Short-term-rental management · Kyoto & Osaka

Kyoto-based, bilingual management for owners who live abroad.

We run our own Airbnb, and we'll run yours like it's ours. Full-service operations for licensed short-term rentals in Kyoto and Osaka, handled by a team that lives here.

Email us about your property bryan@somei-gk.jp

Why us

Operators, not an agency

Somei Stay is run by people who host. We have operated our own Airbnb in Bangkok since 2023, with our own money on the line: the 2 a.m. guest messages, the cleaner who cancels on a turnover day, the review that hinges on how fast you fix a water heater. We know what a well-run listing takes because we do it every week for our own property.

We are based in Kyoto, where our company is registered. English is our first language and we work in Japanese daily, so nothing gets lost between you, your guests, the cleaners, the neighbors, and city hall.

We are deliberately small. You deal with the people who actually run your property, not an account manager reading from a ticket queue.

Who we work with

Licensed properties, absentee owners

We manage properties that already hold their own lodging licence. The licence stays in your name; we contract as your operations company.

Kyoto 簡易宿所 (simple-lodging licence). Machiya and small whole houses are our focus.
Osaka 特区民泊 (special-zone minpaku), typically whole-unit apartments.

Being clear about scope: we do not manage unlicensed properties, we do not handle licence applications ourselves (we coordinate with an administrative scrivener when needed), and we do not do real-estate brokerage. Properties notified under the national minpaku law that require a registered management company are not something we take on yet; when that changes, it will say so here.

Services

What full service means here

Listings and pricing

Listing setup and upkeep, seasonal and event-aware pricing, calendars kept in sync across platforms.

Guest communication

Bilingual replies around the clock. Night hours are covered by an answering service we manage and pay attention to.

Per-stay compliance

ID checks, the guest register (宿泊者名簿) kept properly, and lodging tax collected and remitted.

Local response coverage

Kyoto's rules require someone who can reach many properties within minutes. We arrange and supervise that coverage so your licence stays in good standing.

Cleaning and linen

Scheduling, quality checks after turnovers, restocking of consumables. Cleaners are vetted and backed up.

The building itself

Maintenance coordination, garbage-day rules, neighbor relations, and reminders for fire inspections and licence renewals.

Owner reporting

A monthly statement in plain English. Every fee and every pass-through cost itemized. No surprises at year end.

Your own stays

It is your house. Block your dates whenever you like, at no charge.

Fees

One rate, plainly stated

20% of net accommodation revenue

Net means the payout you actually receive from the booking platform: after the platform's commission and after the guest-paid cleaning fee, which goes to the cleaner. Everything in the services list above is included in the 20%.

No onboarding fee. No markups hidden inside vendor bills. Costs that belong to the property, such as cleaning, utilities, and required response-coverage vendors, are passed through at cost and itemized on your monthly statement.

Founding rate for the first five properties

We are new in Kyoto and we are pricing like it. The first five properties we sign get 15% for the first twelve months, fixed in the contract, then the standard 20%. In return we ask for candid feedback and permission to describe your property, without identifying it, as we build our public track record.

Straight answers

Questions owners ask first

Who holds the lodging licence?: You do. It stays in your name and attached to your property. We operate under a written management agreement with you.
My property is licensed but currently with another manager. Can you take over?: Yes. Takeovers are most of what we expect to do. We review the current setup, keep what works, and give you a written handover plan before anything changes.
Can you get my property licensed?: Not ourselves. Licensing paperwork is administrative-scrivener work in Japan; we can introduce one and coordinate, but we only manage properties once licensed.
Can you help me buy or sell?: Buying and selling is licensed brokerage work, which we do not do. We can introduce a licensed agent we have worked with.
Where are you, exactly?: Kyoto. Our company, Somei GK, is registered here, and this is where we live and work.

Contact

Tell us about your property

Email Bryan directly. Include where the property is, its licence type, and how it is being run today. You will get a reply from a person, in your language, within one business day.

bryan@somei-gk.jp