May 11, 2026
A survey of tenants in Japan aged from 20 to 39 found that 42.1% faced rent hikes in 2025, and of these more than half experienced increases of ¥5,000 or more.
Rent Increases of ¥5,000 or More Are Common
A survey conducted in Japan by the credit-based rent payment service Crecari found that 42.1% of people in their twenties and thirties who renewed their rental housing contracts in 2025 faced rent increases. A total of 1,016 responses were received for the survey, which was carried out in early February.
The most common amount for a rent increase, accounting for 42.5% of all cases, was ¥5,000 to ¥9,999. Overall, 52.8% of tenants who faced hikes experienced an increase in rent of ¥5,000 or more. In recent years, soaring construction and repair costs, along with rising fixed asset taxes, have increased the burden of managing a rental property, making it difficult to avoid rent revisions. According to Crecari, rent increases are no longer limited to luxury properties or main urban areas, but have become common across the general rental housing market.
Nearly half of those whose rent increased expressed concern that their household finances would become strained as a result, while 39.3% said they would consider moving to a cheaper property if rent increases again in the future.
Roughly three-fourths of all respondents paid rent by either an automatic withdrawal from a bank account (44.4%) or a bank transfer (30.4%). However, when asked about their preferred payment method, the overwhelming choice was payment via a credit card (74.7%), followed by QR code payment (34.3%). As for why people wanted to pay by credit card, the most prominent reason was to earn points or airline miles, as mentioned by 81.2% of the respondents
Data Sources
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © PhotoAC.)