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The story
At a newly built tower condominium in Yokohama, a buyer who purchased a top-floor unit sought roughly 59 million yen in damages from the real estate company, claiming that a glass handrail made it nearly impossible to see any view from inside the room. On the 8th, the Tokyo District Court dismissed the claim, ruling that it could not be established that the property’s contract had factored in the view as having value at the time of sale. On 5ch, commenters pointed out that it’s not unusual for buyers of newly built tower condos — which often sell out before construction is even finished — to sign contracts without ever viewing the actual unit, explained that the handrail glass, being part of the common areas, can’t be changed at an individual resident’s discretion, and some posted photos of real cases where the glass turned out frosted white, expressing sympathy.
2026/9/8 18:50
Sankei Shimbun
In a ruling on a lawsuit in which the buyer of a top-floor unit in a newly built tower condominium sought about 59 million yen in damages from the real estate company — claiming the unit’s value was compromised because a glass handrail blocked nearly all the view from inside — the Tokyo District Court ruled on the 8th that it could not be found that the view had been factored into the property’s value, and dismissed the claim.
Source: sankei.com / Original article here
What people said
Grandpa, expensive condos sell out before they're even built
Aren't the people who buy (and live in) these things idiots?
I'm so out of my league here I genuinely had no idea
For a cheap property, fine, but doing that on an expensive one (relative to your own means) is just plain foolish
Touring a unit at a brand-new tower condo?
It's a newly built condo
There are some units still unsold even after completion, but you should learn a bit more about how things work
There's apparently a high-rise in Higashi-Kanagawa with no balconies at all — that's pretty wild
You need somewhere to hang your laundry, after all…
Around the top floor you probably can't even step out onto the balcony anyway
I'm reminded of the saying 'fools and smoke both love high places' (a Japanese proverb likening fools to smoke, both of which rise to lofty heights)
Whoever coined that first was a genius
They're raking it in, so no way they're fools
Fools can't even scrape together the money to buy a tower condo in the first place
Mine's on the 30th floor: the bedroom-side handrail is blocked off, but the living-room side has a great view
Completely different situations
How is this even allowed?
Saying the property's view isn't recognized as having value is kind of absurd though
The view is basically all a tower condo has going for it
Urban tower condos are great because everything you need is right nearby
But with all the time wasted waiting for the elevator up and down, is there really a need to live on the 30th floor?
Some people are like that, but most residents are high-income earners
It's not like everyone living in a tower condo inherited their money
There's no such thing as a tower condo full of Chinese residents
Most residents are Japanese
Guess you've never actually lived in one
Is this the one?
Some units do have clear glass, huh
If that's the place, the idea of a 'Tsunashima view' alone is funny (Tsunashima is an unremarkable suburban area, not exactly known for scenery)
Sounds like that place has had all sorts of disputes
https://img01.suumo.com/front/gazo/fr/bukken/421/100518429421/100518429421_go.jpg
If you end up with the frosted-white glass, that's a total bust
This design is totally unnecessary lol
What exactly were you hoping to see from Tsunashima lol
It's not like the cityscape there is anything special
Oh, so that's it lol
So the frosted-white glass units are just part of the design concept
Do they really need that lol
That would have to go through the owners' association general meeting
The design was publicly available, so buyers just needed to check at contract time whether their unit would get the frosted glass
And as Re: #192 says, since the balcony is common property, making it clear afterward is basically impossible
The general meeting would probably vote in favor though
A higher property value works out better for everyone, right?
That's a baffling sense of design
I don't get the concept at all lol
It's such a pointless design, they should just swap it for clear glass free of charge for anyone who wants it
Is this a Kengo Kuma design or something (a famous Japanese architect known for avant-garde builds)
The non-clear unit
https://img.ielove.jp/bkn/99256517_27_700_700_3.jpg
LOL
This is a legit suing-level difference lmao
If you don't like the clear glass you could just hang a curtain over it, right?
But you can't do it the other way around
Clear glass is terrifying lol
Guess I just wouldn't live there in the first place lol
Honestly both are terrifying
I don't know how people manage to live this high up
Background and Key Points of This Story
Designing top-floor tower condominiums with glass handrails or privacy-screening panels has become fairly common in recent years, often chosen for aesthetic reasons as well as security and privacy. Because balconies count as “common areas” under condominium ownership law, individual residents generally cannot unilaterally decide to swap the glass for a transparent version. What this ruling illustrates is a broader principle in real estate transactions: even if a brochure emphasizes a great view, courts are unlikely to recognize that as a compensable loss unless the contract explicitly states that the view itself constitutes part of the property’s asset value. On the thread, reactions mixed surprise at the industry norm that brand-new tower condos routinely sell out before completion, together with real accounts from residents who actually ended up with the frosted glass — together, it was taken as a lesson in just how important it is to view a unit in person and carefully check the contract terms beforehand.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “Top floor of Yokohama tower condo, view blocked by handrail — buyer’s damages claim dismissed, Tokyo District Court.”
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