One in Three Japanese Seniors Turned Away by Real Estate Agencies Due to Age

Applications Rejected

An online survey conducted in July by the Japanese real estate agency R65 Fudōsan, which specializes in rental properties for seniors aged 65 and over, revealed that 42.8% of senior respondents in total found it “somewhat” or “very” difficult to rent. At 30.4%, one in three had experienced their applications being rejected by real estate agencies due to their age.

When asked why they were looking to rent, with multiple responses possible, the most common reason was that they “wanted a place with a more suitable layout” (36.2%), ahead of “wanted to move to a place with lower rent” (23.6%) in second. Turning 65 is a milestone for working people and while changes in their employment status and lower wages may prompt them to downsize their lifestyles, it seems age is an issue when it comes to finding a property.

The top frustration respondents felt when looking to rent was that there were “not enough prospective properties” at 52.8%. This was followed by the “larger than usual financial burden (due to initial costs)” with 31.3% and being “shown properties that didn’t meet needs” with 17.3%.

Data Sources

• Survey about house hunting by seniors (Japanese) from R65 Fudōsan.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)