Can this building become a hotel?
Before you buy or convert a building in Tokyo, find out whether it can realistically open as a hotel, ryokan or minpaku. A licensed brokerage with 30+ inn projects behind it—from licensing to opening day—checks seven gates on paper—zoning, roads, egress, fire code and the inn licence—and answers with one of three marks.
Ask a question first (free)— Questions before you apply are free
Page 1 of a stage-1 report (sample)
Fact: 5.5 m frontage on a (hidden in this sample)
Meaning: Tokyo's ordinance normally (hidden in this sample)
Next: frontage after setback, (hidden in this sample)
- Track record
- 30+ inn projects
- Licence: Tokyo Governor (1) No. 108831
- Stage 1
- JPY 9,800 (excl. tax)
- Delivery
- 3 administrative business days
- Languages
- Japanese, English, Chinese
Common uses
Useful whether you own the building, plan to buy it, or are brokering it.
Converting a building you own
You already own a building and want to know whether it can become a hotel or ryokan.
A second opinion
Another firm has assessed the property and you want an independent check.
Before buying a hotel property
You want to know whether it can realistically open as a hotel before you commit to buy.
When brokering a hotel property
You are marketing a property for hotel use and want to show buyers the prospects with evidence.
Before applying for an inn licence
You want to know whether anything will stop the inn licence application before you start it.
Before starting a minpaku
Before filing a home-sharing (minpaku) notification, to check ward rules on where and when you can operate and whether the building fits.
Judged by people who have opened hotels, not just sold them
The judgment is made by Ziyou Fudosan G.K., a licensed real estate brokerage in Taito-ku, Tokyo (Tokyo Governor Licence (1) No. 108831). We have worked on more than 30 inn-business projects on the ground—buying and selling the property, getting the licence, passing fire inspections, renovation and opening day. Because we know what the health centre and the fire department actually ask, we can spot what would stop you after you buy. Most agents help you buy. We look at whether you can actually open.
What we have done on the ground
Inn licences
Hotel/ryokan and simple-lodging licences, from the first health-centre consultation to approval.
Minpaku notifications
Home-sharing (minpaku) notifications and the ward rules that limit where and when you can operate.
Fire-code compliance
Pre-consultation with the fire department, equipment checks and the fire-compliance notice.
Health-centre coordination
Room and front-desk layout and how the property will be run.
Buying and selling hospitality property
Brokerage of hotels and conversion candidates, with the licence question in view.
Renovation
Arranging the works needed to open and keeping cost and schedule under control.
Japanese, English, Chinese
Overseas investors and operators can deal with us directly, without an interpreter.
After stage 1 we can carry on with the purchase, licensing, renovation and opening if you want us to (quoted separately).
- The stage-1 judgment is made by us without an architect. Surveys and drawings by an architect are contracted directly between you and the architect's office.
- The judgment is based on the documents and public records available at the time. Whether a licence is granted is decided by the authorities when you apply.
- A building that can be fixed may still fail as a business because of lost floor area, cost or time. We say so when that is the case.
The answer is one of three
No scores. One confirmed blocker stops the check; missing documents alone never produce a blocker.
Ready for architect review
There is enough material to move on to an architect's survey.
It does not mean the building meets the code or that a licence will be granted.
Open issues to verify
Something is unknown, falls under an exception, or could be fixed.
We write down what to confirm and with whom.
Confirmed blocker
The plan fails and there is no remedy, with evidence.
Only given on the basis of official documents, an official's answer or an expert opinion.
The seven gates of the stage-1 check
We judge from the property documents and public records only. If one gate is a confirmed blocker, we stop and document why rather than finish the rest.
1Scope
Which procedures and standards apply to the project. Properties outside our usual scope are accepted with an adjusted checklist.
2Zoning
Whether a hotel or ryokan can open in the zone.
3Educational districts and local rules
Whether local rules, separate from zoning, could stop the project.
4Roads and flag lots
Whether the site properly adjoins a road in the legal sense.
5Tokyo's required frontage
Whether the site's road frontage meets what is required for a hotel of this size.
6Documents, fire resistance, floor-area ratio
Whether the key documents exist, and whether the building's performance and size still fit after the change of use.
7Egress, fire service, inn licence
Whether egress, fire safety or the inn licence present any obvious reason for refusal.
Fees
Stage 1 tells you whether to walk away or go on. Stage 2 is only for properties that go on. Prices exclude tax and are paid in advance.
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (excl. tax) | JPY 9,800 | JPY 129,800 The architect's survey within this is contracted directly between you and the architect's office. |
| What you get | A desk check of the seven gates, one of the three marks, and a list of what stage 2 must confirm. | A 37-item check of the whole building, an architect's detailed survey, pre-consultations with the building, fire and health authorities, and a site visit. The result is then updated. |
| Delivery | 3 administrative business days from the later of payment and receipt of documents | Depends on when the authorities can take the pre-consultation. We aim for the earliest date; typically one week to one month. |
| Deliverable | Stage-1 report (Japanese, with an English or Chinese reference translation on request) | Stage-2 report (same) |
| Not included | Consultations with authorities, site visits, fees for registry copies and similar | Drawings, licence applications (separate) |
| Travel costs | None (desk review, anywhere in Japan) | None within Tokyo (excluding the islands) and out to Yokohama, Kawasaki, Saitama and Chiba. Beyond that, actual costs for two people (plus accommodation if a day trip is not possible), quoted before you order. |
If you order the licence application support within three months of the stage-2 report, JPY 37,400 is deducted from our fee for that work.
From application to delivery
1
Apply
Send the property address and your plan through the form, and attach what you have: listing sheet, floor plans, certificates.
2
Payment
Pay by card straight away, or choose bank transfer and we email you an invoice.
3
Check
We deliver within 3 administrative business days, counted from the later of payment and receipt of documents.
4
Report
The report arrives by email. If the result is open, it lists what stage 2 must confirm.