At Home Co. Ltd. announced on August 18th, 2021 the results of their survey “Broker’s Choose!  Top Customer Requests for Equipment and Facilities when Choosing a New Rental Unit”.

The company received responses from 847 affiliate real estate shops nationwide in order to understand what rent seekers were looking for when choosing a new apartment.  

The survey was conducted between June 1st to the 7th and covered the first six months of 2021.  Percentages below refer to the number of survey participants that responded with the same answers therefore the percentages below will be greater than 100% when added together. 

Topping the list for most desired facility for the first time ever were properties that advertised “free internet” or “internet included in the rent” (43.2%)

Distant second was properties with auto-lock entrances (34.2%) and third was TV monitor interphone equipped buildings (31.2%)

Increased teleworking throughout 2020 made tenants and the companies they work for realise that working from home is here to stay, especially for IT engineering and other computer based fields.  

The increased interest in buildings with auto-lock features reflected clients spending more time at home and wanting to know more than before about crime prevention.

As for reasons why tenants wished to move in the first place, responses varied but most centred around the same concept; spending more time at home. 

Other top reasons for renters wanting to move were:

Desire to reduce monthly rent  - 34.4% of

Need to move because of a work transfer - 32.9% 

Desire to increase number of rooms - 30.3%

One real estate firm surveyed offered the comment “Some clients are saying they want to move simply because they feel like it.  More teleworking means more staying home so while renters work at the same jobs, no longer being near the office meant they were more interested in soundproof reinforced concrete buildings, or moving to the suburbs for greater access to green spaces and sky.”  

Others were simply focused on getting a larger space for the same amount of rent by living a little further away due to the limited need to go to the office.

Further Reading:

AtHome Survey Results (Japanese Only)