Own a Condominium in Japan.
Stay Supported from Anywhere.
Domestic Manager Service for Overseas Condominium Owners
A Japanese attorney acts as your Domestic Manager in Japan, handling management association communications, general meetings, voting rights and other matters relating to your condominium ownership.
Your ownership remains yours. Your legal point of contact is in Japan.
A Local Legal Framework for Overseas Condominium Owners.
Owning a condominium in Japan while living overseas can make it difficult to receive important documents, respond to condominium association matters and act when decisions are required in Japan.
Japan's revised Act on Building Unit Ownership, etc. introduced a framework under which a unit owner who does not have an address or residence in Japan may appoint a person in Japan as a Domestic Manager.
A Domestic Manager is more than a mailing address. The role includes statutory authority relating to certain preservation and management matters, receipt of meeting notices, exercise of voting rights and payment-related matters.
More Than a Local Contact.
A Domestic Manager Who Understands Japanese Law.
Major repairs, bylaw amendments, reserve fund increases, disputes, reconstruction. When ownership decisions have legal consequences, a Japanese attorney can identify what matters before you act.
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
A reliable point of contact in Japan
Routine documents are shared electronically within three business days in principle.
GENERAL MEETINGS
Regular and extraordinary meetings
Review, detailed consideration, consultation with you and ordinary voting are included in the annual service.
LEGAL REVIEW
Understand important legal issues
We can review bylaws, major repairs, reconstruction and other significant ownership matters.
LEGAL SUPPORT
Your lawyer is already in Japan
If a problem arises, you can speak with the attorney already familiar with your property.
What We Handle as Your Domestic Manager
Appointment & Notification
We enter into the Domestic Manager agreement and notify the management association or management company as required.
Receipt & Electronic Delivery
We receive notices and routine documents and share them electronically within three business days in principle.
Identification of Important Matters
We identify response deadlines, payment matters, decisions required from you and potential legal issues.
Regular & Extraordinary General Meetings
Review, detailed consideration, consultation with you and ordinary exercise of voting rights are included in the annual service.
Routine Communications
We handle ordinary communications with the management association and management company within the Domestic Manager role.
Annual Owner Information Review
Once each contract year, we confirm and update owner information, overseas address, email, emergency contact, ownership and rental status, and management company details.
A Lawyer in Japan,
Not Just a Property Contact.
The consultation is not limited to condominium matters. You may consult us about legal matters in Japan, including real estate, leases, contracts, inheritance, claims and liabilities, and business matters in Japan.
Email consultation is included for up to one hour of attorney time per calendar month. Unused time does not carry over. Document drafting, substantive contract review, negotiations, litigation and other formal legal services are quoted separately. We may be unable to advise due to conflicts of interest or other professional obligations.
Additional Fees Apply Only When On-Site Work Is Required.
For regular and extraordinary general meetings, review of materials, detailed consideration, consultation with you and ordinary voting are included in the annual service.
Additional fees apply where work such as the following is required:
- in-person attendance at a general meeting
- questions or statements made in person at the meeting
- on-site inspection or attendance at the property or works
- in-person meetings with the management association or management company
Domestic Manager Services Are Different from Rental Property Management.
Included
- Management association communications
- Regular and extraordinary meetings
- Voting rights
- Important document review
- Legal issue identification
- Owner reporting
- Email consultation on Japanese law for up to one hour of attorney time per month
Not Generally Included
- Finding tenants
- Rent collection
- Routine tenant communications
- Cleaning and building maintenance services
- Repair contractor services
- 24/7 emergency telephone support
Straightforward Annual Service.
Initial review, agreement and notification procedures.
Appointment, routine document handling, three-business-day electronic delivery in principle, regular and extraordinary meeting support, ordinary voting, routine communications, annual information review and email consultation on Japanese law for up to one hour of attorney time per month.
In-person attendance at meetings, in-person questions or statements, on-site inspection or attendance, and in-person meetings with the management association or management company. Quoted in advance.
Final fees may vary depending on the property, number of units owned and required scope of work.
Managed by a Japanese Attorney
Hiroki Hamaoka
Attorney at Law, Japan / En Law Office
Our Domestic Manager service is handled by a Japanese attorney whose practice includes real estate, lease and civil dispute matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is every overseas condominium owner required to appoint a Domestic Manager?
No. Japanese law does not impose a universal appointment requirement on every owner living overseas. However, individual condominium bylaws may require the appointment of a Domestic Manager.
Do I need to be a foreign national to use the service?
No. The service is designed for owners living outside Japan, regardless of nationality. Japanese nationals living overseas may also use the service.
Are extraordinary general meetings charged separately?
No for ordinary handling. Receipt and review of materials, detailed consideration, consultation with you and ordinary voting are included in the annual service. Additional fees apply only where in-person attendance, on-site questions or statements, on-site inspection, or other on-site work is required.
Can I use the service if my condominium is rented out?
Yes. However, ordinary rental management, tenant communications and rent collection are not included.
Will you advance management fees or reserve fund payments?
As a general rule, we do not advance payments from our own funds. Payments are generally made directly by the owner.
How do I contact the service?
Please use the dedicated Domestic Manager inquiry form. Our response and consultation through this service are handled by email in principle. The included Japanese-law consultation is also provided by email, for up to one hour of attorney time per month.
Contact Us About Domestic Manager Services.
This form is dedicated to Domestic Manager inquiries and is separate from our general legal inquiry form.
We respond to inquiries and consultation requests by email in principle.