Five criteria for choosing a minpaku management company
Compare not only the fee rate, but also who performs each task, who approves decisions, and who bears each cost.
Whether you are outsourcing an operating minpaku or replacing the current manager, a company name and fee rate do not show the owner's actual workload. Reservations, guest support, cleaning, onsite work, and settlement must be compared task by task.
Bottom line: compare registration scope, responsibilities, fees and external costs, location and onsite conditions, and contract termination and handover in one table.
This guide does not rank companies or predict returns. It gives owners of legally operable minpaku a practical framework for reducing gaps in expectations before signing.
Five criteria for comparing minpaku management companies
Where the Minpaku Act requires management to be entrusted, check the MLIT register to confirm that the provider is a registered Housing Accommodation Manager. Registration alone does not define the contracted tasks or onsite coverage.
Checks before signing
- Registration details and the legal scope covered by that registration
- Executor and approver for reservations, guests, cleaning, onsite work, and reporting
- Management-fee calculation base, tax, and external costs such as cleaning
- Property location, service hours, and conditions for inspection or urgent dispatch
- Contract term, termination notice, OTA permissions, and handover of bookings, keys, and records
Compare pricing models by total cost and owner workload
The labels revenue-share, fixed monthly, and hybrid do not show which option is cheaper. Compare the calculation base, extra costs, and work left with the owner under the same assumptions.
| Item | Revenue share | Fixed monthly | Hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|
| How the fee is set | A rate applies to contract-defined revenue | A monthly amount is fixed by contract | A monthly amount and revenue rate are combined |
| Costs to check | Revenue base, tax, and external costs | Included work and overage charges | Scope of the fixed and percentage portions |
| Owner workload | Cleaning, onsite, and approvals outside the plan | Operations outside the fixed scope | Remaining work and approvals in each portion |
| How to compare | Convert to a monthly amount using the same revenue | Add extras for the same work scope | Check double charging and any minimum fee |
Check cleaning, OTA and payment fees, tax, supplies, repairs, and onsite visits separately from the management fee in the contract.
Five operating areas that a management contract can clarify
Reservations, rates, and OTA access
Define the OTAs used, rate-setting permissions, and who handles booking changes or cancellations and owner approval.
Guest support
Set channels, service hours, and the decision-maker for refunds, disputes, and urgent escalation.
Cleaning and onsite work
Treat schedule notices, completion photos, correction requests, inspection, and urgent dispatch as separate tasks.
Records and reporting
Set the content, frequency, and custodian for the guest register, weekly and monthly operations reports, and monthly settlement.
Approvals and costs
Name the approver and cost bearer for refunds, extra visits, supplies, repairs, and other external work.
From management enquiry to operations
Share the property's operating status, define the contracted scope, and then hand over access and operations.
Share the property and current setup
Provide the location, notification status, property count, OTAs, bookings, cleaning setup, and requested scope.
Confirm responsibilities, costs, and onsite conditions
Match manager tasks, owner tasks, approvals, external costs, service area, and service hours.
Contract, handover, and launch
After signing, set cutover dates for OTA access, bookings, guest guidance, cleaning, keys, records, and settlement.
Handover order when changing management companies
Design the cutover around the current contract and existing bookings before the former manager stops.
Confirm the current termination terms
Check the notice deadline and method, penalties, return items, and unsettled charges in the contract.
Confirm OTA ownership and permissions
Identify account and listing ownership, payout destination, administrator permissions, and two-factor authentication.
Assign responsibility for existing bookings
For each stay, assign messages, changes, cancellation, check-in, cleaning, refunds, and settlement.
Switch onsite work and records together
Put cleaning, keys, urgent contacts, guest registers, open cases, and notification checks into one cutover sheet.
Four risks to check before terminating
Whether a switch is possible and what it costs depend on the current contract and account status. Confirm these items in writing first.
Mismatch between notice and end date
Confirm the contractually valid notice method and service end date, not only the preferred date.
OTA ownership and reviews
Account ownership may not be transferable. Check the listing owner and each OTA's current rules.
Unassigned future bookings
Bookings made before cutover still need owners for stay support, payout, changes, and cancellation.
Unsettled balances and records
Set handover dates for revenue, costs, keys, guest registers, complaints, damage, and other open items.
Eligibility depends on property location and onsite conditions
A region name alone does not determine acceptance. The address and current operating setup must be reviewed before confirming a plan or onsite service.
Location and legal operating form
Confirm the address, notification status, applicable legal framework, and the facility-side authority.
Cleaning, keys, and local coordination
Review the current cleaner, property access, urgent contacts, and available local support.
Inspection and urgent dispatch
Even in one region, travel, hours, frequency, and additional costs can change service conditions.
Available plan
Match the location and requested work, then define remote and onsite responsibilities separately.
Three items to prepare before an enquiry
Preparing these details makes it easier to compare the manager's work with the work that remains with the owner.
Property and notification status
List the location, property count, operating form, and notification or permit status. Separate this from a permit-only request.
Current operating setup
List OTAs, existing bookings, cleaner, keys, guest-support provider, and settlement owner.
Work to delegate
Choose the needed scope across reservations, guests, cleaning coordination, inspection, urgent response, and reporting.
Questions about choosing a minpaku manager
1. Where can I check a Housing Accommodation Manager's registration?
Use the MLIT register of Housing Accommodation Managers to verify the company name, registration number, and registration date. Also confirm the actual contracted work and service conditions.
2. How should management fees be compared?
Compare the revenue base or monthly amount together with tax, cleaning, OTA fees, supplies, onsite visits, and the work that remains with the owner under the same assumptions.
3. Will changing the current company cause a penalty?
That depends on the current contract. Review notice timing and method, early termination, penalties, and handover duties in writing before setting the new start date.
4. Is the same plan available in every region?
Not necessarily. Remote work and onsite work such as inspection or urgent dispatch have different conditions, so the property address and local setup must be checked first.
5. Does StayJP file minpaku notifications or permit applications?
No. StayJP's core service is operations management after the property is legally ready to operate. Where an application or legal judgment is needed, we can introduce an affiliated administrative scrivener or another qualified professional.
Takeaway: choose by registration, responsibility, total cost, conditions, and handover
Comparing who does what after contract reduces misunderstandings more effectively than comparing brand names or fee rates alone.
- Confirm registration information and its legal scope
- Confirm the executor, approver, and evidence for each task
- Separate management fees from external costs and compare total burden
- Confirm property-location and onsite-service conditions
- Confirm termination and the handover of OTAs, bookings, keys, and records
StayJP reviews its registration scope, the property location, current operations, and requested work, then explains the available plan and the work that remains with the owner.