Put it to use ─ neither selling nor living there: the fourth way ／ Toyama, Ishikawa, Hida

Don't sell.Put it to use.

You don't want to let it go, but no one will live there. Turn it into a rental, an inn, a shop or company housing. From business plan to design, construction and operation after handover, there is one window.

Exterior of a snow-covered wooden vacant house (illustrative)

※ Illustrative photo

Just owning it costs ¥150,000–400,000 a year

Just owning it Property tax, insurance, mowing, snow clearing ¥150,000–400,000 a year goes out Rent it out Rent comes in every month from the tenant

Property tax, insurance, mowing and snow clearing: a vacant house costs money just to own. Renting it out reverses the flow.

When in the year this ¥150,000–400,000 goes out, and who can do the snow clearing and pipe draining: see the year-round calendar for looking after a vacant house in Toyama from afar.

* Renovation costs are borne by the owner. Subsidies must be applied for before work starts (kominka renovation subsidies). Cost guide: kominka renovation.

For owners who want a building that earns

The steps to putting it to use ─ five

1 Business plan Line up expected rent and renovation cost 2 Drawings & change of use Fire and health conditions checked first 3 Design & construction Built by our own carpenters 4 Handover Keys and documents handed over 5 Operation Tenants, management, repairs One window, even after handover

A business plan puts the expected rent or occupancy, the renovation cost and the payback period on one sheet. We draw it up together in a form you can take straight to a bank or a subsidy application. Drawings and change of use, fire and health consultations, construction and handover are all done by us, and advice on tenants, management and repairs after handover goes through the same window. We can do this because we hold real-estate, construction and vacation-rental management licences in one company. If the house will become a guesthouse, see also filing to start a minpaku in Toyama first.

* Cost guides and timelines differ by property. After a site survey we put the business plan and estimate in writing. Declining costs nothing.

Tenants are not only private households. Some companies look for a detached house as a staff dormitory; what they require is summarised on Company housing and staff dormitories in Toyama, and the rules for letting it as housing for technical intern trainees or Specified Skilled Workers on Housing for technical intern trainees and Specified Skilled Workers in Toyama. The form of contract when a company leases it as company housing is on How to choose a leased-housing provider in Toyama.

Where nobody wants to live, people still come to stay

Even where tenants are hard to find, travellers come. Tateyama-Kurobe, Gokayama, Hida — a house where tourists pass through can be reborn as a guesthouse. Once it is a guesthouse, we run it as your minpaku management company in Toyama. The house you think "nobody would ever rent this" is exactly the one to show us.

Interior of a whole-house kominka guesthouse with beams and a sunken hearth (illustrative)

※ Illustrative photo

How long it takes to recover a ¥5 million renovation from rent (simple calculation) 2 yrs4 yrs6 yrs8 yrs Rented as a home¥50,000/monthabout 8 yearsRented as a shop¥80,000/monthabout 5 yearsUsed as a guesthouseWhole house, ¥30,000 × 10 nights/monthabout 1.5 years
Even with the same house and the same renovation cost, how you use it changes how quickly you recoup it. * Rent and lodging rates are rough figures, estimated conservatively by us (a whole Hokuriku kominka let to one group a night typically runs ¥30,000–60,000-odd). They exclude running costs, vacancy and seasonal variation. In practice this varies greatly by property and location, and is not a promise of income or of any particular payback period.

One window, even after handover

Licensed real-estate agent (Toyama Governor (9) No. 1812), general contractor (Han-27 No. 8312) and vacation-rental manager (MLIT (01) No. F06163). Contracts, construction and management are all handled in-house, so there are no middlemen to pay, and questions about repairs or operation after handover go to the people who did the work. You never have to wonder whom to ask.

A carpenter fitting hardware under the frame of a wooden house (illustrative)

※ Illustrative photo

What restoration does to a house

Examples of our own renovations. We bring the house up to a standard fit for tenants or guests, then look for them.

The low-ceilinged tatami room before it became a guesthouse (before)
BEFORE
Rebuilt as a stairwell with exposed beams and opened as a minpaku (after)
AFTER

A 90-year-old house becomes a whole-house guesthouse

Insulation, added bathrooms / 4 months / ¥9 million

We removed the ceiling and exposed the hidden beams and log posts. The historic frame becomes the guesthouse's character.
Mr Y, 40s, lodging business

More on this project →
The kitchen and tatami room before renovation
BEFORE
The open living space with insulation and underfloor heating (after)
AFTER

Kitchen and tatami room become one open living space

Insulation, underfloor heating / 2 months / ¥9 million

Warm underfoot even in a hard winter. The ancestral home became a house they can rely on.
The M family

More on this project →

FAQ

Who pays for the renovation?＋−

The owner. For a rental, insulation and plumbing come to ¥2–6 million; for an inn or shop the cost changes with change of use and fire equipment. See the kominka renovation cost guide; subsidies must be applied for before work starts (kominka renovation subsidies). For ¥5 million of renovation, this page shows a payback estimate of about 8 years as a rental, about 5 years as a shop, and about a year and a half as a whole-house inn.

What does business-plan consultation involve?＋−

We draw up a one-sheet plan of expected rent or occupancy, renovation cost and payback period, together with you. The figures come from nearby listings and our own construction records, so the plan can go straight to a bank or a subsidy application. If the numbers don't work, we tell you honestly at that stage.

What if I want to sell while it is being rented out?＋−

It depends on your contract with the tenant. Since we also buy houses, switching from use to sale can be discussed at the same window. You are welcome to talk to us before you have decided.

Can any house be put to use?＋−

No. We recommend it only when, after looking at the location and condition, one of rental, inn, shop or company housing is viable. If not, we tell you honestly why, along with other options such as selling. The site survey is free.

First, we go and look

Could this house become a building that earns?

No drawings needed. If we know the location and condition, we'll tell you which of rental, inn, shop or company housing looks viable, and if none does, what other paths there are.

What you send is used only for the appraisal and to contact you. By sending you agree to our privacy policy.

We contact you once, within 2 business days, by LINE or phone. No pushy sales.

Entrust the keys

Compare with the price if you sold.

Appraisal is free. Seeing both the rental terms and the sale price before deciding is not too late.

Request a free appraisal → Compare 7 ways to use the family home → What to do with the family home → Rent it out as company housing or a staff dormitory → Leave it to a minpaku management company →
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