Shinjuku Studio Apartment Revitalization Project | DIY Renovation from a Room Left in Ruins and Experimental Verification of a New Monetization Model #1
Urban Calm Project | A quiet, restorative base in the heart of Shinjuku
A studio apartment in a condominium right in the middle of Shinjuku.
Actually, I became involved with this room 10 years ago due to a certain handover of duties.
Last autumn, the rent payments for the unit stopped, and when I went to the site—the resident was missing, and the room was left in a state of disarray.
The standard procedure would be to restore it to its original condition and terminate the contract.
But this time, I decided to turn it into an experimental site to revitalize it through DIY and verify a 'new monetization model'.
The concept name is—Urban Calm Project.
I aim to create 'a room in the heart of Shinjuku where your mind settles the moment you step inside.'
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■ The day the rent payments suddenly stopped
A studio apartment in a condominium in Shinjuku Kabukicho. The management company reported that rent payments for this property had stopped.
I couldn't get in touch with the tenant either—.
In times like these, the first step is to go to the site to check the situation. If the tenant is there, I confirm the arrears; if not, I visit a few times to narrow down what kind of case it is.
I head to the Shinjuku condominium.
The communal mailbox for the apartment was overflowing with mail, so it seems the tenant hasn't collected mail from here for a while.
The electric meter isn't spinning either. I take a photo of the meter to record it. Since there's no change after several visits, I make arrangements to enter the room, also to check on the resident's safety, anticipating all possibilities.
After going through the procedures for a safety check, the moment I opened the door with the master key, I was speechless. Belongings were left as they were, and the room was a wreck. It was an unbelievable sight.
“Spare me, this is scary, I don't like this”
I wished in my heart as I stepped inside...
but there was no one inside, and it was just an empty shell with a large amount of what appeared to be abandoned items. (I'm glad it wasn't that other thing...)
I don't know the reason. I'll leave what I don't know as unknown.
However, the facts are that 'payments stopped,' 'contact was lost,' and 'the room was left behind.'
Normally, I would restore it to its original condition, terminate the contract, and be done with it.
But the circumstances leading up to this room were a bit special...
■ The fact that a small consideration from 10 years ago becomes a “heavy responsibility” 10 years later...
It all started with taking over a share house business. While our company website doesn't have a page stating that we handle share house takeovers, we have long received such inquiries through word-of-mouth from industry peers, real estate companies, and property owners.
However, since we have always handled consultations via our inquiry form, I am thinking about having an AI create a dedicated page for this in the future.
Our company has been involved with this room for about 10 years.
At the time, a share house operated by a certain company could not keep up with industry changes, and due to poor management, it became impossible to monetize, leading them to withdraw from the business.
That was when I was approached with a request to take over the share house. It turned out that the rental property used by an employee who worked there was this studio apartment, and the room had been arranged by the share house operator.
With the business withdrawal, the employee was apparently laid off, but he said, "If possible, I want to keep living there."As it happened, the real estate agent who brokered this property was also a business partner I have a good relationship with, so I felt sorry for the situation and decided to
switch the lease agreement to our company name so that the employee could continue living there after the takeover.
I didn't raise the rent to skim money off the top; the payments remained exactly the same.
Honestly, there was no particular benefit for us in this arrangement.
The real estate agent also agreed to continue the contract, saying, "I don't particularly trust the person living there, but I have no problem with LLC."
He was very grateful that he could continue living there, but in the end, it feels a bit lonely...
Given these circumstances, I felt somewhat apologetic to the real estate agent if I were to just restore the messy room to its original state and end the contract.
Once I took it on, I decided I would do everything in my power before considering other options.
■ A new attempt at operation, not a share house
The reason I decided to fix up this room is not just because "I feel bad about just restoring it to its original state." In fact, I also thought that it has the right conditions to be a model case for testing a "new type of operation" different from a share house.
・The location is Shinjuku, where people gather from all over the country—an area everyone knows.
・Since it's a studio apartment, the damage risk is low even if revenue doesn't grow.
・The terms for this property include no renewal fees.
・As long as we are responsible for the operation, we are free to use it as we like (within legal limits, of course).
In other words, we are already in a position where we don't need to procure a new property to try something new—.
That is why, instead of just a reset, I want to use this property for the verification of a revenue model I've been curious about for a while and for reporting on it.
What I am currently considering is a service based on a monthly format like unito, but one that allows users to end their stay after just a few days.
"A studio apartment that can withstand both staying and living" If we redesign it for flexible operation, Shinjuku's convenience and ability to attract customers are ironclad, so couldn't we expect monetization? To properly turn the strength of the Shinjuku location into "operation"—the renovation concept starts here.
■ Policy for this project: Do not change the floor plan. Return it to a "leasable state" in the shortest time possible.
However, the timing was terrible. I was already busy with the takeover of the Narimasu share house and starting the new Kami-Jujo share house, so it was inevitable that this would interfere with my work. Therefore, I decided to proceed with the following plan.
・Do not change the floor plan
・Refresh any worn-out equipment
・Redo the walls and floors to recreate the impression and sense of cleanliness
・Refine the details to improve the quality of the room
Everything from removal and cleaning to DIY will be done by myself.
Since I have to find time in between other tasks, I will be going there in the middle of the night to work quietly so as not to disturb the neighbors.
■ Concept Decision: Urban Calm Project | Quietly Composed in the Heart of the City
The concept for this room is Urban Calm Project (a name thought up by Gemini).
In the heart of Shinjuku (Kabukicho), "but the moment you step into the room, your mind quietly settles."
An initiative to revitalize it into a "studio apartment with minimal functions and comfort that matches both staying and living" with a soft and calm interior.
I planned to use a base of calm gray, wood grain, and herringbone patterns.
Since the service I'm envisioning also requires furniture and appliances in the room, I decided to start procuring various items before the interior work was even finished, aiming to keep costs down while achieving a sophisticated look.
Conclusion (Next Episode Preview)
This concludes the beginning of this "Shinjuku Studio Apartment Revitalization Project."
Faced with a room left in ruins, I decided not to just settle for restoring it to its original state, but rather touse DIY to bring it back to a "rentable room" and further verify a new high-profit model—that is what I have written about up to this point.
Next time, I will share the actual workflow and how it went, including the costs involved.
If you liked this article, please "Like," "Comment," or "Share" it—it would be a great encouragement!
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Starting anew—
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