The land ministry will compile guidelines for real estate agents on procedures for leasing property to foreign renters to make it easier for them to obtain housing, ministry officials said Wednesday.

Many landlords and property management companies responding to a survey by the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry said they refuse to lease homes to foreigners out of concern that they might not pay their rent, the officials said.

The ministry will ask the Japan Property Management Association to compile the manual by the end of the current fiscal year and distribute it among real estate agents.

The envisioned manual will recommend that foreign renters, who in most cases do not have a guarantor in Japan, pay rental guarantee companies to serve as their guarantor, the officials said.

Anyone wishing to rent a house or apartment in Japan generally requires a guarantor.

The ministry will stipulate that real estate agents confirm each foreigner's purpose for visiting Japan by checking his or her passport and alien registration card before signing a lease.

The manual will include advice on how to interact with foreign customers, such as how to explain property and screening documents, and will provide samples of tenant application forms and regulation explanations in foreign languages such as Chinese.

It will also stipulate various types of information that must be conveyed to tenants, such as how to dispose of garbage at designated locations and times, to avoid trouble with neighbors.

The ministry's survey, conducted on landlords and management companies in June 2002, found that almost half of them refuse to lease to foreign nationals due to concerns over rent payment, how the property is used and harmony with other tenants.