Japan condo management fees and the repair reserve fund: what owners pay each month

Short answer

• Two charges, both compulsory. The management fee covers daily running costs; the repair reserve is saved for major works such as exterior walls, roofs and pipes. Owners pay both whether they live in the flat, rent it out or leave it empty.
• National averages (MLIT, FY2023 Condominium Survey): ¥11,503 a month per unit for the management fee and ¥13,054 for the repair reserve, ¥24,557 in total (about US$156). These are the amounts owners pay themselves, before any parking income the association adds.
• A reasonable reserve, on MLIT's guideline, averages ¥252–338 per ㎡ a month over the life of the repair plan, depending on building height and size. For a 70 ㎡ flat that is about ¥17,640–23,660 a month. A building collecting far less is likely to raise it later.
• Increases are common. 47.1% of associations use a stepped plan that starts low and rises; 36.6% are saving less than their own repair plan requires, and 11.7% are more than 20% short.
• Before buying, ask for the building's management status report (重要事項調査報告書) and the long-term repair plan (長期修繕計画), and check the reserve balance, scheduled increases and arrears.

National averages: management fee and repair reserve

MLIT surveys condominium owners' associations across Japan every five years. The latest is the FY2023 survey, published in June 2024. Amounts are per unit per month. Some associations top up the two funds with income from their car parks, so MLIT reports both a figure without that top-up and a total including it; what an owner pays out of pocket is close to the figure without it.

• Single buildings and estates. Management fee (excluding parking income): ¥11,580 in single-building associations (¥10,970 in the previous survey) and ¥10,394 in multi-building estates (団地型). Repair reserve: ¥13,041 and ¥12,923.
• Bigger buildings, lower fees. MLIT notes that the total management fee falls as the number of units rises, so small buildings cost more per unit.
• These are national averages for all areas and sizes. Inside one building the charges are usually split by floor area, so larger units pay more.

For the price of the flat itself, see Tokyo property prices by ward; for one-off costs at purchase, the cost of buying property in Japan.

How much repair reserve is enough? MLIT's benchmark per ㎡

MLIT's Guideline on Condominium Repair Reserves (マンションの修繕積立金に関するガイドライン, revised June 2024) uses 366 real long-term repair plans to estimate the average monthly saving per ㎡ of floor area needed over the whole plan period, excluding mechanical car parks. The range is where the middle two-thirds of those plans fall.

• The 70 ㎡ column is the average × 70 (for example 338 × 70 = ¥23,660, about US$150). It is the average over the plan period, not the first-year charge.
• Towers cost more per ㎡ because they need special scaffolding and have a large share of common areas; small buildings cost more because the fixed costs are shared by fewer owners.
• Buildings with a mechanical car park need an extra amount for it on top of these figures.
• How to use it: divide the flat's current monthly reserve by its floor area and compare with the table. A building well below the bottom of the range is likely to raise the reserve or ask for a lump sum later.

Why condo fees in Japan go up

• Stepped plans (段階増額積立方式). New developments often start the reserve low and raise it in steps, which makes the monthly cost look cheap at the sale. In the FY2023 survey 47.1% of associations used a stepped plan and 40.5% a level one; newer buildings are more likely to be stepped.
• MLIT's limits on steps. The guideline says a stepped plan should start at no less than 0.6 times the level amount and end at no more than 1.1 times it. For a flat whose level amount is ¥23,660 a month, that means at least about ¥14,196 at the start and no more than about ¥26,026 at the end. A starting figure below 0.6 times is lower than the guideline allows.
• Shortfalls. 36.6% of associations are saving less than their long-term repair plan requires, and 11.7% are more than 20% short. The gap is usually closed by raising the reserve or by a one-off levy (一時金) when major works are due.
• Better plans show bigger gaps. 72.7% of associations now have a repair plan of 30 years or more (60.0% in the previous survey), and 75.3% of buildings completed in the last five years set their reserve from a plan of 30 years or more (43.3% before). The more realistic the plan, the more likely it shows the current reserve is too low.
• Arrears. 30.1% of associations have owners three months or more behind with their fees, which puts more strain on repair funding.

Both charges come straight off rental income. To see what is left after them, use the rental net income calculator, and for gross and net yields by ward, Japan rental yield. On why older buildings lose value, see why Japanese houses depreciate.

Documents to check before you buy

• Management status report (重要事項調査報告書). Issued by the building's management company. It shows the current fees, the reserve balance, arrears, increases already decided and planned works. Ask the broker for it before you sign.
• Long-term repair plan. Check that it runs for 30 years or more, when it was last reviewed (63.2% of associations in the MLIT survey review it about every five years) and how much it says must be saved each year.
• Minutes of the general meeting for the last year or two: look for talk of fee increases, levies or postponed works.
• The broker's statement of important matters (重要事項説明). The broker must explain it before the contract by law, and it includes the fees and any arrears. Ask for anything you don't understand to be explained in English.
• Major works come round every dozen years or so. In the MLIT survey the works most often carried out were exterior repainting (87.1%) and roof waterproofing (75.0%). A building that has just finished major works with a healthy reserve balance carries less risk of an early levy.

Owning from abroad

• Paying every month. The management company usually collects both charges monthly. Ask before you buy whether a Japanese bank account is needed or whether payment from abroad is accepted.
• The owner pays, not the tenant. On an ordinary let the owner pays the management fee and repair reserve, so take them off the rent before working out a yield.
• Notices arrive in Japanese at the registered address: meeting notices, fee increases, levies. Non-residents usually have a manager or agent receive them, alongside a tax representative for property tax (see the 2026 owner checklist and property tax for foreigners).
• Arrears pass with the flat. Under Article 8 of the Act on Building Unit Ownership, the association can claim a previous owner's unpaid fees from the new owner. Confirm zero arrears in the management status report before you sign.

New to the process? Start with buying property in Japan as a foreigner.

FAQ

Sources

1. MLIT, FY2023 Condominium Survey (令和5年度マンション総合調査結果), summary, published June 2024: fees, reserve method, shortfalls, arrears, repair plans: mlit.go.jp (PDF); press release: mlit.go.jp
2. MLIT, Guideline on Condominium Repair Reserves (マンションの修繕積立金に関するガイドライン), April 2011, revised June 2024: per-㎡ benchmarks, 0.6× and 1.1× limits on stepped plans: mlit.go.jp (PDF)
3. Act on Building Unit Ownership (建物の区分所有等に関する法律), Article 8 (liability of a successor): e-Gov Laws
4. Exchange rate: Federal Reserve H.10 via FRED, DEXJPUS, 30 October 2026 (US$1 = ¥157.47). For orientation only.