H&R Consultants provides smooth and cost-efficient relocation services

by Ulara Nakagawa

There is no denying that time is money. H&R Consultants is a real estate service provider that keeps this in mind as it aims to assist clients in a way that will ultimately save them their valuable minutes, cents and…yen. Moreover, the company makes it a mission to give those clients an added and priceless product: peace of mind.

The company was founded 17 years ago at the request of a client needing help in solving the problem of finding suitable housing in Japan for their 75 expatriate families in a rental market that was not at all used to foreign client dealings. Since then, H&R Consultants has continued to expand and tweak their business to cater to this need and all its surrounding matters.

H&R Consultants’ clients today are mainly large multi-national corporations based overseas that wish to send their employees to live and work in Japan. These companies turn to H&R for experience and expertise in the Japanese real estate market, so that their people can find the most comfortable and suitable spaces for their extended stay in the country. The company developed Japan’s first online multi-listing system in English, www.JapanHomeSearch.com, which lists over 1,000 rental properties in major regions including Tokyo, Yokohama, and Nagoya.

Unlike similar providers, H&R Consultants is an unbiased agent, able to offer clients full access to the market, meaning a wider and more varied range of property listings to choose from. The service also differs from the mainstream housing classifieds, in that it offers more high-end properties that are suitable in terms of size and comfort for transferees on assignment from abroad. As well, H&R Consultants acts as a solid middleman in the process, providing a higher sense of security and expertise to ensure that the property is perfect for the client and the rental agreement process goes effortlessly and in accordance with all the nation’s (rather complicated) laws. Furthermore, H&R Consultants will provide a copy of the rental agreement, translated from Japanese to English for individuals and companies so that they can have full comprehension of the terms and conditions of their lease.

H&R Consultants understands the various daily inconveniences and difficulties faced by expats living in Japan, and has developed an Expense Management service to make the financial maintenance of their lives easier. This Expense Management service allows individuals and companies to send their various bills such as gas, water, electricity, and internet over to them and will pay and ensure that they are taken care of timely and accordingly. The service is a time-saver for clients having to pore through the many bills that arrive monthly on their doorsteps, printed only in Japanese.

Clients also retain H&R Consultants’ for their local insider knowledge of all aspects of the relocation process so that the transition is quick and costefficient. Says H&R Consultants’ Sales and Marketing Manager Andrew Stevens, “we’re a one point of contact through the whole service from arrival to repatriation. That provides a faster service. It’s very personal…and it’s a lot smoother.” This one point of contact service features one H&R services staff member who is assigned to assist the transferee and family through their move from beginning to end. The most significant being the selection of a rental space, considering everything from nearby schools for the kids, transportation access to the office, parking and pets. Other services include anything from assisting with registration and immigration, cell phone set-up, car leasing, and even shopping for whatever clients might most desire in their first hectic few days in a new and unfamiliar place.

“we’re a one point of contact through the
whole service from arrival to repatriation. That
provides a faster service. It’s very personal…and
it’s a lot smoother.”

With a fully bilingual service team, H&R Consultants offer their services in English. One of the unique aspects of the company is that all staff members have themselves moved overseas in the past, so can offer firsthand knowledge from personal experience to clients.

H&R Consultants’ services have been carefully designed after years of customer feedback and satisfaction. The company’s primary mission is to “help transferees complete the relocation process in a timely and cost-effective manner so that they may stay focused on their primary reason for relocating to Japan—their work responsibilities.”

Other services include:
*The Tenancy Management Service utilizes the trademark ReloTrak system, an interactive corporate relocation support site for clients and their employees that provides 24-hour access to up-to-date information on the status of the transferee throughout their relocation and stay.

*Lease Japan is a service that offers transferees hassle-free automobile related services including leasing, sales, and registration. The cars are set-up with GPS navigation and ETC (automatic toll payment system). H&R Consultants can also assist with driver’s license conversion.

Since 1991, H&R Consultants has provided foreign clients with an invaluable service: expertise and good honest advice in English, for successfully moving their life and work to Japan. The business continues to evolve to best serve their clients; the next exciting step forward will be in property sales services.

H&R Consultants’ Tokyo office is located on the fourth floor of the Nisso 22 Building in Azabudai, Minato-ku, tel. 03-5575-2340. The company website can be found at: www.hrconslt.com and the on-line rental listing site is: www.JapanHomeSearch.com.

More information on automobiles can be found at www.leasejapan.com.