About 25 percent of real estate agents and other property managers said they have denied elderly clients a lease on such grounds as difficulty in dealing with sudden illness, an industry survey said earlier this week.
According to the Japan Property Management Association, 91.5 percent of such cases involved an elderly person living alone.
The survey was conducted in April, and 28 percent of the association's 610 member firms nationwide responded.
Among the respondents, 60.7 percent said that elderly clients' leasing requests were "accepted most of the time," or "more cases were accepted than denied."
Yet, 23.1 percent said that elderly customers could rent the property they wanted only a "few times," or "they could almost never rent the ideal property."
As for reasons for their rejection, 62.4 percent of the respondents pointed to difficulty in dealing with the elderly when they get sick.
Meanwhile, 45.6 percent of those surveyed said, "there are problems regarding safety management, such as the risk of accidental fire." Another 37.6 percent cited the lack of a guarantor as a reason for their denial.
At the same time, 74.1 percent said they want to actively pursue business with elderly clients.
Out of those who view elderly clients favorably, 45.5 percent said they have to target elderly clients because the population is rapidly aging, while another 40 percent said the graying population trend offers more business opportunities.
Based on the survey and in line with the Construction Ministry's general policy to improve living conditions for the elderly, the association officials said they will launch a project this fall to support the elderly looking to rent.
The association will provide information on available properties for the elderly and enable them to use guarantor services offered by nonbank credit companies, they said.