🏢 Condo Repair Orders: Advice Desks Publicized

❓ What happened?

On September 28, 2026, the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) issued a cease-and-desist order against a contractor that won a large-scale condominium repair project in the Kanto region and against the firm entrusted with the design-consultant work for that project, finding that they had violated the Antimonopoly Act (Act No. 54 of 1947). The same day, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) worked through industry bodies to inform condominium management associations about consultation desks. A large-scale repair project is a major purchase funded by reserves the association has built up over many years. If fair competition does not work between the design consultant, who advises on the specifications and on selecting builders, and the company that actually wins the job, the association cannot judge whether the price and scope are appropriate. MLIT states that the case damages the trust and the interests of management associations and obstructs the proper ordering of the repair work that condominiums need for sound maintenance. Along with information on consultation desks and on making use of outside experts, MLIT also set out points to watch when placing orders. The details are in the attachment and on MLIT's related-materials page.

👥 Who is affected?

• ●Foreign nationals who own a unit in a Japanese condominium (kubun-shoyusha)
• ●People serving as a director or auditor of a management association
• ●Management associations planning to order large-scale repair work
• ●Foreign nationals considering buying a condominium in Japan

🌏 Impact on foreign residents

Buying a unit in a Japanese condominium automatically makes you a member of the management association. A large-scale repair cycle is a major outlay that can lead to higher monthly reserve payments or a one-off levy. Yet general-meeting agendas, consultant proposals and contractor quotations are almost always in Japanese and full of technical terms, so it is easy to vote yes without fully understanding them. When fair competition fails during the ordering process, as in this case, the cost ultimately falls on every owner. Whether you serve as a director or are simply an ordinary unit owner, knowing that consultation desks exist and that you can seek an outside expert's opinion changes the quality of your decision. Get the documents early rather than just before the meeting, so you have time to read them and to consult someone.