RResidents in Japan

Staying at friend’s place but lost their key

  • March 26, 2026

Hi guys, I need some help. Am staying at a friend’s place while they’re overseas. But I lost their apartment key. Their flat is managed by a company, do these companies usually help to open a door if my friend calls?

by rabbit__doll

9 comments

  1. The management usually will not let someone who is not on the lease into an apartment. I would tread carefully since it may be against your friend’s lease terms to have you stay there while they’re away. If it isn’t against the lease terms, your friend would likely have to speak to the management to get a locksmith to come open the door and change locks.

  3. I can only tell you what would happen at my building.

    I would be dimed out to the owner so fast. 💨

    It would be a violation of my contract to allow someone to stay there.

    When I returned I would be expeditiously out processed and homeless.

    Violations of contract are strict and I have an extra bedroom.

    Anyone who stays there, even with me there must be approved by the owner via the management company.

    Allowing someone to stay while I’m not there would also have to be approved but in all likelihood would not be green lighted.

    There is even a clause in my contract that if I get a girlfriend she has to be approved if she stays longer than two weeks.

    The background on me was intense enough just to get the apartment in the first place.

    Please don’t get your friend kicked out.

  4. You may have screwed your friend over really bad here, depending on their contract.

    Were you just staying for a week? Are you dog/cat-watching or something?

    Assuming it’s okay, you’d still likely need them to call the apartment management and verify themselves to let you in there, but like – honestly, that’s still gonna be quite a stretch doing it over the phone if you’re not the one on the lease, and for good reason.

  5. I have nothing helpful to add but this is such a bad situation to be in 🥲 I hope you can get it resolved but your friend may get into trouble for this depending on how strict their landlord is 🥲

  6. Is there an app that can open the door? I was in a similar situation and my friend was able to add me as a temporary guest via that app, allowing me to unlock her door. I was then able to retrieve the spare key from the room and get a copy made.

    Ask your friend if they have a spare key in their mailbox as well, that’s a common place to keep it. It may be openable by combination.

    Calling the company was absolutely of no help.

  7. Do you have any idea how expensive replacement apartment keys are???!

    Once a management company knows that a key is lost they’ll replace the whole lock. Typically these keys are special and can’t be duplicated and are costly.

    Plus as others have said for safety reasons no the company isn’t going to typically let a non-lease holder into the unit. You and your friend might be breaking some additional lease terms depending on how long and often you’ve been staying there.

    If you’re watching pets hopefully your friend can return home sooner than later but wtf man you had one job.

  9. Someone may take the key to the closest police box but I don’t know how police verify ownership of keys. Does it have a discerning keychain on it?

    At this point I might honestly just cut losses and stay elsewhere and let your friend deal with it when they are back. Unless you have things in there that you need urgently…

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