Minpaku AirBnB - Revision history

Lundman at 21:35, 5 November 2018

2018-11-05T21:35:12Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:35, 5 November 2018
Line 245:		Line 245:
	=== Monday 5 November, 2018 ===		=== Monday 5 November, 2018 ===

	L-san and I went to the ward office, I took the slip of paper they gave me as a receipt after the inspection. We were shown to a new part of the ward office, which was just around the corner from where we usually go, they were expecting us and the girl ~~who~~ handed us the certificate and went over the spelling of my name and our address a few times. Then it was a simple stamp and the license was ours! Goal achieved! So now we need to cancel our minpaku license and see if we can get airbnb to change our license to the hotel registration number. It still feels a bit unreal that we have managed this since I don't feel we are a hotel, just fortunate enough to have an extra room in our home. But it turns out, if you can tick all the boxes they want you to tick, anything is possible. :)		L-san and I went to the ward office, I took the slip of paper they gave me as a receipt after the inspection. We were shown to a new part of the ward office, which was just around the corner from where we usually go, they were expecting us and the girl handed us the certificate and went over the spelling of my name and our address a few times. Then it was a simple stamp and the license was ours! Goal achieved! So now we need to cancel our minpaku license and see if we can get airbnb to change our license to the hotel registration number. It still feels a bit unreal that we have managed this since I don't feel we are a hotel, just fortunate enough to have an extra room in our home. But it turns out, if you can tick all the boxes they want you to tick, anything is possible. :)

Lundman at 10:27, 5 November 2018

2018-11-05T10:27:23Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:27, 5 November 2018
Line 234:		Line 234:

	I saw the actual license, they had it with them and they confirmed the spelling of everything with me before promptly putting it back into a folder. We are very close to getting this. They mentioned that we would be the first people in Shibuya to move from a minpaku(airbnb) license to a hotel license. This also means we will be the first people in Shibuya to lose a minpaku license as it will be revoked when we upgrade to hotel.		I saw the actual license, they had it with them and they confirmed the spelling of everything with me before promptly putting it back into a folder. We are very close to getting this. They mentioned that we would be the first people in Shibuya to move from a minpaku(airbnb) license to a hotel license. This also means we will be the first people in Shibuya to lose a minpaku license as it will be revoked when we upgrade to hotel.

			=== Tuesday 30 October, 2018 ===

			Stopped into the ward office and handed in a copy of the new guest paperwork and a photo of the linens on a small table that we purchased last night.We were told that the administration time for the paperwork might take around 2 weeks. The inspection was the first time for the ward office staff to see an airbnb and they mentioned that they were impressed, 2 of the staff even said they would love to stay there.

			=== Friday 2 November, 2018 ===

			L-san contacted me to say that our application had been accepted! We will go there on Monday morning to collect our hotel license.

			=== Monday 5 November, 2018 ===

			L-san and I went to the ward office, I took the slip of paper they gave me as a receipt after the inspection. We were shown to a new part of the ward office, which was just around the corner from where we usually go, they were expecting us and the girl who handed us the certificate and went over the spelling of my name and our address a few times. Then it was a simple stamp and the license was ours! Goal achieved! So now we need to cancel our minpaku license and see if we can get airbnb to change our license to the hotel registration number. It still feels a bit unreal that we have managed this since I don't feel we are a hotel, just fortunate enough to have an extra room in our home. But it turns out, if you can tick all the boxes they want you to tick, anything is possible. :)

Lundman at 10:20, 29 October 2018

2018-10-29T10:20:57Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:20, 29 October 2018
Line 221:		Line 221:
	They had a laser measuring device and measured the room to check it matched with the measurements we had given.		They had a laser measuring device and measured the room to check it matched with the measurements we had given.
	Then they brought out the papers for the coin laundry license, apparently this is just a matter of signing the paper and answering some weird questions like; what are the walls of the room made of, how many watts are the lights and is there rubbish bin in the room? They gave me a list of laundry rules to put on the wall and made me promise I would sterilise the machine between guests. Yeah, sure, no problem.		Then they brought out the papers for the coin laundry license, apparently this is just a matter of signing the paper and answering some weird questions like; what are the walls of the room made of, how many watts are the lights and is there rubbish bin in the room? They gave me a list of laundry rules to put on the wall and made me promise I would sterilise the machine between guests. Yeah, sure, no problem.
	I had to sign a paper saying, once more, that I am at home all the time. They said the cat is not allowed in the room. The cat ~~is actually the reason for 99% of our bookings so I think he will still be spending time in the room~~. :) ~~The fact that so many guests have drawn pictures of him and his pictures are all over the room and in the guest books just shows how often he is in there.~~		I had to sign a paper saying, once more, that I am at home all the time. They said the cat is not allowed in the room. The cat may have a different opinion about this. :)

Lundman at 10:17, 29 October 2018

2018-10-29T10:17:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:17, 29 October 2018
Line 207:		Line 207:
	=== Monday 29 October, 2018 ===		=== Monday 29 October, 2018 ===

	Inspection day! L-san arrived before the Shibuya inspection team so we had a quick chance to catch up and make sure everything looked as it is expected to look. The inspection team arrived right on time and were a team of 4, the boss of the health centre and 3 ladies, all carrying clipboards and looking very official. Things were noted from the moment they stepped in the door so it was good we had remembered to quickly slap the sign on the outside wall moments before their arrival. They checked the reception desk and confirmed that it can be raised or lowered then checked the "office. The office is actually our shoe closet which has been decluttered and now has a printer and officey-looking things (files, clipboards, post-it notes, pens, a total of 1000yen at the 100yen shop to create the illusion of an office.) This was ticked off on their list and there were a lot of impressed sounds when they saw our huge stock of water bottles in case of emergencies. Easy points there!		Inspection day! L-san arrived before the Shibuya inspection team so we had a quick chance to catch up and make sure everything looked as it is expected to look. The inspection team arrived right on time and were a team of 4, the boss of the health centre and 3 ladies, all carrying clipboards and looking very official. Things were noted from the moment they stepped in the door so it was good we had remembered to quickly slap the sign on the outside wall moments before their arrival. They checked the reception desk and confirmed that it can be raised or lowered then checked the "office". The office is actually our shoe closet which has been decluttered and now has a printer and officey-looking things (files, clipboards, post-it notes, pens, a total of 1000yen at the 100yen shop to create the illusion of an office.) This was ticked off on their list and there were a lot of impressed sounds when they saw our huge stock of water bottles in case of emergencies. Easy points there!


	There was some concern about a sign I had on the door which reads "turn off aircon and lights before you go". Guests are supposed to contact us (since we are ALWAYS in the home) if they want to leave. I'm still a bit hazy about this rule and not sure of the reasons for it. Anyway we said the sign was for the kids when they go to school. It is exactly the kind of sign we would leave for the kids too. We needed to show we had an intercom so the guests could contact us, noone checked if it actually worked, nor did they check if it was plugged in. It wasn't. We were playing a risky game. The next check was the laundry and I showed the translation for how to use the machine. Then the "linen cupboard". To be fair, this one was the one we spent the least effort on, all that was required was a lockable cupboard and a certain number of bedding supplies ( I think 6). I had just put all the bedding into the cupboard on top of a rolled up mattress that we use when the kids have friends stay. This was not ok and we were told that the linen had to be on a shelf and not on the floor. This was issue number 1.		There was some concern about a sign I had on the door which reads "turn off aircon and lights before you go". Guests are supposed to contact us (since we are ALWAYS in the home) if they want to leave. I'm still a bit hazy about this rule and not sure of the reasons for it. Anyway we said the sign was for the kids when they go to school. It is exactly the kind of sign we would leave for the kids too. We needed to show we had an intercom so the guests could contact us, noone checked if it actually worked, nor did they check if it was plugged in. It wasn't. We were playing a risky game. The next check was the laundry and I showed the translation for how to use the machine. Then the "linen cupboard". To be fair, this one was the one we spent the least effort on, all that was required was a lockable cupboard and a certain number of bedding supplies ( I think 6). I had just put all the bedding into the cupboard on top of a rolled up mattress that we use when the kids have friends stay. This was not ok and we were told that the linen had to be on a shelf and not on the floor. This was issue number 1.


	So we carry on, the bath is inspected fairly thoroughly and they wanted to see the paperwork of what the plumber did which I didn't have as I just send all the receipts I get to the accountant. This was issue number 2.		So we carry on, the bath is inspected fairly thoroughly and they wanted to see the paperwork of what the plumber did which I didn't have as I just send all the receipts I get to the accountant. This was issue number 2.


	We continued on to check the books. I have guest information papers and photocopies of all the guests passports. Apparently I have not been asking enough questions, I need to add date of birth/age, where they came from and where they are going when they leave our home. Also, if they are male or female. This was issue number 3.		We continued on to check the books. I have guest information papers and photocopies of all the guests passports. Apparently I have not been asking enough questions, I need to add date of birth/age, where they came from and where they are going when they leave our home. Also, if they are male or female. This was issue number 3.


	They had a laser measuring device and measured the room to check it matched with the measurements we had given.		They had a laser measuring device and measured the room to check it matched with the measurements we had given.
	Then they brought out the papers for the coin laundry license, apparently this is just a matter of signing the paper and answering some weird questions like; what are the walls of the room made of, how many watts are the lights and is there rubbish bin in the room? They gave me a list of laundry rules to put on the wall and made me promise I would sterilise the machine between guests. Yeah, sure, no problem.		Then they brought out the papers for the coin laundry license, apparently this is just a matter of signing the paper and answering some weird questions like; what are the walls of the room made of, how many watts are the lights and is there rubbish bin in the room? They gave me a list of laundry rules to put on the wall and made me promise I would sterilise the machine between guests. Yeah, sure, no problem.
	I had to sign a paper saying, once more, that I am at home all the time. They said the cat is not allowed in the room. The cat is actually the reason for 99% of our bookings so I think he will still be spending time in the room. :) The fact that so many guests have drawn him and his pictures are all over the room and in the guest books just shows how often he is in there.		I had to sign a paper saying, once more, that I am at home all the time. They said the cat is not allowed in the room. The cat is actually the reason for 99% of our bookings so I think he will still be spending time in the room. :) The fact that so many guests have drawn pictures of him and his pictures are all over the room and in the guest books just shows how often he is in there.


	They didn't check any of the things we had in the room, they didn't seem to care about coffee or tea in the room. But, the worst thing, they didn't even check the fireproof curtains!!!! So we'll be changing back to the lovely homemade curtains soon.		They didn't check any of the things we had in the room, they didn't seem to care about coffee or tea in the room. But, the worst thing, they didn't even check the fireproof curtains!!!! So we'll be changing back to the lovely homemade curtains soon.


	They told us that the feedback from the olympic centre was that our guests were not allowed to use their space in case of emergency evacuation. I said of course not, we know our evacuation place is Yoyogi park, they were impressed that I knew this.		They told us that the feedback from the olympic centre was that our guests were not allowed to use their space in case of emergency evacuation. I said of course not, we know our evacuation place is Yoyogi park, they were impressed that I knew this.


	Husband came down with a mini table and asked if that would be suitable to put linens on and everyone said yes so he asked if he could just prep that now, they said no. So that has been prepped now they have left and we will take them a photo tomorrow, along with the info about the bath and the new guest information sheets.		Husband came down with a mini table and asked if that would be suitable to put linens on and everyone said yes so he asked if he could just prep that now, they said no. So that has been prepped now they have left and we will take them a photo tomorrow, along with the info about the bath and the new guest information sheets.


	I saw the actual license, they had it with them and they confirmed the spelling of everything with me before promptly putting it back into a folder. We are very close to getting this. They mentioned that we would be the first people in Shibuya to move from a minpaku(airbnb) license to a hotel license. This also means we will be the first people in Shibuya to lose a minpaku license as it will be revoked when we upgrade to hotel.		I saw the actual license, they had it with them and they confirmed the spelling of everything with me before promptly putting it back into a folder. We are very close to getting this. They mentioned that we would be the first people in Shibuya to move from a minpaku(airbnb) license to a hotel license. This also means we will be the first people in Shibuya to lose a minpaku license as it will be revoked when we upgrade to hotel.

Lundman at 10:13, 29 October 2018

2018-10-29T10:13:44Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:13, 29 October 2018
Line 203:		Line 203:

	The inspection is scheduled for Monday 29 October at 3:30pm. It should take around 90 minutes. Fingers crossed.		The inspection is scheduled for Monday 29 October at 3:30pm. It should take around 90 minutes. Fingers crossed.


			=== Monday 29 October, 2018 ===

			Inspection day! L-san arrived before the Shibuya inspection team so we had a quick chance to catch up and make sure everything looked as it is expected to look. The inspection team arrived right on time and were a team of 4, the boss of the health centre and 3 ladies, all carrying clipboards and looking very official. Things were noted from the moment they stepped in the door so it was good we had remembered to quickly slap the sign on the outside wall moments before their arrival. They checked the reception desk and confirmed that it can be raised or lowered then checked the "office. The office is actually our shoe closet which has been decluttered and now has a printer and officey-looking things (files, clipboards, post-it notes, pens, a total of 1000yen at the 100yen shop to create the illusion of an office.) This was ticked off on their list and there were a lot of impressed sounds when they saw our huge stock of water bottles in case of emergencies. Easy points there!
			There was some concern about a sign I had on the door which reads "turn off aircon and lights before you go". Guests are supposed to contact us (since we are ALWAYS in the home) if they want to leave. I'm still a bit hazy about this rule and not sure of the reasons for it. Anyway we said the sign was for the kids when they go to school. It is exactly the kind of sign we would leave for the kids too. We needed to show we had an intercom so the guests could contact us, noone checked if it actually worked, nor did they check if it was plugged in. It wasn't. We were playing a risky game. The next check was the laundry and I showed the translation for how to use the machine. Then the "linen cupboard". To be fair, this one was the one we spent the least effort on, all that was required was a lockable cupboard and a certain number of bedding supplies ( I think 6). I had just put all the bedding into the cupboard on top of a rolled up mattress that we use when the kids have friends stay. This was not ok and we were told that the linen had to be on a shelf and not on the floor. This was issue number 1.
			So we carry on, the bath is inspected fairly thoroughly and they wanted to see the paperwork of what the plumber did which I didn't have as I just send all the receipts I get to the accountant. This was issue number 2.
			We continued on to check the books. I have guest information papers and photocopies of all the guests passports. Apparently I have not been asking enough questions, I need to add date of birth/age, where they came from and where they are going when they leave our home. Also, if they are male or female. This was issue number 3.
			They had a laser measuring device and measured the room to check it matched with the measurements we had given.
			Then they brought out the papers for the coin laundry license, apparently this is just a matter of signing the paper and answering some weird questions like; what are the walls of the room made of, how many watts are the lights and is there rubbish bin in the room? They gave me a list of laundry rules to put on the wall and made me promise I would sterilise the machine between guests. Yeah, sure, no problem.
			I had to sign a paper saying, once more, that I am at home all the time. They said the cat is not allowed in the room. The cat is actually the reason for 99% of our bookings so I think he will still be spending time in the room. :) The fact that so many guests have drawn him and his pictures are all over the room and in the guest books just shows how often he is in there.
			They didn't check any of the things we had in the room, they didn't seem to care about coffee or tea in the room. But, the worst thing, they didn't even check the fireproof curtains!!!! So we'll be changing back to the lovely homemade curtains soon.
			They told us that the feedback from the olympic centre was that our guests were not allowed to use their space in case of emergency evacuation. I said of course not, we know our evacuation place is Yoyogi park, they were impressed that I knew this.
			Husband came down with a mini table and asked if that would be suitable to put linens on and everyone said yes so he asked if he could just prep that now, they said no. So that has been prepped now they have left and we will take them a photo tomorrow, along with the info about the bath and the new guest information sheets.
			I saw the actual license, they had it with them and they confirmed the spelling of everything with me before promptly putting it back into a folder. We are very close to getting this. They mentioned that we would be the first people in Shibuya to move from a minpaku(airbnb) license to a hotel license. This also means we will be the first people in Shibuya to lose a minpaku license as it will be revoked when we upgrade to hotel.

Lundman at 05:43, 19 October 2018

2018-10-19T05:43:55Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:43, 19 October 2018
Line 198:		Line 198:
	We will need to show our guest book which contains copies of guests' passports and their details and a paper which shows our employees. We currently have 3 housekeepers and an accountant. I'm not sure how happy the housekeepers are going to be about sharing their personal details but all of them are legally living here and have sponsorship.		We will need to show our guest book which contains copies of guests' passports and their details and a paper which shows our employees. We currently have 3 housekeepers and an accountant. I'm not sure how happy the housekeepers are going to be about sharing their personal details but all of them are legally living here and have sponsorship.

	We will also need to show that we have a sign, fortunately I found a fabulous calligrapher on Etsy last month who made us a logo which we can use as a sign. I've printed and laminated it and will put it in the area as the current minpaku license.		We will also need to show that we have a sign, fortunately I found a fabulous calligrapher on Etsy last month who made us a logo which we can use as a sign. I've printed and laminated it and will put it in the same area as the current minpaku license.

	Oh, and one more thing, we also need to apply for a coin laundry license?! Apparently, since we offer a washer and dryer to our guests we need this license. It doesn't seem to matter that we don't charge any extra for this. This seems to be another matter of signing some paperwork (and a fee?) to get the coin laundry license.		Oh, and one more thing, we also need to apply for a coin laundry license?! Apparently, since we offer a washer and dryer to our guests we need this license. It doesn't seem to matter that we don't charge any extra for this. This seems to be another matter of signing some paperwork (and a fee?) to get the coin laundry license.

	The inspection is scheduled for Monday 29 October at 3:30pm. It should take around 90 minutes. Fingers crossed.		The inspection is scheduled for Monday 29 October at 3:30pm. It should take around 90 minutes. Fingers crossed.

Lundman at 05:26, 19 October 2018

2018-10-19T05:26:46Z

Show changes

Lundman at 05:25, 19 October 2018

2018-10-19T05:25:29Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:25, 19 October 2018
Line 1:		Line 1:
	April 10, 2018
			== Minpaku AirBnB ==

			=== April 10, 2018 ===

	This morning I went to Shibuya ward office with our estate agent who helped us 2 years ago when we were building our house. She went over all the things needed to register for minpaku(airbnb). The staff were very young girls, not the ojisantachi(old men) I was expecting. They seemed to know their stuff although my agent pushed them a few times on some specific points.		This morning I went to Shibuya ward office with our estate agent who helped us 2 years ago when we were building our house. She went over all the things needed to register for minpaku(airbnb). The staff were very young girls, not the ojisantachi(old men) I was expecting. They seemed to know their stuff although my agent pushed them a few times on some specific points.

Lundman at 05:20, 19 October 2018

2018-10-19T05:20:08Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:20, 19 October 2018
Line 186:		Line 186:

	We also had a fold down table attached to the wall by the genkan, which will be down flat against the wall most of the time, but when we check in guests, we lift it up and it will act as a "front desk". Which you have to have. We added a lock (or rather, changed the door handle to a lock type) to the shoe closet, this way we can say it is the "office" for documents. It becomes a bigger hassle if the office is "registered" as upstairs, when it comes to calculating the area used for the business vs personal. Similarly a small lock on the stair closet, to show we have a "lockable linen closet" (also a requirement).		We also had a fold down table attached to the wall by the genkan, which will be down flat against the wall most of the time, but when we check in guests, we lift it up and it will act as a "front desk". Which you have to have. We added a lock (or rather, changed the door handle to a lock type) to the shoe closet, this way we can say it is the "office" for documents. It becomes a bigger hassle if the office is "registered" as upstairs, when it comes to calculating the area used for the business vs personal. Similarly a small lock on the stair closet, to show we have a "lockable linen closet" (also a requirement).

			Thursday 18 October

			It's been a long enough wait to be worrisome but this month has been very busy with guests coming and going so the time passed quickly. L-san submitted our hotel application at the end of August, it is now nearing the end of October. The hold-up seemed to be at the local youth hostel, the ward office was waiting to get the paperwork back from them and they just got it back yesterday afternoon. So we passed that level, the next part is the inspection.

			We need to have the fireproof curtains (already done), front desk (built and installed), lockable linen cupboard (done),bath downgraded to use taps (also done). We do still need to make our shoe closet look a bit more like an office so that will be this weekend's project. Apparently we need to take all of the food out of the room as we are not licensed to offer food, even the basic rice crackers and cup ramen that we have. I personally wouldn't even consider tea and coffee as food, that's pretty much the same basic level as air to breathe.

			We will need to show our guest book which contains copies of guests' passports and their details and a paper which shows our employees. We currently have 3 housekeepers and an accountant. I'm not sure how happy the housekeepers are going to be about sharing their personal details but all of them are legally living here and have sponsorship.

			We will also need to show that we have a sign, fortunately I found a fabulous calligrapher on Etsy last month who made us a logo which we can use as a sign. I've printed and laminated it and will put it in the area as the current minpaku license.

			Oh, and one more thing, we also need to apply for a coin laundry license?! Apparently, since we offer a washer and dryer to our guests we need this license. It doesn't seem to matter that we don't charge any extra for this. This seems to be another matter of signing some paperwork (and a fee?) to get the coin laundry license.

			The inspection is scheduled for Monday 29 October at 3:30pm. It should take around 90 minutes. Fingers crossed.

Lundman at 05:16, 19 October 2018

2018-10-19T05:16:54Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:16, 19 October 2018
Line 176:		Line 176:
	And then, the next part, We got to see physical proof that the hotel license application form actually exists. It was produced with a flourish and a swift hanko to indicate how much we would be charged for the application (a cool 30,600yen). Neither L-san or I were prepared for this amount of progress all of a sudden and I did not have my hanko stamp with me and L-san did not bring stamp ink. There were still some documents required for submitting the application so we walked away with a list and the application form. I quickly cycled home to get my hanko while L-san waited in a cafe. Returned and gave her my hanko and the cash required for the application. It feels like we might be able to achieve this.		And then, the next part, We got to see physical proof that the hotel license application form actually exists. It was produced with a flourish and a swift hanko to indicate how much we would be charged for the application (a cool 30,600yen). Neither L-san or I were prepared for this amount of progress all of a sudden and I did not have my hanko stamp with me and L-san did not bring stamp ink. There were still some documents required for submitting the application so we walked away with a list and the application form. I quickly cycled home to get my hanko while L-san waited in a cafe. Returned and gave her my hanko and the cash required for the application. It feels like we might be able to achieve this.
	I celebrated by stopping at Nitori on my way home and ordering fireproof curtains.		I celebrated by stopping at Nitori on my way home and ordering fireproof curtains.

			=== Renovation ===

			Part of changing from Airbnb licence to budget hotel is that the toilet can not be "an island" across shared-space. So we decided to get the local builder in to do some renovation. The simplest change we could think of would be to swap the place of the toilet and washing machine. Since both places then have sewage, water in, and power point. This meant the toilet would be in the one self contained area for the guests, so we also enquired about creating a "new door" to separate the entire guest area to the shared-hallway. The door placement is a little awkward as it would cover about half of a sliding-door into the bathroom.

			Luckily, our local builder is really good, and he had no issues creating a new wall to cover half of the sliding door, then putting in a doorpost on that. A new door, exactly the same make/model as we picked for 1F to match, and as a bonus it comes with a lock and keys. Wall papering and creating a wall bit above the door, and it looks perfect. Meanwhile, the plumber swapped the toilet and washing machine without much hassles, the new place for the washing machine has a tray - which generally is a pain - but the new style is a good design so that is quite pleasing.

			We also had to change the taps on the bath. We had the Japanese auto-fill style, which you control from the remote on the wall. The temperature, water height level etc, and push a button to fill it. Unfortunately with Budget Hotel licence, you can not have this style of circulating water (no filtration system), and water has to come from a tap into path. They installed an auto-shutoff tap on the bath for this requirement.

			We also had a fold down table attached to the wall by the genkan, which will be down flat against the wall most of the time, but when we check in guests, we lift it up and it will act as a "front desk". Which you have to have. We added a lock (or rather, changed the door handle to a lock type) to the shoe closet, this way we can say it is the "office" for documents. It becomes a bigger hassle if the office is "registered" as upstairs, when it comes to calculating the area used for the business vs personal. Similarly a small lock on the stair closet, to show we have a "lockable linen closet" (also a requirement).