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Join the NiaHomes community as a host!
* There are no commissions to register or to use the services of NiaHomes.
Meet travelers, meet the world
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NiaHomes offers exclusive homestay opportunities across Japan.
What we remember from our travels are the people we meet there.
We connect those interested in participating in homestays in Japan with host families willing to welcome guests from all over the world.
3 reasons to choose NiaHomes
① Attracting more guests
NiaHomes provides a platform for host families to promote their homestays to a large number of potential guests,
all of whom are interested in experiencing the authentic Japanese lifestyle.
In order to attract more guests and convey the unique charm of the homestay experience, NiaHomes also features
information about off-the-beaten-track locations in Japan, including places of interest, festivals, and events in
the local areas of host families.
② No commissions
Host families will not pay any fees to register or to use the services of
NiaHomes.
There is also no commission charged for each reservation made through NiaHomes.
* Service fee will be included in the accommodation fee paid by guests.
③ Secure communication
When registering both as a host family and a guest, submission of an identification document is required, which
must then be verified by the NiaHomes team.
Building trust between guests and host families is our number one priority.
Those who are over the age of 18 and satisfy both of the following two criteria can sign up as NiaHomes host families:
1) Those who have registered as a “Private Lodging Business Operator”* certified by their local governments
* Under the Private Lodging Business Act
2) Those who offer the accommodation that meets the criteria of the NiaHomes homestay
FAQ from host families
If you are yet to be registered as a “Private Lodging Business Operator”
In order to offer your residences as fee-charging accommodation for visitors, you are required to receive
certification as a Private Lodging Business Operator from your local government in
Japan.
For further information on the registration process, please visit this site:
minpaku Portal Website
Confirm your email address
From Sign up as a Host, send your email address, password that you’d like to use, and whether you are already registered as a “Private Lodging Business Operator”.
User registration
Access the registration page from the URL received by e-mail.
Send your user information, such as your name, birth date, home address, and upload photos/images of the following:
・your identification document
・a notification document displaying your “Private Lodging Business Operator” number
* If you are already registered
Verification
We will let you know by email when your identification documents are verified by the NiaHomes
Team.
* If you are yet to be registered as a “Private Lodging Business Operator”, you
must apply for a Private
Lodging certification number before you will be able to complete the registration.
Complete your listing information
From Registration of your My Page, complete your listing
information, including your
listing title and room charges.
The NiaHomes team will then verify your listing information.
Your listing page will be published on the NiaHomes website when your listing information has been verified.
Update your Room Calendar
From Guest Rooms of your My Page, update the Room Calendar for
your guest room(s) to set
“Available” dates to accept bookings.
Guests can now start booking your homestay!
These are three guiding principles that all hosts should observe when hosting guests through NiaHomes.
We ask all hosts using the NiaHomes services to adhere these guidelines when registering as a host family.
① Enjoy getting to know your guests!
It is important that you, your family and your guests enjoy interacting with each other.
Extend your warm hospitality to the guests and aim to make your time together extra special.
② Adhere to the laws and regulations outlined in the Private Lodging Business Act
The Private Lodging Business Act requires hosts to abide by certain laws and regulations in order to legally list
their residence in Japan as a fee-charging accommodation.
It is essential to maintain your responsibilities as a host family to both ensure a comfortable stay for your
guests and to prevent potential disagreements involving your neighbors.
③ Prepare your home to accommodate your guests safely and comfortably
・Make your home sparkle
・Ensure the information relating to your homestay is accurate and up-to-date
・A
swift response to the guest builds a relationship of trust
・Get the appropriate insurance to cover your Private
Lodging Operations
Full guidelines: NiaHomes Host Family Guidelines
* For further instructions, please refer to “How to use My Page” after log in to your My Page.
Calendar
You can check the booking status of each guest room and the “available (bookable)” dates with underlines showing the types of room charge.
* Colored triangle = checkout date
On the same page, you can also check the status of your payouts.
[Examples of payment information]
Bookings
You can see details of each booking:
Booking Requests, Confirmed (bookings accepted by host), Checked-out,
and Canceled (bookings declined by host or canceled by guest/host).
From Chat Room of each booking page, you can send your questions or messages to your guests.
* Chat Room will be closed 4 weeks after checkout or 2 weeks after cancellation.
Once the Chat Room is closed, it will become view-only.
Guest Rooms
You can set the room charges, update the Room Calendar to accept bookings, and change details of each guest room or room photos.
Guest Book
When you have permission from the guest, you can post pictures of them (and yourselves) that you have taken
during their stay on the Guest Book section of your listing page.
* To check whether the guest has given permission or not, please read their Thank You Letter that you would receive after checkout.
Chat
Users who are interested in booking your homestay can send you a message/question using the Chat function.
* Guest’s profile photo will become visible after you accept the request.
Listing Information
You can confirm and modify your listing information.
* Some items will become uneditable after your listing page goes live on the NiaHomes site.
Please refer to “How to use My Page” after log in to your My Page.
When a guest wants to book your homestay, you will receive a booking request.
! Booking is NOT complete until the host accepts the booking request.
Confirmation of booking requests
When a guest sends you a booking request, you will receive an email notification.
You will also see a notification at the top of your My Page.
From Bookings of your My Page, confirm the details of the booking request and select either “Accept” or
“Decline” within 48 hours of receipt.
* The booking request will be canceled if not confirmed within 48 hours of receipt.
Accept a booking request
When you accept a booking request within 48 hours of receipt, the booking will be deemed
confirmed.
The guest’s profile photo will then become viewable on the booking page. Your guest will receive your full
address.
Decline a booking request
The booking request will be canceled.
Guests will be notified that their booking request has not been accepted.
Booking confirmed
Contact your guests from Chat Room of the booking page to give them directions to your home or confirm their arrival time.
To prevent trouble, always use Chat Room to communicate with the guests.
10 days prior to check-in
You will receive an email confirming the booking. * You will not receive this email/notification when a booking is confirmed less than 10 days before check-in.
Guests arrive!
Enjoy getting to know your guests!
After checkout
Send a Thank You Letter (Review)
【You will receive a link to the letter form by email the night before the checkout day.】
Exchanging honest and truthful reviews are an important way to ensure a safe and trustworthy homestay experience through NiaHomes.
Thank You Letter is our review form to be filled in by both guests and hosts on their experiences and submitted within 14 days after checkout.
Hosts are requested to send four 5-star ratings about the guest (required), message to the
guest (optional), and comment to the NiaHomes team (optional).
Except the comment to the NiaHomes team, the host’s ratings and message will be shared with the guest and
hosts who will receive a booking request from the same guest in the future.
Guests are requested to send five 5-star ratings about the host (required), message to the host
(optional), and comment to the NiaHomes team (optional).
The guest’s overall rating and message will be shared to all users on the host’s listing page.
Receiving the payout
The room charge will be transferred to the bank account registered by the host after checkout.
There are two closing dates a month (15th and last day), and the payment will be made on the next closing day.
Checkout between
The 1st and the 15th days of the month:
Payment will be made on the last day of the same month
The 16th and the last days of the month:
Payment will be made on the 15th day of the following month
* The time it takes for the funds to arrive in your account depends on your payout method.
* For long-term stays of 28 nights or longer, the room charge will be transferred in installments each month.
Changing a booking
Details of a booking cannot be changed once it is confirmed by host.
To change the length of stay and/or the number of guests, the person (either the guest or host) needs to cancel
the booking and the guest has to send another booking request.
Please note that the cancellation fee may be charged for cancellation after the host accepts the booking request
and the booking is confirmed.
Please contact the NiaHomes team if you need any assistance to change a booking.
Canceling a booking
Cancellation by Guest
The following cancellation fee will be charged for cancellations after the host accepts the booking request and the booking is confirmed.
○ There will be no cancellation fee when a guest cancels the booking request before the host confirms it.
○ In the case of cancellation less than 7 days before check-in, the following payout will be made to the host.
| Timing of Cancellation (Japan time) |
Cancellation Fee (paid by guests) |
Payout for Host |
|---|---|---|
| From confirmation of booking up to 8 days before check-in | Service Fee (including consumption tax) |
None |
| 7 to 2 days before check-in | 50% of the Accommodation Fee | 39% of the Room Charge |
| 1 day before check-in | 70% of the Accommodation Fee | Approx. 63% of the Room Charge |
| On and after the check-in date (including cancellation without notice) |
100% of the Accommodation Fee | 100% of the Room Charge |
* “Accommodation Fee” is the total amount paid by the guest, including the room charge, 20% service fee and consumption tax.
* The Service Fee is refundable 1 time per calendar year (from January 1 to December 31 of the same year) if the guest cancels within 48 hours of booking and at least 8 days before check-in.
Cancellation by Host
Guests schedule their trips according to the booking accepted by the host.
It is important for you to note that you should decide to cancel a confirmed booking only when unavoidable
circumstances arise.
If you need to cancel a confirmed booking, please contact the NiaHomes team as soon as possible.
* A penalty may be charged depending on the reason for cancellation or the number of previous
cancellations of the host.
If there is a penalty, the following amount will be deducted from the host’s first payout after the cancellation.
(If the amount to be received is less than the penalty, the balance of the penalty will be deducted from the next
payout thereafter).
| Timing of Cancellation (Japan time) |
Penalty |
|---|---|
| From confirmation of booking up to 8 days before check-in | 3,000 Yen |
| Less than 7 days before check-in | 7,000 Yen |
Join us as a host family and offer your home to the world!
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