Is the five-question exemption course open to everyone?

Yes. The Council's course granting a five-question exemption has no eligibility restrictions and anyone may take it. People who completed it in FY2025 or FY2026 sit a 45-question paper in the FY2026 exam. You must tick the exemption box when you apply, but you do not need to submit the completion certificate.

Can I call myself a Chintai Fudosan Keiei Kanrishi once I pass?

Passing on its own is not enough. To register you must have two years or more of practical experience in management operations, or be recognised as having ability equivalent to or above someone with that experience. If you have no practical experience, completing the practical training course substitutes for it. The registration fee is JPY 6,600 (tax included).

Does waiting after passing put me at a disadvantage?

It adds one step. If you apply for registration a year or more after the date you passed, you must take the Council's registration course before completing the registration procedure.

Does holding the Takken-shi qualification exempt me from part of this exam?

No, there is no exam exemption. For the business manager requirement, though, a separate route through a designated course is available to Real Estate Transaction Specialists. The only people eligible for the five-question exam exemption are those who completed the Council's course.

I hear the deadline depends on how I apply.

It does. For FY2026, online applications run from noon on August 3 to 11:59 p.m. on September 30, and postal applications from August 3 to September 24 (postmark deadline), so the postal deadline falls earlier. Requests for a postal application form close at noon on September 14.

Property Manager Council (Chintai Fudosan Keiei Kanrishi Kyogikai), a general incorporated association that runs this certification programme under registration with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

Chintai Fudosan Keiei Kanrishi (Rental Housing Management Professional) Examination

The Chintai Fudosan Keiei Kanrishi examination is a registered examination certifying the knowledge and ability set out in Article 12, paragraph 4 of the Rental Housing Management Business Act. It is run once a year by the Chintai Fudosan Keiei Kanrishi Kyogikai, a general incorporated association registered for the purpose with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. People who pass and who have two years or more of practical experience in management operations, or who are recognised as equivalent, satisfy the requirements for the business manager that a registered rental housing management company must appoint. The paper has 50 four-option multiple-choice questions with a time limit of 120 minutes. Questions come from six areas: management contracts; maintenance carried out as part of management operations; the handling of rent, security deposits, common-area charges and other money; leases; the Act itself; and practice. There are no eligibility requirements, and the exam is held in 41 locations nationwide. In FY2025, 9,370 people passed and the pass rate was 29.5%.

Official page

Who takes it

Rental management companies and their staff who need to meet the requirement to appoint a business manager at each branch
Brokerage and management practitioners who handle sublease arrangements and rent collection
Owners of rental property who want to judge the contents of a management contract for themselves
Real Estate Transaction Specialists who want to extend into the rental management side of the business
People who deal with disputes over restoration to original condition and the settlement of security deposits

What it lets you do

Passing this registered examination and having two years or more of practical experience in management operations, or the equivalent, satisfies the business manager requirement in Article 14, item 1 of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the Rental Housing Management Business Act.
The syllabus runs across management contracts, maintenance, the handling of money such as rent, security deposits and common-area charges, leases, the Act, and practice, so it maps onto the whole of rental management work.
There are no eligibility requirements: anyone living in Japan may sit it regardless of age, gender or education.
It is held in 41 locations from Hokkaido to Okinawa, so it is accessible outside the big cities.
Completing the Council's rental housing management course, which grants a five-question exemption, reduces the paper to 45 questions. The course has no eligibility restrictions and anyone may take it.

The exam

As published by Property Manager Council (Chintai Fudosan Keiei Kanrishi Kyogikai), a general incorporated association that runs this certification programme under registration with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Anything we could not confirm is left out. Check the official page before you apply.

Questions: 50 questions (45 for those who completed the Council's rental housing management course granting a five-question exemption in FY2025 or FY2026)
Time: 120 minutes (1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
Pass mark: No fixed passing score. A cut score is published for each year's exam, and for FY2025 it was 38 or more correct out of 50 (33 or more out of 45 for candidates with the five-question exemption).
Fee: JPY 12,000 (online applications by credit card, convenience store payment or PayPay; postal applications by payment at a post office or by bank transfer)
Format: Four-option multiple choice, 50 questions
Languages: Japanese
When it runs: Once a year. The FY2026 exam is on Sunday, November 15, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., with results scheduled for Thursday, December 24. Online applications run from noon on August 3 to 11:59 p.m. on September 30, and postal applications from August 3 to September 24 (postmark deadline).
Validity and renewal: No expiry is stated for passing the exam, but if you apply for registration a year or more after passing you must take the Council's registration course before completing the registration procedure. Registration itself has a separate renewal procedure.

How hard it is

In FY2025, 9,370 people passed and the pass rate was 29.5% (published by the Council). The cut score was 38 or more correct out of 50 (33 or more out of 45 for candidates with the five-question exemption), which works out to 76% of the paper. Among candidates with the five-question exemption alone, the pass rate was 36.6%.

How long people study

Not published by the exam body. The Council does not state a standard amount of study time. Preparation schools sometimes suggest roughly 100 to 150 hours, but that is not an official figure.

Syllabus

(a) Matters relating to management contracts
(b) Matters relating to the maintenance of rental housing carried out as part of management operations
(c) Matters relating to the handling of rent, security deposits, common-area charges and other money
(d) Matters relating to the leasing of rental housing
(e) Matters relating to the Act
(f) Besides (a) to (e), matters relating to management operations and to the practice of rental housing management generally

Our apps and books for this exam

Chintai Fudosan Keiei Kanrishi Shikaku Shiken Taisaku Enshu App
Japanese only
Chintai Fudosan Keiei Kanrishi (rental housing property manager) exam practice app
This app's interface and questions are in Japanese.

Questions people ask

Is the five-question exemption course open to everyone?: Yes. The Council's course granting a five-question exemption has no eligibility restrictions and anyone may take it. People who completed it in FY2025 or FY2026 sit a 45-question paper in the FY2026 exam. You must tick the exemption box when you apply, but you do not need to submit the completion certificate.
Can I call myself a Chintai Fudosan Keiei Kanrishi once I pass?: Passing on its own is not enough. To register you must have two years or more of practical experience in management operations, or be recognised as having ability equivalent to or above someone with that experience. If you have no practical experience, completing the practical training course substitutes for it. The registration fee is JPY 6,600 (tax included).
Does waiting after passing put me at a disadvantage?: It adds one step. If you apply for registration a year or more after the date you passed, you must take the Council's registration course before completing the registration procedure.
Does holding the Takken-shi qualification exempt me from part of this exam?: No, there is no exam exemption. For the business manager requirement, though, a separate route through a designated course is available to Real Estate Transaction Specialists. The only people eligible for the five-question exam exemption are those who completed the Council's course.
I hear the deadline depends on how I apply.: It does. For FY2026, online applications run from noon on August 3 to 11:59 p.m. on September 30, and postal applications from August 3 to September 24 (postmark deadline), so the postal deadline falls earlier. Requests for a postal application form close at noon on September 14.

Sources

These are the pages the figures came from. Some are published in Japanese only, and are marked as such — we keep the original titles rather than translating them, so you can match what you find on the official site. Exam rules change; check the official page before you apply.

令和8年度賃貸不動産経営管理士試験実施要領（国土交通大臣登録試験）chintaikanrishi.jp · in Japanese
令和7年度賃貸不動産経営管理士試験の結果概要を発表（協議会プレスリリース）chintaikanrishi.jp · in Japanese

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