Safety Initiatives

On real estate portals such as LIFULL HOME'S, sometimes property listings that are no longer available remain on the websites due to time lags in the updating process by the real estate agencies and structural factors such as missed updates. In some cases, there have been malicious practices where listings of popular properties that have already been rented out are intentionally extended to artificially inflate inquiries. These practices have been a long-standing issue in the real estate industry. At "LIFULL HOME'S," we are committed to combating fraudulent listings by implementing various initiatives such as developing and operating automatic detection systems; collaborating with real estate agencies, industry organizations and research institutions and establishing mechanisms to minimize their occurrence.

To ensure a more secure and smoother search process for housing, LIFULL HOME'S conducts independent investigations on affiliated real estate professionals. Regular inspections are carried out to verify if property information is accurately listed and if appropriate responses are given to inquiries, without any violations of fair competition regulations or LIFULL HOME'S listing guidelines. Real estate agencies that meet certain criteria are certified as Outstanding Providers through this evaluation process.

In recent years, there have been frequent occurrences of flooding and landslides caused by heavy rainfall, resulting in significant damage to residential areas across various regions of Japan. In response to this situation, starting from August 2020, it became mandatory for real estate agencies to provide explanations of the location of properties listed in flood hazard maps to prospective buyers during real estate transactions. LIFULL HOME'S, therefore, also added a 'Flood Hazard Map' feature to its map search. In June 2021, we upgraded this service to include 'Flood, Landslide, and Earthquake Hazard Maps,' enabling users to easily check the disaster risks in the areas they are considering.