Housing Search for Seniors

At Home Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Ota-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Yasushi Tsurimori; hereinafter referred to as At Home), a real estate information service, conducted a survey on housing searches by seniors targeting men and women aged 65 and over who had moved to a rental property within the past two years and actively searched for a property.

<Topics>

<Lifestyle>

The most common reason for moving was "Need to move to a cheaper rent area."

20% live within walking distance of their family.

<How to Search for Housing>

Approximately 30% used "searched on real estate portal sites" and "contacted/visited real estate companies directly."

The biggest difficulty in searching for housing was "could not find a property that met my needs."

<What Seniors Want from Real Estate Companies>

The top criterion for selecting a real estate company to contact was "handles a large number of properties."

Over half want to "consult directly at the store" for communication with real estate companies.

<End-of-Life Planning and Crime Prevention Measures>

60% are thinking about end-of-life planning.

The best crime prevention measure was installing a motion sensor light that is always on.

<Survey Results>

<Lifestyle>

The most common reason for moving was "Need to move to a cheaper rent area."

When asked about reasons for moving, the most common response was "Need to move to a cheaper rent area" at 32.0%, followed by "Became a single-person household" at 18.7%.

20% live within walking distance of their family.

When asked about the distance between their current residence and their family's residence, 20.7% lived "within walking distance" and 23.9% lived "within 30 minutes by car." This suggests a tendency for seniors to live relatively close to their families, prioritizing ease of daily visits.

<How to Search for Housing>

Approximately 30% used "searched on real estate portal sites" and "contacted/visited real estate companies directly."

When asked how they searched for housing, "searched on real estate portal sites" was the top method at 28.3%, followed by "contacted/visited real estate companies directly" at 26.1%. While online searches are expanding, the desire for direct consultation with real estate companies was observed to a similar extent, indicating that face-to-face consultations remain important for seniors.

The biggest difficulty in searching for housing was "could not find a property that met my needs."

When asked about difficulties encountered in the housing search, "could not find a property that met my needs" was the most common response. This was followed by "difficulty securing a guarantor or emergency contact" and "was refused move-in due to age," indicating that not only the properties themselves but also conditions unique to seniors are a burden in the housing search.

<What Seniors Want from Real Estate Companies>

The top criterion for selecting a real estate company to contact was "handles a large number of properties."

When asked about the criteria for selecting a real estate company to contact, "handles a large number of properties" was the top response at 30.1%. Approximately 15% each cited "has a track record of accepting senior residents" and "actively introduces senior housing," suggesting a certain demand for real estate companies specializing in services for seniors.

Over half want to "consult directly at the store" for communication with real estate companies.

When asked about preferred communication methods with real estate companies, over half chose "want to consult directly at the store." This result indicates a tendency to prioritize face-to-face interaction in dealings with real estate companies.

<End-of-Life Planning and Crime Prevention Measures>

60% are thinking about end-of-life planning.

Sixty percent of respondents were thinking about end-of-life planning. When asked about the triggers for considering end-of-life planning, various episodes were shared, such as "I heard about inheritance disputes, so I want to take measures to avoid them" and "Upon retirement, I started an end-of-life notebook and created a will."

The best crime prevention measure was installing a motion sensor light that is always on.

Approximately 50% of respondents had implemented crime prevention measures. When asked about the benefits of their crime prevention measures, various episodes were shared, such as "Because it's a busy street where students often walk, I installed a motion sensor light that is always on" and "I was receiving suspicious sales calls, so installing a security phone was a good decision."

<Survey Overview>

Survey Target: 460 men and women aged 65 and over who had moved to a rental property within the past two years (March 2024 - February 2026) and actively searched for a property.

Survey Method: Internet-based questionnaire survey

Survey Period: April 9, 2026 (Thu) - April 13, 2026 (Mon)

*The total may not be 100% due to rounding to the second decimal place.

<About the Survey Results>

At Home regularly conducts surveys related to housing, including this one, targeting people living in properties for sale and those who have purchased detached houses or condominiums. We also conduct surveys aligned with real estate industry trends, such as the "Survey on the Actual Conditions of Housing Purchasers Aged Under 30" and the "Ranking of Recommended Conditions and Facilities for First-Time Apartment Renters." For details, including past survey results, please feel free to contact us.