When Something Breaks in Your Japanese Apartment: Repairs and Who to Call

Quick answer

Hi, I'm Miya, and I help newcomers settle into life in Japan. This guide is for the moment something in your rental stops working: the water heater won't heat, the air conditioner blows warm air, the toilet keeps running, or a lock jams. It sits alongside our guides on reading your lease, renters insurance and getting your deposit back, and focuses on the practical first steps.

The short version: stay calm, make things safe, and contact your management company (kanri gaisha) or landlord before you call anyone else. Take photos, note the date and what happened, and let them arrange the repair. Who pays usually depends on the cause and on what your lease says, so treat your contract and your management company as the final word.

A little preparation before anything breaks

The calmest repair days start with a bit of homework on a quiet afternoon. Find your main water valve (motosen), often in a meter box by the front door or in a cabinet under the kitchen sink, and your electrical breaker panel, usually near the entrance or the kitchen. Knowing how to shut off the water and reset a tripped breaker can turn a moment of panic into a quick fix.

Next, look for your building's contact details. Many buildings have a 24-hour support line for tenants, listed in the move-in papers or posted near the entrance, the mailboxes or the elevator. Save that number and your management company's office number in your phone, along with your building name and room number, so you're not hunting for them with water on the floor.

Contact the management company or landlord first

When something fails, your first call usually goes to whoever manages the property: the management company if there is one, or the landlord directly if they look after things themselves. Explain what's broken, when it started, and whether it's getting worse. They'll often send a contractor they work with or tell you how to proceed, and they may ask you to be home for a visit.

It's tempting to search for a repair service and book the first one you find, but it's worth holding back. Unauthorised repairs may not be reimbursed, even when the fault would normally be on the landlord's side, and a contractor unfamiliar with the building's equipment can make things more complicated. If it's urgent and you can't reach the office, try the 24-hour line, and let the management company know what happened as soon as you can.

What's usually the landlord's side, and what's usually yours

As a general pattern, equipment that came with the apartment and wears out through normal use, such as a water heater reaching the end of its life, a built-in air conditioner that stops cooling, or plumbing that fails on its own, is usually handled by the landlord. Damage you or your guests caused, blockages from something that shouldn't have gone down the drain, and small consumables like light bulbs or remote control batteries are often the tenant's responsibility.

There are grey areas. An air conditioner left behind by a previous tenant, for example, is sometimes treated differently from equipment the landlord provided, and some leases spell out small repairs the tenant covers. Your lease decides, so check its repairs clause and ask the management company if anything is unclear. If you have renters insurance, it's also worth asking your insurer whether a particular incident might be covered.

When it can't wait: water leaks and lock trouble

Water is the one to move quickly on. If a pipe, toilet or washing machine hose is leaking, close the main valve or the small stop valve near the fixture, put down towels, and then call the management company or the 24-hour line. In an apartment building water can reach the unit below, so telling management promptly helps them check on neighbours and sort things out properly. If water is near outlets or appliances, switch off the breaker and keep clear.

For a toilet that won't stop running or has overflowed, closing its stop valve usually halts the water while you wait. Avoid pouring chemicals or forcing tools into a blockage you can't see; describe what happened and let the repairer take it from there.

If you're locked out or a lock breaks, contact the management company or the 24-hour line first. Some can help with a spare key or arrange a locksmith they work with, though what's possible varies, especially outside office hours. Lost keys and replacement locks are often at the tenant's cost, and changing a lock usually needs permission, since the landlord needs keys too. Please don't try to force a door or climb in from a balcony; it's unsafe and could cause damage you'd be asked to cover.

Keep photos and records

From the first moment, take photos or a short video of the problem: the leak, the error code on the water heater panel, the damaged lock. Note the date and time you noticed it, when you contacted management, who you spoke to and what they said. Keeping the related messages and emails in one place makes it easy to follow up if a repair drags on.

These records help in a few ways. They show you reported the issue promptly, they help clarify what caused it, and they can matter later at move-out when the condition of the apartment is reviewed. After the repair, a quick photo of the fixed item and a note of the visit date round things off nicely.

One quiet thing to have ready

So much of this runs through your phone: calling the 24-hour line, getting callbacks from the management company, receiving messages from the repairer to confirm a visit time, and sending photos of the problem. When you're easy to reach on a Japanese number, visits get scheduled sooner and things get fixed faster. Setting one up is refreshingly simple: you apply online with your residence card, verify with a quick eKYC, and eSIM-capable phones can connect the same day, often within about fifteen minutes.

Have a look at our setup guide for eligibility and the step-by-step, and confirm current terms on the page before you apply. Save your building's contacts, learn where the valve and breaker are, and you'll be ready for whatever your apartment throws at you. I'll be right here to help.