HouseRep Tokyo Inc. — Local services in Tokyo

• Cautiously Consider* – Part 2: Fallout & Final Thoughts

(This review is a direct continuation of “Cautiously Consider – Part 1,” detailing what happened after the tenant placement and the resulting fallout.)

Although we had a signed property management contract, House Rep unilaterally terminated the agreement after placing the tenant and collecting all the fees—without prior discussion. Nakata-san claimed we had incompatible working styles and made several inaccurate and emotional accusations. To avoid further conflict, I accepted the decision and moved on, engaging a new management agency under the same terms.

I believed my dealings with House Rep were behind me. However, three months later, the situation deteriorated: My new agency reported the tenant hadn’t paid rent since move-in. The insurance company revealed the applicant—an influencer—had never planned to live in the property. Instead, her company’s CEO had used her identity to lease the unit and profited from it.

What came to light:

The tenant never visited the property.

Her CEO attended the showing and signed paperwork using what House Rep considered valid proxy materials.

I was not informed of these irregularities, except one instance.

The insurance company described them as someone highly skilled in exploiting legal "gray zones."

After five months of legal and administrative efforts, I incurred significant financial losses. My new agency, with 15 years of experience, said they’d never encountered such a case. They believed House Rep had ignored clear warning signs, despite my early concerns. I trusted—and still trust—that the staff in charge at House Rep didn’t anticipate this outcome. But I’ll never forget what Nakata-san said with an annoyed tone when I expressed concern over the tenant’s behavior and multiple times of delayed deposit payments: “Don't expect everyone to be like you. People can get busy, forget to transfer money—you just need to be patient.” That response was dismissive, and it failed to acknowledge the seriousness of what was unfolding.

Final Thoughts:

Some might call it bad luck—but it was entirely preventable. Had Nakata-san exercised better judgment, listened more attentively, and upheld professional standards, much of the damage could have been avoided. Instead, I was left unsupported, exposed to fraud, and placed in financial jeopardy due to his lack of oversight. As a result, both my new agency and I were forced to shoulder the consequences, while House Rep walked away from the responsibility of placing this problematic tenant.

Trust in real estate is paramount. I hope Nakata-san takes these lessons seriously and learn that customer relationships should be built on respect, transparency, and professionalism—not emotion, pride, or defensiveness. My experience began with promise but ended in disappointment, time loss, and financial damage.

For renters or casual buyers, House Rep may offer a boutique alternative. However, for serious investors or premium homebuyers seeking a reliable, long-term partnership—especially foreign nationals unfamiliar with local nuances—I...

If you have very straightforward, basic requirements and okay to settle for “listed market price” for a place in central Tokyo then HouseRep is fine. They are kind and friendly to deal with and are genuinely nice/sincere people working here. They were good about handling the paperwork and signings. However I would consider them “mid” when it comes to client protection, due diligence, guidance to buyers when considering risks, especially for newcomers to the Tokyo market. They also seem to lack creativity and hustle you might likely find with some of the larger fudosan. For example, being more up front in advising clients about potentially difficult owners or management to deal with. Contract specificity is also somewhat lacking. Tenants should be advised in full of all financial impacts and scenarios where they might be due additional penalties. Basically they should focus on being better advisors of all financial and comfort-level risks to foreign buyers to add more value and contribute to more satisfied clients. Their search rigor is limited so be prepared to search your own properties on SUUMO or HOMES and shortlist places yourself. Perhaps I had hopes they’d be able to pinpoint properties for me but I found doing my own search was much more efficient. You’re not gonna find some off-market listings through them. They also take quite long to arrange viewings - typically 5-7 days to book viewings, not the greatest since hot properties are snatched up fast. They often can’t book viewings quickly, I am not sure what happens in the background but perhaps they have to negotiate agency fees with listing agents before agreeing to show listings from the public domain? I found other big Japanese agencies or going direct to the lister work much faster. Finally, I found their loan advisory severely lacking. I am guessing their main bank partners are very conservative - perhaps because they are dealing with foreigners. They tend to discourage certain properties even though other big Japanese agencies can easily secure loans for them. Perhaps that’s due to the scale and partnerships some of the big traditional agencies have. We agreed to. disqualify many properties on the list because the agent felt we would not be able to secure a full loans for them. However, I found other big Japanese corporate agencies have access to connect you with much better loan terms at a wider selection of banks. I do realize the real estate agencies and banks are completely separate but found some agencies go the extra mile in coordinating loan options and approvals with more favorable terms. All in all it’s a decent service for foreigners who need full English agent capability, but you’ll get much more services and support on property risk assessments/due diligence, deep searches, quicker viewings, negotiations, loan/mortgage sourcing/coordination and creative problem solving from the bigger Japanese agencies, but only if you or your partner speak Japanese fluently; However, I think this is the case for all bilingual service...

• Cautiously Consider* – Part 1: From Trust to Concern

I’ve known the owner of House Rep, Nakata-san, for over 10 years. During this time, I’ve engaged his agency for rentals and property purchases as a foreign national living in Japan. While I initially appreciated House Rep’s boutique feel and responsiveness, a recent experience in 2024-2025 involving an investment property left me questioning their reliability for long-term or high-value transactions.

Back in 2013, I discovered House Rep online during my relocation to Japan, after finding my company’s larger relocation agency’s listings to be generic and uninspired. At the time, Nakata-san ran the business solo and impressed me with his attentive service when I rented a property in Aoyama. We agreed on an exclusive relationship and discounted fees for future buy/sell deals. Since he didn’t have experience with purchases then, he referred me to another firm that helped me buy my first Tokyo condo. We stayed in touch over the years, as his business expanded.

In 2024, I returned to House Rep to purchase a second property, initially intended for my family's use, but later converted for investment purposes. The scope included finding the property, placing a tenant, and managing the unit. Although they honored our previously agreed terms, I found their property suggestions misaligned with my expectations for prime locations. I supplemented their efforts with my own search and completed the purchase through them.

Concerns During Tenant Placement:

Their suggestion to consider applicants from Mizu Shobai (nightlife industry) conflicted with my preference for a stable, professional resident.

Advertising efforts were limited, and when I recommended outreach to more expat-friendly agencies, they reacted defensively.

The tenant they ultimately introduced passed initial screenings but caused repeated delays, missed payments, and sent a proxy to the lease signing.

Despite raising reasonable concerns—as a first-time lessor for an investment property in Japan—I was met with emotionally charged responses from Nakata-san. Rather than engage professionally, he seemed personally offended by feedback and accused me of being too demanding.

(See “Cautiously Consider – Part 2” for the troubling developments and financial damage that unfolded afterward. It was posted separately due to Google Review’s...