"The Vacant House Problem Begins During Nursing Care" - Creating a System That Does Not Concentrate the Burden on Families Alone, as Family Homes Become Vacant Concurrently with Caregiving

The Vacant House Manager Association (General Incorporated Association) (Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yuji Yamashita) will begin research and consideration in June 2026 towards establishing a "Family Home Management Expense Deduction" and a "Vacant Home Management Support System" in response to the worsening problem of "unoccupied homes" that become vacant due to a parent's admission to a facility or long-term hospitalization.

■ Background: The Early Onset of the Vacant House Problem

In Japan, the total number of vacant houses continues to increase, and in many cases, the vacant house problem becomes apparent at the time of inheritance.

However, in reality, there are many cases where a home becomes unoccupied at an earlier stage, triggered by a parent's admission to a facility or long-term hospitalization, before inheritance occurs.

From this stage, problems such as deterioration of the house, security risks, overgrowth of garden trees and weeds, accumulation of mail, and neighborhood disputes can arise.

The association defines this state as the "vacant house problem that begins during nursing care," or so-called "hidden vacant houses."

Especially for families living far away, the burden of managing mail, ventilation and water supply, garden maintenance, and regular inspections is significant, often becoming a time-consuming and financial burden.

From the perspective of preventing homes from becoming abandoned vacant houses and maintaining the asset value of the property and the local living environment, the association will propose the necessity of public support that does not concentrate the burden solely on families.

■ Two Key Themes Under Consideration

1. Family Home Management Expense Deduction (Tax Support)

When a family home becomes unoccupied due to a parent's admission to a facility or long-term hospitalization, the family incurs costs for maintaining the property, such as mowing, checking mail, ventilation and water supply, and regular inspections.

The association will consider the possibility of making these expenses eligible for tax support, such as income deductions or tax credits, positioning them not merely as personal expenses but as socially necessary expenditures to prevent homes from becoming abandoned vacant houses.

2. Vacant Home Management Support System (Administrative and Welfare Collaboration)

When a parent's nursing care or long-term hospitalization begins, the parent lives in a facility or hospital, and only the home becomes unoccupied.

However, under the current system, while care support is provided to the individual, the management of the unoccupied home is often left to the family's burden.

The association will consider creating a mechanism to support the monitoring and safety confirmation of unoccupied family homes, in collaboration with non-insured nursing care services, municipal elderly support projects, community general support centers, and vacant house countermeasure departments.

Through these two themes, the association will organize the institutional gap between nursing care and vacant house measures and propose a new form of support that does not concentrate the burden solely on families.

■ Future Schedule

This project will collect case studies from on-site vacant house managers and conduct interviews with community general support center officials and local governments over the next year, with the aim of publishing a "Policy Proposal Document" in the spring of 2027.

■ Company Overview

Trade Name: Vacant House Manager Association (General Incorporated Association)

Representative: Representative Director Yuji Yamashita

Phone: 03-6868-5265

Email: info@akiyakanrishi.org

URL: https://www.akiyakanrishi.org/