refunded; a campaign at some houses cuts it, but cancellation charges follow the normal fee. Moving to another Oakhouse house costs ¥30,000 or ¥10,000 instead of a new contract fee.

What is an Oakhouse Social Residence?

A share house that Oakhouse runs around community events, with lounges and, in some houses, a studio, a music room or a 24-hour office. Oakhouse lists it with no deposit, key money or guarantor. 3,147 of Oakhouse's 4,546 rooms are in one, at a median ¥76,000 a month with the common fee.

Can I stay at Oakhouse for more than 6 months?

Only by signing a new contract. Every Oakhouse lease is a fixed-term lease of 1 to 6 months with no renewal. Oakhouse offers a new contract before yours ends, but can decline, for example if the house closes or it decides you broke the house rules.

Can I register my address at an Oakhouse share house?

Oakhouse's own guide says share-house residents register their address within 14 days, using the house name and room number. It publishes no house-by-house policy, so confirm with Oakhouse before you book if you need the address for your residence card or a bank account.

Can I book an Oakhouse room from overseas?

Yes. Booking, the application and payment are online, and a Visa or Mastercard card works if you have no Japanese bank account. You sign and get your keys at the house on move-in day.

Can couples live together at Oakhouse?

Yes, in rooms marked for 2 people, if both are 18 or over. A second person adds ¥20,000 a month.

Set Up in Japan is an independent guide, not Oakhouse's site.

See Oakhouse rooms

Opens Oakhouse's site (Japanese; English version too)