This guide is for foreign residents who want to rent an apartment in Kumamoto City. It covers where to get help in your language, real estate agents that say on their own pages (or on an industry association list) that they help foreign customers, the steps from search to key, and how long each step takes. We checked every page on 26 September 2026. No company in this guide pays us, and there are no affiliate links. When a page does not say something, we write “not stated”.
1. Where can I get help in my language?
1.1 The housing consultation at the Plaza
Kumamoto City
The Kumamoto City Consultation and Support Plaza for Foreign Residents (熊本市外国人総合相談プラザ) is on the 2nd floor of the Kumamoto City International Center (熊本市国際交流会館), 4-18 Hanabatacho (花畑町), Chuo Ward. It is open 10:00–18:00 and closed on the 2nd and 4th Mondays and at the New Year holidays. Counselors take questions in easy Japanese and English during all opening hours, and in other languages on set days. Phone: 096-359-4995.
Once a month, on the 3rd Wednesday from 13:00 to 17:00, the Kumamoto City Housing Support Council (熊本市居住支援協議会) holds a housing consultation at the Plaza. The city says the council listens to you together with an interpreter. The city asks you to check the date with the Plaza before you go.
1.2 The Housing Support Council’s phone line
Kumamoto City
The same council runs a phone line called Anshin Sumikae Soudan (あんしん住み替え相談窓口): 096-245-5667, weekdays 10:00–17:00. The city says staff from welfare and real estate groups help people who find it hard to look for a home on their own, and it names foreign residents as one of these groups. The language on this line is not stated, so you can also start at the Plaza.
1.3 Housing support corporations
Kumamoto Prefecture + national list
Kumamoto Prefecture designates housing support corporations (居住支援法人). Their work can include rent guarantees, information and advice on renting, and support after you move in; each one does not have to do all of these. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT, 国土交通省) publishes a list of these corporations (updated 30 June 2026) that shows who each one supports. In that list, the corporations below cover Kumamoto City and marked foreign residents (外国人). MLIT says the marks come from a survey of the corporations and asks you to check details with each one. Languages are not stated.
| Corporation | Area (as listed) | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Higo Jikatsudan (社会福祉法人肥後自活団) | Kumamoto City | 096-364-0070 |
| Kumamoto City Council of Social Welfare (社会福祉法人熊本市社会福祉協議会) | Kumamoto City | 096-288-2742 |
| Yume Net Hachidori (一般社団法人夢ネットはちどり) | All of Kumamoto Prefecture | 096-227-6740 |
| Sanko Life Support (株式会社サンコーライフサポート) | Chuo and Kita wards of Kumamoto City, and other towns | 096-247-6383 |
| Nisseikai (社会福祉法人日生会) | All of Kumamoto Prefecture | 096-285-7113 |
| Kumamoto Soudansho (NPO法人くまもと相談所) | Kumamoto City and nearby | 080-8725-0803 |
| Matsuo Fudosan (まつお不動産株式会社) | Kumamoto City and nearby | 096-245-7984 |
| NAP Chintai Hosho (ナップ賃貸保証株式会社) | All of Kumamoto Prefecture | 0570-055-722 |
| Sanko (社会福祉法人三幸) | Kita Ward of Kumamoto City, and other towns | 096-277-5545 |
| Dream (株式会社Dream) | Mainly Kumamoto City | 096-324-8900 |
| Shinseiki (社会福祉法人伸生紀) | Kumamoto City and other towns | 0964-47-6200 |
| Jiritsu Seikatsu Shien Kumamoto Hohoemi no Kai (NPO法人自立生活支援熊本ほほえみの会) | All of Kumamoto Prefecture | 050-8881-5000 |
| J-Lease (ジェイリース株式会社) | All of Kumamoto Prefecture | 0570-010-201 |
NAP Chintai Hosho and J-Lease list rent guarantees (家賃債務保証) as their work. The English names above are our own romanization; the Japanese names are the official ones.
2. Which real estate agents say they help foreign customers?
Depends on the company
We list an agent only if its own website, or the list of real estate shops that speak foreign languages by the Japan Property Management Association (JPM, 公益財団法人日本賃貸住宅管理協会), says it helps foreign customers, speaks a foreign language, or offers online viewing or online contract explanations. The shop must be in Kumamoto City. This is not a full list of every agent that can help you. What each shop can do may change, so ask before you visit.
| Agent | Where | What the official page says |
|---|---|---|
| Houseresh (株式会社ハウスレッシュ), TOMS Group | Chuo Ward (Shin-Yashiki 2-chome). Phone 096-366-9020 | Staff speak English, Chinese and Nepali. Help in English and Chinese with finding an apartment, the contract and setting up gas and electricity. Works with a rent guarantee company for foreign customers. JPM also lists TOMS (株式会社トムス, same group, Shin-Yashiki 3-chome) for English and Chinese. |
| e-heya net Kumamoto Chuo shop and Heisei shop (いい部屋ネット熊本中央店・平成店), Daito Kentaku Leasing (大東建託リーシング株式会社) | Chuo Ward (Kurokami 1-chome) and Minami Ward (Mawatari 1-chome) | JPM lists both shops for English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian and Burmese, with phone 0120-984-356. The Kumamoto Chuo shop page says it helps people searching from anywhere in Japan and can show rooms online. The company’s International shop in Tokyo supports searches anywhere in Japan in nine languages and gives priority to people who book. |
| KOSUGI Real Estate (株式会社コスギ不動産) | Chuo Ward (Kuhonji 3-chome). Phone 096-366-5000 | JPM lists this shop for Chinese. |
| Able (エイブル) network shops | Able Network Kumamoto Honten (Chuo Ward, Kurokami), Kumamoto Chuo (Chuo Ward, Hakuzan) and Kumamoto Ekimae (Nishi Ward, Kasuga) | Able’s page for foreign renters in Kumamoto Prefecture says you can apply from overseas using online viewing and IT-based explanation of the contract. All three shop pages offer free online consultation. The Honten page offers online customer service and viewing; the Kumamoto Chuo and Ekimae pages offer online customer service and IT重説, and say the services differ by room. Able Corporate Service answers in English and Chinese (English line: 080-4638-9239). Languages at the Kumamoto shops: not stated. |
| Leopalace21 (株式会社レオパレス21) | Leopalace Center Kumamoto, Chuo Ward (Kusaba-cho). 10:00–18:00, closed Sundays | Website in English, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Vietnamese. It says everything from viewing to signing and getting the keys can be done online. Languages at the Kumamoto center: not stated. |
3. What are the steps?
Official guide (Japan)
MLIT’s Apartment Search Guidebook (English) gives these steps. The notes in brackets are what applies in Kumamoto City.
- Look for a room online, or visit an agent. The guidebook says to bring someone who speaks Japanese if you do not, and that some local governments and businesses can go with you. (In Kumamoto City, start with the Plaza or the agents in section 2.)
- Tell the agent what you need: area, rent, size, furniture. The guidebook has a Requirements Check Sheet in English you can fill in first.
- View the room. Viewing is free, and you do not have to apply after it.
- Apply and send documents. The guidebook lists your passport, residence card, proof of income, and a certificate of employment or of school attendance. If you use a personal guarantor, that person’s proof of income and seal registration certificate. One of its sample forms also asks for an emergency contact in Japan and one in your home country.
- Tenancy screening. The landlord decides. The National Federation of Real Estate Transaction Associations (全宅連) says the check is mainly whether you can pay the rent, based on things like income and years at your job. The guidebook says a rent guarantee company or a guarantor is needed. Ask the agent which guarantee company the room uses.
- Important points explanation (重要事項説明) of the contract and the room, then sign and pay. The first payments are listed in Moving to Kumamoto: a checklist.
- Get the key and move in. Then tell your city office your new address within 14 days of moving in. See Where to register your address.
4. How long does it take?
4.1 The official numbers
- Apply to move-in: usually 1–2 weeks. (MLIT guidebook)
- Screening to signing: often 1 week to about 10 days. (全宅連)
- January to March: 全宅連 says many people move then for new jobs and school, so more people are looking and rents tend to be higher. It also says rooms are often taken in a short time, and rooms with good terms go sooner.
- If you rent a home now: you must tell the landlord or agent in writing before you leave, within the period in your contract. The guidebook says this is usually 1–2 months before.
- The Plaza housing consultation is held once a month (section 1.1).
4.2 Counting back from your move-in date
This is an example only. It adds the numbers above and assumes each step takes the longest time given. The time you need to look for and view rooms is not in any official source, so it is not included.
| Step | How long before your move-in date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Give notice on your current home (if you rent one in Japan) | Usually 1–2 months (check your contract) | MLIT guidebook |
| Apply for the new room | At least 2 weeks | MLIT guidebook (1–2 weeks) |
| Register your new address | Within 14 days after moving in | Immigration Services Agency |
5. Can I sign before I come to Japan?
Official rule (Japan) + depends on the company
MLIT says the important points explanation can be given online by video (IT重説), and the documents can be given electronically instead of on paper. You can still choose face to face and paper. MLIT also says that visiting the room yourself helps you see things that photos cannot show.
Among the agents in section 2, two say something about this:
- Able gives two answers on two pages. Its Japanese page for Kumamoto Prefecture says you can choose a room from overseas with online viewing and IT重説 and move in on the day you arrive. Its English page for foreign customers says it can send room information by email, check with landlords, and help with the guarantee company’s screening before you arrive, and that it normally takes 3–10 days after arriving in Japan to finish the contract and move in. It adds that this differs by branch. Ask the Kumamoto shop before you plan.
- Leopalace21 says every step, from viewing to getting the keys, can be done online.
For the other agents, this is not stated. Ask them before you plan your arrival.
Sources (checked 26 September 2026)
- Kumamoto City: Consultation and Support Plaza for Foreign Residents and the Plaza’s consultation calendar
- Kumamoto City: Housing support (居住支援)
- Kumamoto Prefecture: Designated housing support corporations
- MLIT: Housing support corporations and the list (30 June 2026)
- MLIT: Support for Foreign Nationals in Looking for Rental Housing and Apartment Search Guidebook (English)
- MLIT: Online real estate transactions (IT重説 and electronic documents)
- 全宅連 Hatomark Site: Applying to rent, rent levels and reading listings
- JPM: Real estate shops that speak foreign languages
- Houseresh (English), For Foreigner listings and company page
- e-heya net Kumamoto Chuo shop, Kumamoto shops and International shop
- Able: Rentals for foreign residents in Kumamoto Prefecture, Able: English customers, Able Corporate Service: Foreign customers and shop pages (Honten, Kumamoto Chuo, Kumamoto Ekimae)
- Leopalace21 (English) and Kumamoto store list
- Immigration Services Agency: Notification of place of residence after moving
