Managing Rental Housing When a Parent Has Dementia: Housing Options After Long-term Care Assessment and a Family's Procedure Guide

When a Parent Develops Dementia—Can Rental Living Continue?

When a parent is diagnosed with dementia, whether continuing to live in rental housing is possible varies greatly depending on the stage of dementia progression, whether they live alone, and the family's support system.

Early Stage (Mild Cognitive Impairment)

In this stage, daily living is largely independent, and rental living can often continue with the following support:

• •Regular visits from home care workers and home helpers
• •Use of day service (day care)
• •Monitoring by family and neighbors
• •Installation of emergency alert systems and monitoring sensors

Moderate to Severe Dementia

At this stage, living alone in a rental becomes difficult, and relocation or facility entry must be considered:

• •Risks increase, such as wandering, fire hazards from carelessness, and leaving water running
• •Living alone becomes difficult to sustain from a safety perspective
• •Consider co-housing or near-housing (with adult children living nearby), or entering a group home or special nursing home

Dementia and Rental Contracts

Contract Validity

As dementia progresses, situations involving "capacity to make decisions" become more frequent. Since a rental lease is a legal transaction, a contract made without decision-making capacity may become invalid.

• •Contracts made with decision-making capacity: Valid. However, problems may arise at renewal as the condition progresses.
• •New contracts when decision-making capacity is questionable: There is a risk that the management company or landlord may refuse the contract or it may later be deemed invalid.

Acting as a Proxy for Rent Payment and Contract Renewal

• •When an adult child handles rent payments or renewal procedures on behalf of a parent with dementia, the management company may require verification of proxy authority (power of attorney)
• •Without formal proxy authority, legally valid procedures may not be possible

The Adult Guardianship System—Managing Contracts as a Proxy

What is the Adult Guardianship System?

The adult guardianship system is a legal framework in which a guardian manages property and conducts legal transactions on behalf of those with insufficient decision-making capacity (such as people with dementia or intellectual disabilities). The family court appoints the guardian.

What a Guardian Can Do Regarding Rental Matters

• •Acting as a proxy to renew or terminate a rental lease
• •Acting as a proxy to pay rent and receive security deposit refunds
• •Acting as a proxy to arrange relocation and facility entry contracts

Steps for Applying for Adult Guardianship

1. File an application with the family court (the person themselves, their spouse, or a relative within the fourth degree of kinship may apply)
2. Medical evaluation by a physician (assessment of decision-making capacity)
3. Appointment of a guardian (may be a family member, lawyer, judicial scrivener, or social welfare worker)
4. After the court order becomes final, the guardian begins exercising their authority

The process from filing the application to the court order becoming final takes approximately one to four months. We recommend consulting early if dementia progression is expected.

Housing Options—Continuing to Rent or Relocating?

Co-housing or Near-housing (Adult Children Moving Closer)

A method where adult children move near their parents to establish a monitoring system. See "Caring for Parents in Rental Housing—How to Choose Near-housing" for more details.

Senior Housing with Services

A form of rental housing with safety confirmation and living consultation services.

• •Key difference from general rentals: Staff on-site provide safety checks and daily living support
• •Primarily accommodates people with mild to moderate dementia
• •Can be used in combination with long-term care insurance home care and day services
• •Typical rent: ¥100,000 to ¥300,000 per month (varies by region and services offered)

Group Home (Dementia Care Group Living)

A facility where elderly people with dementia live communally in small groups (five to nine residents).

• •Specialized dementia care is provided
• •Being community-based, admission is limited to the municipality where the resident is registered
• •Monthly fees: approximately ¥150,000 to ¥250,000

Special Nursing Home (Tokuyou)

A public facility where those requiring care levels 3 to 5 may reside. Costs are relatively low, but waiting lists are often long.

Procedures for Terminating a Parent's Rental Lease

Steps for Lease Termination

1. Submit a termination notice as a guardian (or proxy with power of attorney)
2. Present the guardianship appointment order and guardianship registration certificate to the management company
3. Be present at move-out and confirm restoration to original condition
4. Complete security deposit settlement and refund procedures

Disposal of Furniture and Belongings

When a parent enters a care facility, leftover furniture and belongings must be disposed of.

• •Hire a junk removal service (typical cost: ¥20,000 to ¥50,000 for a small truck load)
• •Use municipal bulky waste collection services
• •Confirm in advance whether sentimental items can be brought to the facility

What Families Should Do Early—A Checklist

• •Apply for long-term care insurance assessment (a letter of opinion from the primary care physician is required)
• •Select a care manager and develop a care plan
• •Consider using the adult guardianship system and consult with a lawyer
• •Inform the rental management company that family will be the point of contact
• •Verify the balance between your parent's income (pensions and assets) and rental and facility costs

Summary

Managing dementia and rental housing issues requires more than individual effort—it's important to combine "long-term care insurance, the adult guardianship system, and local consultation services." Consult early with medical and welfare professionals as well as lawyers, and decide whether to continue renting or relocate while prioritizing your parent's wishes and safety. When families coordinate their efforts and prepare together, this leads to reassuring solutions for both the parent and the family.

When living in a rental apartment, is earthquake insurance truly necessary? This article explains the differences between earthquake and fire insurance, what earthquake insurance covers and its limitations, and how to prepare appropriately as a tenant.