ITANDI and Nowcast Launch Joint Development of New Rental Index Using Transaction-Based Big Data
ITANDI and Nowcast are developing a new rental index that precedes official statistics by combining real estate rental big data with AI analysis. Supervised by Professor Emeritus Tsutomu Watanabe of the University of Tokyo, the index uses the repeat-rent methodology to visualize rental trends in real-time, aiming to support policy-making and corporate decision-making.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 29, 2026 at 08:30
- 🔍 Collected: June 1, 2026 at 02:20 (65h 50m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 1, 2026 at 22:26 (20h 5m after Collected)
ITANDI, which streamlines real estate transactions through technology, and Nowcast, a member of the Finatext Group providing financial infrastructure for the AI era, have begun joint development of a new rental index that precedes official statistics. This initiative combines big data from rental contracts accumulated through ITANDI’s real-time real estate platform 'ITANDI BB' with Nowcast’s alternative data analysis technology. The index is supervised by Tsutomu Watanabe, Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo and founder/director of Nowcast, and is planned to be offered as a new economic indicator service.
The rental market lacks comprehensive public databases, making it difficult for participants to access basic information such as rental trends and vacancy rates. Existing public statistics have limitations in reflecting real-time market movements. Despite rent being a significant component of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), methods to track its trends in real-time have been limited. This new index aims to serve as a 'leading indicator' that complements official statistics like the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' CPI by capturing early market fluctuations using ITANDI’s primary data and Nowcast’s analytical expertise.
Key features of the index include early detection of rental trends, the use of the repeat-rent methodology, clarification of rent-setting mechanisms, and international comparability. The repeat-rent method, in particular, tracks rent changes for the same property over time to accurately capture recent trends. Prototype analysis suggests a 4-5% year-on-year increase in rents and a strengthening trend of rent hikes during new contract signings.
Tsutomu Watanabe commented, 'I hope that this rental index, which can meet the rigorous demands of international investors, will become the first of its kind in Japan and establish itself as a future standard.' Moving forward, the companies plan to expand coverage of target areas and property attributes, aiming to contribute to Evidence-Based Policy Making (EBPM) and provide data utilization services for the real estate and financial sectors.
The rental market lacks comprehensive public databases, making it difficult for participants to access basic information such as rental trends and vacancy rates. Existing public statistics have limitations in reflecting real-time market movements. Despite rent being a significant component of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), methods to track its trends in real-time have been limited. This new index aims to serve as a 'leading indicator' that complements official statistics like the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' CPI by capturing early market fluctuations using ITANDI’s primary data and Nowcast’s analytical expertise.
Key features of the index include early detection of rental trends, the use of the repeat-rent methodology, clarification of rent-setting mechanisms, and international comparability. The repeat-rent method, in particular, tracks rent changes for the same property over time to accurately capture recent trends. Prototype analysis suggests a 4-5% year-on-year increase in rents and a strengthening trend of rent hikes during new contract signings.
Tsutomu Watanabe commented, 'I hope that this rental index, which can meet the rigorous demands of international investors, will become the first of its kind in Japan and establish itself as a future standard.' Moving forward, the companies plan to expand coverage of target areas and property attributes, aiming to contribute to Evidence-Based Policy Making (EBPM) and provide data utilization services for the real estate and financial sectors.
FAQ
Can this index be applied to the Taiwan real estate market?
Yes, the framework of the repeat-rent methodology and alternative data analysis can be applied to analyze rental trends in the Taiwan market, provided that sufficient data is available.