Selling, renting out or demolishing a vacant house in Tomakomai | Vacant house bank registration steps and the demolition subsidy (up to ¥500,000)
If you own a vacant house (akiya) in Tomakomai, you have four main options: sell it, rent it out, demolish it and keep the land, or keep managing it as it is. For people who want to sell or rent out, the city recommends registering with the “Hokkaido Vacant House Information Bank”. For people who want to demolish, the city offers the “Vacant House Demolition Subsidy” (half of the construction cost, up to ¥500,000). In this article, we organize the steps and requirements for each option based on official city information, and explain which option suits you from the viewpoint of a local real estate company.
Option 1: Sell or rent out (Hokkaido Vacant House Information Bank)
Tomakomai does not run its own vacant house bank. It uses the Hokkaido-wide “Hokkaido Vacant House Information Bank”. Owners of vacant houses and vacant land in the city register their wish to sell or rent, and the information is provided to people who want to use the property. The aim is to promote moving to and settling in the area, and to keep housing in use.
7 steps from registration to closing a deal
- The owner applies for registration (online application form or paper documents)
- The administrator checks the details and makes a provisional registration
- Site inspection
- Official registration and publication
- People interested in using a property browse and search the listings
- An interested person applies
- When the contract is completed, the listing is removed as a closed property
Contacts: Hokkaido Real Estate Transaction Association (011-642-4422), Building Guidance Division, Housing Bureau, Construction Department, Hokkaido Government (011-204-5577), and Policy Promotion Division, General Policy Department, Tomakomai City (0144-32-6039).
Properties that suit the bank, and properties that do not
The bank suits properties where you want to “find someone who will use it, even at a low price”. Because people planning to move to Hokkaido look at the bank, even properties in the suburbs or in the west of the city (Nishikioka, Nozomicho, Miyamaecho) sometimes get inquiries. On the other hand, properties in the center or the east (Numanohata, Takuyu) often sell faster and at a higher price through normal brokerage. In the 2026 official land price survey, residential land at Takuyu Higashimachi 6-chome was ¥49,800 per m² (+7.1%), and residential land in the city rose by +4.15% on average. If you are unsure when to sell, we recommend first getting a valuation to check the current price.
Option 2: Demolish and keep the land (Vacant House Demolition Subsidy)
If the building is old and would need a lot of work to sell or rent out, you can demolish it and sell the land. Tomakomai City’s Vacant House Demolition Subsidy is as follows.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Subsidy amount | Half of the construction cost (up to ¥500,000). Asbestos survey costs and costs for disposing of household belongings are not covered |
| Eligible applicants | The owner or heir of the vacant house. Income in the previous year of ¥2,300,000 or less (¥4,000,000 or less for households of two or more). No unpaid city taxes. Not a member of an organized crime group |
| Eligible buildings | Privately owned residential buildings (excluding apartment buildings) built on or before May 31, 1981, in which no one currently lives. No rights other than ownership may be registered on the building |
| Application status | Applications for fiscal year 2026 have closed (planned number of grants: 6) |
| Contact | Housing Support Division, Urban Construction Department, Tomakomai City 0144-32-6314 |
The planned number of grants is only 6, so if you want to use the subsidy, the safest way is to check the requirements and prepare a quote early, without waiting for the next fiscal year’s applications to open. As a guide from official land prices (2026), the land after demolition is around ¥10,000 per m² in the west and ¥30,000 to ¥50,000 in the east.
Option 3: Keep managing it as it is
Even if you cannot decide right away, do not leave the house unattended. Snow damages the roof and gutters, water gets in during spring, and the building loses value. Just a few visits a year with airing out, and draining the water pipes before winter, will make a difference to the price when you sell. If you live far away and find it hard to check on the house, please contact us.
What we can do
- Free valuation before registering with the vacant house bank: whether the property is in a sellable condition and how much it is likely to sell for
- Advice on selling properties that still contain belongings (household goods)
- If you demolish and sell the land, an outlook on demolition costs and the land price
- If you rent it out, a guide to the rent and an assessment of the repairs needed
We accept valuation requests with three items: the property type, the location and your contact details. It is fine if you have not yet decided whether to sell.
This page was machine-translated. The Japanese original prevails.
Frequently asked questions
Does it cost money to register with the vacant house bank?
Registration itself does not cost anything to the city. When a sale or rental contract is concluded, a fee is paid to the licensed real estate broker who handled the brokerage.
Can anyone use the vacant house demolition subsidy?
There are requirements: you must be the owner or an heir, your income in the previous year must be ¥2,300,000 or less (¥4,000,000 or less for households of two or more), and you must have no unpaid city taxes, among others. Eligible buildings are privately owned residential buildings built on or before May 31, 1981, in which no one currently lives. Applications for fiscal year 2026 have closed.
Can I sell a house with household belongings still inside?
Yes. Some companies buy properties with belongings left inside, and we can also broker a sale at a price that takes disposal costs into account. We also give advice on properties with belongings left behind.
I have not decided whether to sell yet. Can I just get a valuation?
Yes. We accept free valuation requests with three items: the property type, the location and your contact details. If you decide not to sell after the valuation, there is no charge.
Consultations on selling and vacant houses are free
We can start a valuation with just three things: the property type, its location and your contact details. You do not need to have decided to sell yet.
Banana House Inc., 1-1-1 Honkocho, Tomakomai. We never use pushy sales. Please write in English or Japanese.
Sources and data
- Data retrieved: 2026-10-05. All prices are official public data and do not include our own estimates.
Yuki Nakazawa (President, Banana House Inc.) reviewed the Japanese original of this article. As a licensed real estate broker, we follow the Japanese rules for real estate advertising.
