Japan model homes repurposed as short term rentals to boost revenue

Cleverly Home, which operates a nationwide housing franchise under the Shinshowa Group, will begin using its custom-built model homes as short-term rental accommodations from January 2026.

With advance reservations for model-home tours now the norm, the company says it has become easier to manage scheduling between daytime viewings and overnight stays.

Hero image provided by Cleverly Home model house short-term rental stay information page, found here in Japanese only.

The initiative aims to make productive use of weekdays and other periods when model homes sit idle. As the franchise headquarters, Cleverly Home will first run the short-stay business on an experimental basis to test operations and identify key business points before sharing the model with franchisees.

“We’ve been struggling nationwide with the sale of built-for-sale homes, and fixed-asset taxes on the model houses built in subdivisions have become a growing burden,” said Takafumi Echigo, head of operations for VARY’S, the company’s housing franchise division.

“By drawing on the cleaning and linen-management expertise of Rakkuya, Shinshowa Group’s hot-spring facility operator, we thought that running these model homes as short-stay rentals could at least contribute positively to the business.”

The homes being converted are model houses from VARY’S, a sister brand of Cleverly Home offering standardized homes for younger buyers, including furniture and interior furnishings. Prices start in the ¥18 million range (land sold separately).

Promotional image from Cleverly Home short-term stay information page, found here in Japanese only.

The first property, VARY’S Kisarazu Kaneda in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, is located near the Kisarazu Kaneda Bus Terminal. The single-story, wood-frame 2LDK home stands on a roughly 70-tsubo plot and has a total floor area of 22.79 tsubo.

The house meets seismic grade 3 standards and includes ZEH-compliant insulation. The interiors will remain unchanged between viewings and short-stay use, and informational equipment displays will stay in place.

For the public, nightly rates will run from ¥40,000 to ¥50,000. For prospective customers referred by franchisees as part of custom-home consideration, stays will be priced around ¥15,000 per night.

Bookings will be available through major reservation sites, and the home will feature a smart lock with app-based self-check-in. “Even for model-home viewings, the home is entirely unmanned and unlocked via app. Franchisees should be able to offer short-stay lodging without large additional investment by using our group’s resources,” Echigo said.

The service will fully launch early next year, but several franchisee clients who participated in trial stays have already responded positively.

Cleverly Home plans to spend roughly six months validating the business model, with the goal of providing franchisees with a full set of operational know-how sometime in 2026.

Source:

R.E. Port News (Japanese only)