How Typhoon Season in Japan Shapes My Property Checklist

Every June, I start a routine that has saved me more money than almost anything else I do as a landlord: walking all 9 of my rental properties before typhoon season really gets going. Japan typically sees 25 to 30 named storms form each year, and 3 to 5 of those usually make a direct enough approach to matter for my buildings. After 15 years of self-managing these properties, I’ve learned that the difference between a 30,000 yen afternoon of prep and a 400,000 yen roof repair almost always comes down to what I did in the weeks before the wind arrived.

This isn’t abstract risk management for me. In one September a few years back, a single storm with sustained winds near 40 meters per second tore a satellite dish off a roof at one of my older buildings and cracked three roof tiles that I hadn’t gotten around to resealing that spring. That repair alone cost me 180,000 yen and a very unhappy tenant with a leak in the ceiling. Since then, typhoon prep has become a fixed part of my annual maintenance calendar, not an afterthought.

Why My Checklist Starts in May, Not September

By the time a typhoon warning shows up on the news, it’s already too late to schedule a roofer or order materials. I do my structural walkthroughs in May, about a month before the rainy season shifts into typhoon season proper. That gives me 4 to 6 weeks to book contractors, who get booked solid from July onward. Roughly 30% of my total annual maintenance budget for exterior work gets spent in this window, and I’ve found that spending it early rather than reactively cuts my average storm-damage repair cost by more than half.

Roof and Gutter Inspections I Never Skip

Roofs are where most of my typhoon damage has historically happened. On every property I check for: loose or cracked tiles, rusted flashing around vents and chimneys, and gutters clogged with leaves from the previous autumn. A blocked gutter during a storm dumping 100 millimeters of rain in a few hours will back water up under the eaves faster than most tenants realize, and that’s how you end up with hidden rot instead of an obvious leak. I budget around 45,000 yen per property for gutter cleaning and minor resealing each spring, and it’s the cheapest insurance I buy all year.

Securing Balconies, AC Units, and Anything Loose Outside

Outdoor air conditioner compressor units are heavier than people assume, but I’ve still seen one shift off its mounting brackets in high wind because the original installer used undersized anchor bolts. I now check the anchoring on every unit and replace worn brackets for about 8,000 yen each rather than wait for a failure. I also ask tenants directly, not through a notice slipped under the door, to bring in anything loose on balconies: planters, drying racks, umbrella stands. A flying planter from the fourth floor is a liability problem I have zero interest in testing.

The Insurance and Documentation Side

Before the season starts, I confirm that every property’s fire and windstorm insurance policy is current and that I have digital copies of the policy numbers saved somewhere other than a filing cabinet that could itself flood. I also take dated photos of the exterior condition of each building in May. If a storm does cause damage, having a clear before picture from a few weeks earlier has made insurance claims go through in under 10 days instead of the 3 to 4 weeks I dealt with the one time I didn’t have that documentation ready. I keep a simple folder for each property with the policy number, the agents phone number, and the most recent exterior photos, and I hand a copy of the contact sheet to my property manager as well, since I cannot always answer the phone the moment a claim needs to be filed.

Talking to Tenants Before the Wind Picks Up

A lot of storm damage inside a unit is not structural at all, it is a window left cracked open or a door that was not latched properly, and I have learned that tenants genuinely appreciate a heads-up rather than assuming they already know what to do. About a week into typhoon season I send a short message to everyone in each of my 9 buildings reminding them where the nearest designated evacuation shelter is, since that information is not always obvious to renters who moved in outside of storm season. It takes maybe 15 minutes to write and send, and it has cut down on the panicked late-night calls I used to get whenever a storm warning appeared on the news.

My Pre-Typhoon Walkthrough Checklist

This is roughly the same list I run through at each property, usually taking about 45 minutes per building:

• Inspect roof tiles, flashing, and any exposed screws for rust or looseness
• Clear gutters and downspouts completely
• Check AC unit anchoring and secure any loose exterior fixtures
• Confirm storm shutters or window locks function, especially on ground-floor units
• Photograph exterior condition and file with the current insurance policy number
• Remind tenants in writing to bring in balcony items ahead of any storm warning
• Test that exterior drainage isn’t blocked by dirt, leaves, or debris buildup

What I Do in the 72 Hours Before a Direct Hit

Once a storm track puts one of my properties inside the warning zone, I send a short message to every affected tenant with a reminder about balcony items and, if needed, arrange for a contractor to install plywood over any older single-pane windows. After the storm passes, I walk each property within 24 hours, even if it means an early morning drive, because minor damage caught immediately is a repair; the same damage found two weeks later after more rain has gotten in is a renovation.

That’s the system I run across all 9 of my properties every single typhoon season, and it’s the reason I haven’t had a major structural claim in over 4 years.

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