Summary of Share House Cases Utilizing Vacant Homes | A Must-Read for Those Interested in Operating a Share House!
Share houses are becoming widespread across Japan, and I get the impression that they are gradually being accepted as a major lifestyle.
In particular, in Japan, where the population is declining and the birthrate is falling and the population is aging, "sharing" is one of the important concepts for the future, and from this perspective, many people consider "wanting to operate a share house."
For such people, I would like them to consider the option of "operating a share house by utilizing a vacant home," and in this article, I will introduce examples from all over the country.
There are procedures and points to note when starting a share house, but for now, I hope you can get an idea of "there are such cases" and "I want to run a share house like this."
Before introducing share houses that utilize vacant homes, let's first touch on the definition of a share house.
A share house is a rental property where multiple people share one residence. Generally, residents share the kitchen, living room, and bathroom, and use private rooms as their personal space. There are two types: one where a business operator handles everything from recruiting residents to operation and building management, and another where friends directly rent from the landlord and share. While the appeal has been lower rent compared to regular rental housing and often no key money, security deposit, or brokerage fees, recently, share houses have gained popularity not only for their cost benefits but also as places for residents to connect. Concept share houses with specific themes are also expanding, and many share houses tailored to residents' lifestyles are emerging. (From: [Homes] What is a share house? Learn the meaning of share house | Real Estate Glossary https://www.homes.co.jp/words/s2/525002448/ )
To summarize simply, it refers to a living space where a single-family home or similar is shared with people other than family members.
Sometimes friends use it together, and sometimes people meet for the first time within the share house.
The benefits of living in a share house are explained in detail in the following article, so please take a look.
What is a share house? Explained with 12 recommended share houses in Miyagi Prefecture!
Here, we introduce the benefits of starting a share house operation by utilizing a vacant home.
This is a particularly important point for those who were considering new construction.
Compared to building a new share house, a major feature is the significant reduction in initial investment costs, as there is no need to construct a new building.
Vacant homes can also be used for rent instead of inheritance, and in such cases, they are almost always cheaper to rent than new properties.
In addition, depending on the vacant home, furniture and appliances may be usable as is, or there may be no need to significantly change the layout, so renovation costs may also be reduced.
During the renovation of a vacant home, local residents often lend a hand, and community building can occur during the renovation stage, which is another benefit.
The share house becomes cherished even by people who don't live there, and those who were involved in the renovation may recommend it to others.
However, human relationships are key here, so whether good relationships can be built during the renovation process is crucial.
The vacant home problem is becoming serious nationwide, and utilizing vacant homes also leads to solving local issues.
Furthermore, by inheriting and utilizing historical properties, many local residents are pleased with their use.
Many local governments also provide subsidies for this purpose, so there will be a lot of support available for utilizing vacant homes.
Now, we will introduce examples of share houses across Japan that utilize vacant homes.
Even if you are thinking "I want to operate a share house," please consider the option of a vacant home.
'Engawaya' is a share house in Mitaka City, Tokyo, with the concept of "creating together, gathering together, connecting everyone."
A vacant house built approximately 60 years ago was renovated in consultation with local residents and opened in 2019, and since then, it has served as a hub connecting the community and residents as a "share house living with the town."
It operates as a complex of a share house and a shared space, characterized by various events being held in the shared space and residents and local people enjoying growing vegetables together in a shared farm, making it a place "anyone can drop by easily."
The website states "This is how we operate the share house," which is very helpful for share house operation.
Address: 4-18-2 Shinkawa, Mitaka City, Tokyo 181-0004 Access: 30 minutes by bus + walk from JR Mitaka Station Opened: 2019 URL: https://engawaya.org/
'b.e.park' is a share house that operates as a mix of various forms: spice dining x book cafe x event space x share house.
This complex facility, which started with the concept of "creating an adult playground," has a restaurant on the first floor and a share house on the second floor and above.
easily encounter new people.
Share house residents can use the restaurant space as a co-working space, and having many accessible areas is a welcome point for residents.
Address: 3-31-3 Soshigaya, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 157-0072
Access: 2 minutes walk from Soshigaya-Okura Station on the Odakyu Odawara Line
Opened: 2020
As you might guess from the name (?), "Kintore Share House Higashi-Ikebukuro" is a share house with a personal trainer.
Utilizing a wooden property built approximately 50 years ago, it has been operating as a share house with a personal trainer and an attached training gym since January 2023.
It utilizes the spacious total floor area of 149.30㎡ across the first and second floors, and combined with its excellent location in Higashi-Ikebukuro, it features a focused targeting of "men in their 20s and 30s who want to train regularly."
The common problem of giving up training halfway when doing it alone is covered by the benefit of having a personal trainer.
Address: 6-32-4 Otsuka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-0012
Access: 6 minutes walk from Higashi-Ikebukuro Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line
Opened: 2023
URL:https://kintore-sharehouse.com/
The student-exclusive share house "NK Building" was created with the support of Wakayama City's "FY2022 Downtown Vacant House Student-Exclusive Share House Development Subsidy Program."
Under a subsidy program that covers "up to two-thirds of the total cost of renovation work required to convert to a share house (up to 2 million yen per room)," the 3rd and 4th floors of a vacant building were renovated and utilized as a student share house.
By equipping the 3rd floor with a communal kitchen and community space, and the 3rd and 4th floors with three private rooms, it provides a space where residents can gather and converse while also securing private spaces.
This is a good example of renovating a vacant house into a share house using local government subsidies.
Address: 47 Hashicho, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture 640-8215
Access: 8 minutes walk from JR Wakayama Station
Opened: 2023
URL:http://www.city.wakayama.wakayama.jp/res/projects/default_project/_page/001/049/448/20220329-2.pdf
Roopt operates share houses utilizing vacant homes in Miyagi Prefecture and Tokyo (as of October 2023).
We will also introduce examples of Roopt's share houses that utilize vacant homes.
Roopt Ishinomaki Hiyorigaoka is a share house located near the summit of Hiyoriyama, one of Ishinomaki City's symbols.
The property, originally used as a company dormitory for an insurance company, has been operating as a share house with guest rooms since 2022.
While share houses often have a single entrance and everyone is in the same space, Roopt Ishinomaki Hiyorigaoka, due to its former use as a company dormitory, has four separate living spaces, with several people sharing each space.
Hiyorigaoka is a particularly safe area in Ishinomaki, and some residents move into this share house seeking that sense of security.
Roopt Okumatsushima in Higashimatsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture, is a share house and guesthouse with 6 private rooms and 1 vacation rental room.
Although it was originally a single-family home, it is so spacious that residents can live in private rooms averaging 12.25 tatami mats, which is uncommon for share houses.
One of its features is the renovation work done to increase the number of rooms for the share house, such as adding partitions and removing fusuma (sliding doors) to create walls.
Utilizing the spacious living room, events and workshops are held there, allowing residents and local people to enjoy interacting.
Roopt Shiogama Kaigandori, located a 1-minute walk from JR Hon-Shiogama Station, is a share house that utilizes the 2nd to 4th floors of a four-story building after renovation.
By separating the 2nd floor for shared spaces like the living room and bathroom, and the 3rd-4th floors for private rooms, residents can choose between personal time and interaction.
Additionally, with a guest room next to the 2nd-floor living room, share house residents and guests can naturally interact.
Roopt Shiogama Kaigandori also had walls added or moved to secure rooms for the share house.
Roopt Kagurazaka, located a 2-minute walk from Kagurazaka Station on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line, operates as Japan's first DAO-type share house utilizing Web3 technology.
This is a system where even non-residents can be involved in share house operations, and proposals and discussions for share house improvements are conducted online.
As a result of operating as a DAO-type share house, sales increased 1.7 times in one year, and profitability significantly improved.
It utilizes two adjacent vacant homes, with one building serving as dormitory living space and the other as a co-working space and gallery.
Roopt Sumida Kyojima - Cactus House -, located in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, where you can feel the atmosphere of old Tokyo, operates as a student-exclusive share house.
It is a 90-year-old single-story row house with a garden where cacti grow, and it has been renovated to preserve its retro atmosphere while providing comfortable living.
Located about a 12-minute walk from Oshiage Station, it is conveniently located for commuting to school, and the owner hopes that students from various universities will use it and create synergy.
In an era of declining population and rising prices, we anticipate that more share houses utilizing vacant homes like this will emerge in Tokyo.
This time, we introduced share houses across Japan that utilize vacant homes.
In Japan, where the number of vacant homes is increasing and the population is declining and aging, "utilizing vacant homes as share houses" also contributes to solving social problems.
We hope this article will be helpful to those who are struggling with how to utilize their vacant homes or those who think "I want to run a share house someday."
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