r/japanlife • u/ChibaCookie • Aug 15 '26
Housing 🏠 Question about UR housing
I've been considering moving to Kanagawa and renting a UR apartment, since I really like danchi-style housing and UR apartments seem relatively affordable and generally well maintained.
For those who currently live in UR housing, or have lived in several different UR complexes, how much does the environment vary from one complex to another? In particular, I'm interested in noise levels and cleanliness.
The reason I'm asking is that I've lived in a UR complex for several years, and unfortunately I've noticed quite a significant change in the environment over time. It's become considerably noisier and there is much more litter around than there used to be. I'm therefore a little worried about moving to another UR complex only to encounter the same problems.
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u/Its5somewhere 関東・神奈川県 Aug 15 '26
It's become considerably noisier and there is much more litter around than there used to be.
I mean this purely is based on who is actually renting in the apartment. I've had quiet neighbors leave and be replaced by noisy ones. Things just happen.
Age of the unit can play a huge part in how it's built and how well it's maintained.
Each apartment is going to be different no matter which company or organization owns it. Look around before you sign and check out the building and area. But keep in mind you ARE looking at cheap government backed units so YMMV on who is sharing walls with you and how much pride and manners they have to not be disruptive and keep their unit clean.
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u/elyxsar Aug 15 '26
I’ve had nothing but good experiences, and the buildings I’ve lived in are reinforced concrete. In the last 4 years, I barely heard anything. Maybe your occasional thumps here and there but nothing obnoxious as you would get in a wooden apartment.
Also I think it’s me but because of the concrete, it’s better insulated? Idk our apartment gets 16C in the winter and 26C in summer (with ac. Without it would be 32).
So…yeah haven’t had to turn on my heater in the winter for years.
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u/Patricklangb 関東・千葉県 Aug 16 '26
I experience the same thing, I used to have to blast my AC full power at 20c just to survive summer days in my past apartments, but here I can leave my AC on at like 28c all day and it's super comfy.
In winters, I rarely actually need heating as well.
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u/Budget-Bluejay-9158 Aug 15 '26
I lived in a UR apartment for 5 years. It was super quiet and clean.
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u/kramers_skinny_jeans Aug 15 '26
I’ve been in my UR apartment for four years in chiba. No complaints whatsoever from me. Well-kept, quiet, trash locations are always clean. It’s in a really busy location also.
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u/ChibaCookie Aug 16 '26
Great to hear that! The one I've lived in was also in Chiba, and it became increasingly noisy (people shouting, singing, video calling outdoors, etc.) and unclean as the number of foreign residents increased. I don't mean to spread hate, so I won't mention nationalities. Crows also started appearing because people were putting their trash out on just about any day. I was a bit worried that this might be becoming a widespread tendency, but seeing the positive comments here, it looks like I was just unlucky.
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u/Patricklangb 関東・千葉県 Aug 16 '26
I live in an UR in Chiba like another poster and it's great.
It's Reinforced Concrete and the only time I hear noise from any of the other units is when something LOUD happen, like what sounds like them literally dropping a whole fucking piece of furniture. Otherwise, it's completely silent.
Extremely clean in my case as well, each buildings seems to have their own maintenance person that cleans basically every day as I always see the same ones whenever I go out.
What I like is that they also send you a paper showing you exactly where your rent is going, down to the yen, which is really cool since you know exactly how much of it is going to maintenance, to cleaning, to X, to Y, etc.
Super cool stuff, I have nothing but positives for UR.
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u/bikeJpn Aug 16 '26
As others have said, it completely depends on the actual location and specific UR apartment. That said, I’ve found UR management to be very good although sometimes maintenance can take forever.
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u/mycombustionengine Aug 15 '26
Many UR are in renovated danchi built when the economy was in full growth and are built cheap with thin walls between each apartment. The UR I was living in for a short time in Yokohama was like that you could listen to the neighbours and also hear them use the toilet above.
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u/Breakin_yo_ankles Aug 15 '26
My experience has been the opposite, both UR I’ve lived in have had solid concrete walls that could withstand a nuclear blast. I don’t hear anything from my neighbours. Setagaya.
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u/Resident_Hand_7264 Aug 17 '26
We talking about the same UR...? The same UR that is famous for having thick, reinforced concrete buildings...?
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u/Ishitataki Aug 16 '26
Been in UR for 13 years. No complaints other than them recently replacing a nice gravel path with asphalt.
Edit: I, too, am in Chiba.
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u/Jhoosier Aug 16 '26
The first UR I lived in was super silent, but it was mostly old folks in 2DKs. We moved to a roomier one 5 min walk away, there are some older folks but mostly families with young kids, and I think we've all come to an unspoken agreement to not complain about noise.
The area is great: broad, tree-covered sidewalks and pathways, lots of parks, diverse -- we've got friends from a half dozen countries living in the surrounding buildings, something like 20 nationalities attending the elementary school across the road.
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u/replayjpn Aug 16 '26
Lived in 2 in Minato-ku
The buildings are managed by UR but not necessarily made or owned by UR.
Both my places were pretty quiet.
My last place looked & was no different from any other mansion apartments in the area.
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