Summary of Share House Cases Utilizing Vacant Homes | A Must-Read for Those Interested in Operating a Share House!
Share houses are becoming widespread throughout Japan, and I get the impression that they are gradually being accepted as a major lifestyle choice.
Especially in Japan, where the population is declining and the birthrate is falling, "sharing" is one of the important concepts for the future, and from this perspective, many people consider "operating a share house."
For such people, I would like to suggest 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 "what kind of examples there are" and "what kind of share house I would like to run."
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 a place 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 glossaryhttps://www.homes.co.jp/words/s2/525002448/ )
To summarize simply, it refers to a living space where a detached house or similar is shared with people other than family members.
Sometimes friends use it together, and sometimes people meet for the first time in 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 especially important for those who were considering new construction.
Compared to constructing a new share house, a major feature is the significant reduction in initial investment costs, as there is no need to build a new structure.
Vacant homes can also be used for rent instead of inheritance, and even in that case, they are usually cheaper to rent than new properties.
Also, depending on the vacant home, furniture and appliances may be usable as is, or there may be no need to significantly change the layout, which could also reduce renovation costs.
When renovating a vacant home, local residents often lend a hand, and community building can occur during the renovation stage, which is one of the benefits.
The share house becomes a place that even non-residents feel attached to, and those who were involved in the renovation may recommend it to others.
However, human relationships are key here, so building good relationships during the renovation process is crucial.
The vacant home problem is becoming serious nationwide, and utilizing vacant homes leads to solving local issues.
Also, 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, let's introduce examples of share houses across Japan that utilize vacant homes.
Even if you are thinking of "operating a share house," please consider the option of using 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 held in the shared space and the opportunity for anyone to "drop in casually" by growing vegetables with local residents in a shared farm.
The website states, "We operate the share house with this policy," which is very helpful for share house management.
Address: 4-18-2 Shinkawa, Mitaka-shi, 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, book cafe, event space, and 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.
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 the name suggests (?), "Kintore Share House Higashi-Ikebukuro" is a share house with a personal trainer.
Utilizing a wooden property approximately 50 years old, 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 Subsidy Project for Developing Student-Exclusive Share Houses in Vacant Urban Homes."
Under a subsidy program that covers up to two-thirds of the total cost of renovation work required for 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 community space with a shared kitchen and providing three private rooms on the 3rd and 4th floors, it has become a space where residents can gather and converse while also securing private spaces.
This is a good example of renovating a vacant home and launching a share house with the help of 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 shares 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 choose this share house for 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 detached house where a family lived, it is so spacious that it doesn't feel like a detached house, allowing residents to live in private rooms averaging 12.25 tatami mats, which is rare for a share house.
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 doors to create walls.
Utilizing the spacious living room, it is also used as a venue for events and workshops, where residents and local people enjoy interacting.
Roopt Shiogama Kaigandori, located a 1-minute walk from JR Hon-Shiogama Station, utilizes the 2nd to 4th floors of a 4-story building, renovated as a share house.
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 social time.
Additionally, with a guest room next to the 2nd-floor living room, share house residents and guests can naturally interact.
This 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, with suggestions and discussions for share house improvements taking place 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 an old downtown, is a share house operated exclusively for students.
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, 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 will be helpful to those who are struggling with how to utilize their vacant homes or those who "someday want to run a share house."
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