Adoption of 'Monitoring Services' Supporting Elderly Rental Housing Accelerates: Cumulative Subscribers Fivefold Year-on-Year, Peak Season Demand Roughly Doubles

R65 Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Ryo Yamamoto), a developer of real estate businesses for seniors, has announced that as of February 2026, the cumulative number of contracts for its "Rakumori" monitoring service—offered to real estate companies and property owners—has reached five times the level of the same month last year, indicating that the real estate industry is making progress in accommodating elderly tenants.

Furthermore, during the real estate industry's peak season from January to March 2026 (preliminary figures), the average monthly contract volume expanded to approximately double that of the off-season (April to December of the previous year). This suggests a growing need for monitoring services in brokerage and management settings, driven by the demand for housing relocation among seniors.

■ Background: Challenges in Senior Rental Housing and the Potential of Vacancy Countermeasures

The number of single-person elderly households in Japan is on an upward trend, making the establishment of an acceptance framework in the rental market an urgent priority. Meanwhile, for property owners and management companies, the psychological and economic risks associated with solitary deaths and the resulting delays in discovery have been the primary factors causing hesitation in accepting senior tenants.

However, as the youth population declines, long-term vacancies in aging properties or those located far from train stations have become a challenge. Seniors tend to prioritize a "familiar environment" or "rent" over proximity to a station, meaning these properties are often easier to fill with elderly tenants. Technology-based monitoring services are gaining attention as an effective way to promote vacancy countermeasures for such properties while mitigating risks for owners.

■ Factors for Growth and Why "Rakumori" is Preferred

In the year starting from 2025, the cumulative number of contracts for "Rakumori" surged fivefold compared to the previous year. An increasing number of management companies are now including the service as a standard feature in their managed properties as a precaution against unforeseen events.

Additionally, contract volume during the January-March moving season (preliminary figures) was approximately double that of the off-season. In brokerage settings, the practice of proposing monitoring services as part of a package to facilitate the screening process for senior tenants is becoming more widespread.

Behind "Rakumori" being chosen among numerous monitoring services are its "ease of implementation" and "privacy considerations." Instead of installing cameras or specialized sensors inside the home, it utilizes data from "smart meters" (new electricity meters with communication capabilities) already installed in households, eliminating the need for major installation work. Because it can be implemented at low cost and without requiring the tenant's presence, it is easy to retrofit for both new and existing elderly tenants, which has encouraged bulk adoption by management companies.

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