Brokerage Disclaimer

Operator: Hirosei

• Operates the SettleTokyo website and maintains the user-account system
• Curates and displays listing information (from Joyhome and the ITANDI BB industry database)
• Provides a multilingual interface (zh-CN / zh-TW / en) to lower language barriers
• Forwards customer inquiries to Joyhome
• Provides customer support (account issues, site functionality)

Hirosei is not a licensed real-estate broker. Under Japan's Real Estate Brokerage Act (宅地建物取引業法), it does NOT perform any of the following:

• Signing or cancelling property contracts
• Conducting the statutory "Important Matters Explanation" (重要事項説明 — exclusive to licensed real-estate transaction specialists)
• Collecting brokerage fees
• Arranging viewings or contract negotiations (those are done by Joyhome)

Licensed broker: Joyhome

• Holds a Japanese real-estate brokerage licence (宅地建物取引業免許)
• Supplies listing information to the SettleTokyo platform
• Handles customer inquiries: replies, explains listings, arranges viewings
• Conducts the statutory "Important Matters Explanation" (via a licensed transaction specialist)
• Signs contracts and collects brokerage fees
• Coordinates between landlords and customers

Regarding property information (rent, area, layout, move-in date, vacancy, etc.):

1. Listings are sourced from Joyhome or the ITANDI BB industry database (a shared platform for licensed brokers)
2. Listing data can change at any time due to ownership changes, contract conclusions, or pricing adjustments
3. The Operator syncs upstream data at a reasonable cadence but does not guarantee 100% real-time accuracy
4. The authoritative state, price, and contract terms are those confirmed by Joyhome in response to your inquiry
5. Once you enter substantive discussions, Joyhome will issue an "Important Matters Explanation" (重要事項説明書), which has legal effect

⚠️ Important: Listing photos may have been edited (exposure, white balance, etc.) for display quality, but the property itself is unchanged. The true condition is what you observe during an in-person viewing.

Full rental contract lifecycle and the responsible party at each stage:

Stage 1 — Browse listings, submit inquiry

• Responsible: Operator (Hirosei)
• The Service handles the technical work of displaying listings and forwarding inquiries

Stage 2 — Inquiry reply, property consultation

• Responsible: Joyhome (licensed broker)
• Joyhome provides professional explanations and answers customer questions

Stage 3 — Property viewing ("Naiken")

• Responsible: Joyhome
• Joyhome arranges the viewing time and accompanies the customer on site

Stage 4 — Application and "Nyukyo-shinsa" screening

• Responsible: Joyhome + property owner + guarantor company
• Joyhome receives the application and assists with submission to the guarantor company and landlord

Stage 5 — Important Matters Explanation + contract signing

• Responsible: Joyhome (licensed broker) — the Important Matters Explanation must be conducted by a licensed real-estate transaction specialist (statutory requirement)
• The customer signs the formal lease agreement at this stage

Stage 6 — After move-in

• Responsible: property owner (landlord / management company)
• Repairs during tenancy and settlement at move-out are handled directly between landlord/management and tenant
• Joyhome may assist as a mediator, but ultimate responsibility lies between landlord and tenant

In the following situations, the Operator (Hirosei) is not liable:

1. Temporary discrepancies in listing data (price, vacancy, layout, etc. has changed but the sync has not yet caught up)
2. Service-quality issues with Joyhome (slow replies, attitude, content variance) — please raise these with Joyhome directly
3. Disputes over property-contract penalties, deposit refunds, move-out cleaning fees — handle directly with Joyhome or the landlord
4. Defects of the property itself (water leaks, noise, neighbour disputes) — handle directly with the landlord or management company
5. Losses caused by force majeure (earthquakes, network failures, third-party outages)
6. Personal information you inadvertently disclose while using the Service (please protect your login credentials)

The above scope does not affect your statutory rights under the Consumer Contract Act, the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions, the Real Estate Brokerage Act, and other applicable Japanese law.

Issues with the Service (account, site features)

• Contact: support@settletokyo.com (pending activation)
• Hours: Weekdays 10:00-17:00 (JST)
• Response: typically within 1-3 business days

Issues with property contracts, viewings, or broker conduct

• Contact Joyhome directly
• If unresolved with Joyhome, you can file a complaint with the prefectural Real Estate Brokerage Association
• For serious matters, report to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism: https://www.mlit.go.jp/

Issues with personal information

• See the "Contact" section of the Privacy Policy
• For serious matters, file a complaint with the Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC): https://www.ppc.go.jp/