JP7469426B2 - Rental Management System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to technology for managing property rentals.

When renting a property, a rent guarantee company may collect a guarantee fee from the tenant and provide a joint guarantee. With regard to this guarantee fee, Patent Document 1 describes a technology for collecting the guarantee fee from the tenant through credit card payment. Patent Document 2 describes a technology for screening applicant information entered by the applicant according to screening criteria data, and for requesting a reference guarantee fee if it is determined that a guarantee is possible.

JP 2007-41809 A JP 2017-211991 A

In Patent Document 1, the guarantee fee is set at a certain percentage of the rent. In Patent Document 2, the reference guarantee fee is set according to the applicant's attributes such as household composition and occupation. However, even if the rent or the attributes of the tenant are the same, the tenant's creditworthiness may vary depending on the tenant's rental history. When the creditworthiness varies, the appropriate guarantee fee also changes. Therefore, when the guarantee fee is set without taking into account the tenant's rental history, as in the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, an appropriate guarantee fee may not be set.
The present invention aims to set a more appropriate guarantee fee in accordance with a tenant's rental history when the tenant rents a new property.

The present invention provides a rental management device that includes a storage unit that stores the rental history of a tenant, a determination unit that uses the rental history to determine the tenant's creditworthiness, and a setting unit that sets a guarantee fee that serves as compensation for a rent guarantee for a new property that the tenant will rent in accordance with the creditworthiness.

The rental history may include rent previously paid by the tenant for other properties rented by the tenant, and the determination unit may increase the credit rating if the rent for the new property is equal to or less than the rent for the other properties.

The rental history may include a period during which the tenant rented the other property, and the determination unit may increase the credit rating the longer the period.

The rental history may include a rent payment history for the property rented by the tenant, and the rental management device may further include a receiving unit that receives the contents of the payment process when the rent payment process for the new property is executed, and an updating unit that updates the rent payment history based on the contents of the payment process.

The rental management device may further include an acquisition unit that acquires income/expense information indicating the tenant's income and expenditure amounts for each unit period, and the determination unit may further determine the creditworthiness using the relationship between the income and expenditure amounts for each unit period.

The determination unit may increase the credit rating if the income/expense amount per unit period excluding the rent per unit period of other properties rented by the tenant is equal to or greater than the rent of the new property.

The rental management device may further include a notification unit that notifies a terminal device used by the tenant that the payment process will not be executed if the conditions for executing the rent payment process for the new property are not met, a determination unit that, when a change to the payment conditions for the rent for the new property is requested from the terminal device, determines whether or not to permit the change based on the rental history, and a change unit that performs processing to change the payment conditions if it is determined that the change is permitted.

The rental history may include a payment history of rent for other properties rented by the tenant, and the change in payment terms may include a change in the payment date for the new property, and the determination unit may determine to permit the change in the payment date if the payment history indicates that the rent for the other property has been paid by the payment due date for a specified period.

According to the present invention, when a tenant rents a new property, a more appropriate guarantee fee can be set based on the tenant's rental history.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a rental management system 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of credit information 31. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of subscriber information 32. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of household account book information 33. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a deposit/withdrawal history 34. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a card usage history 35. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server device 40. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a rental history 431 stored in the storage 43. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server device 40. 11 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process for signing a lease contract. 11 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process at the time of rent payment. 13 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process for changing a payment condition.

1. Configuration FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a rental management system 1 according to this embodiment. The rental management system 1 provides various services related to the rental of real estate properties (hereinafter simply referred to as "properties") to users who are renters. These services include a rent guarantee service and a payment service. The rent guarantee service is a service in which a rent guarantee company acts as a joint guarantor and guarantees the rent. Here, "rent guarantee" refers to the rent guarantee company making a subrogation payment to the landlord on behalf of the renter when the renter defaults on the rent obligation, such as by overdue rent. The user can use the rent guarantee service by paying a rent guarantee fee, which is the price of the rent guarantee, to the rent guarantee company. The payment service is a service in which the user can pay the monthly rent using a desired payment method. This payment method includes payment using various credit cards.

The rental management system 1 comprises multiple terminal devices 10, multiple payment devices 20, multiple storage devices 30, and a server device 40. The multiple terminal devices 10 include terminal device 10A and terminal device 10B. Terminal devices 10A and 10B may be collectively referred to as "terminal device 10". When distinguishing between the configurations of terminal devices 10A and 10B, the suffixes "A" and "B" are added to the reference symbols indicating the configurations of terminal devices 10A and 10B, respectively. The multiple storage devices 30 include storage devices 30A to 30E. Storage devices 30A to 30E may be collectively referred to as "storage device 30".

The multiple terminal devices 10, the multiple payment devices 20, the multiple storage devices 30, and the server device 40 are connected via a communication line 50. The communication line 50 includes, for example, a mobile communication network and the Internet, and transmits communications between these devices.

The terminal device 10A is carried by the user and is used by the user to input and output various information. The terminal device 10B is installed at a management company that manages the property and is used by employees of the management company to input and output various information. The terminal device 10 may be a computer having a communication function and a UI (User Interface) function, such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, or personal computer. Each function of the terminal device 10 may be realized, for example, by the computer executing an application program installed on the terminal device 10.

The terminal device 10 may be configured to include, for example, an input device 11 and a display device 12. The input device 11 is an input device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that accepts input from the outside. The display device 12 is a display device (e.g., a display) that performs output to the outside. Note that the input device 11 and the display device 12 may be integrated into one configuration (e.g., a touch panel).

The multiple payment devices 20 are operated and managed by different payment providers, and perform payment processing using payment methods corresponding to each payment provider. These payment providers may include, for example, credit card companies and financial institutions such as banks. The payment device 20 corresponding to a credit card company performs payment processing using a credit card issued by that credit card company. The payment device 20 corresponding to a financial institution performs payment processing using an account at that financial institution. The payment device 20 may be, for example, a general-purpose computer.

Storage device 30 prestores credit information 31 or additional information used in tenant screening. This additional information includes subscriber information 32, household ledger information 33, deposit and withdrawal history 34, and card usage history 35. Credit information 31, subscriber information 32, household ledger information 33, deposit and withdrawal history 34, and card usage history 35 are prestored in storage devices 30A to 30E, respectively.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of credit information 31. Credit information 31 is information related to a user's credit transactions. Credit information 31 includes a user identifier, personal information, household composition, annual income, occupation, and financial accident information. The user identifier is information that uniquely identifies a user. Personal information is information that identifies an individual user, such as the user's name, date of birth, address, and telephone number. Household composition is the composition of people with whom the user lives and earns a living. Annual income is the amount of income the user earns in one year. Occupation is the job the user is engaged in. Financial accident information is information related to accidents such as overdue or late repayments. These pieces of information are stored in association with each other.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the subscriber information 32. The subscriber information 32 is information about a subscriber who has concluded a contract with a mobile communications carrier to receive the provision of telecommunications services. The subscriber information 32 includes a user identifier, personal information, a model, a contract period, a communication fee payment history, and a service usage history. The user identifier is information that uniquely identifies a user. The personal information is information that identifies an individual user, such as the user's name, date of birth, address, and telephone number. The model is the type of mobile communications terminal used by the user. This mobile communications terminal may be the terminal device 10A. The contract period is the period during which the user has concluded a contract with the mobile communications carrier. The communication fee payment history is a history of the user's payment of communication fees. The communication fee payment history includes communication fees paid by the user in the past and the payment date. The service usage history is a history of the user's use of various services on the mobile communications terminal. The service usage history includes information that identifies the services used by the user. These pieces of information are stored in association with each other.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of household accounting information 33. A user can keep a household accounting book by using a service provided to a mobile communication terminal. Household accounting information 33 is information indicating the household accounting book kept by the user by using this service. Household accounting information 33 includes a user identifier, a date, an income amount, an expenditure amount, detailed information, and monthly income and expenditure information. The user identifier is information that uniquely identifies a user. The date is the date on which an income or expenditure occurred. The income amount is the amount of money obtained by the user. The expenditure amount is the amount of money paid by the user. The detailed information is information indicating the content of the income or expenditure. The monthly income and expenditure information is information indicating the monthly income and expenditure. The monthly income and expenditure information includes the total monthly income amount, the total monthly expenditure amount, and the monthly income and expenditure amount. The monthly income and expenditure amount is obtained by subtracting the total monthly expenditure amount from the total monthly income and expenditure amount. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the unit period for the income/expense information is one month, but other periods may be used as the unit period. These pieces of information are stored in association with each other.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a deposit/withdrawal history 34. The deposit/withdrawal history 34 is a history of deposits and withdrawals to and from an account held by a user at a financial institution such as a bank. The deposit/withdrawal history 34 includes a user identifier, a transaction date, a deposit amount, a withdrawal amount, detailed information, and a balance. The user identifier is information that uniquely identifies a user. The transaction date is the date on which a deposit was made to an account or a withdrawal was made from an account. The deposit amount is the amount of money deposited in an account. The withdrawal amount is the amount of money withdrawn from an account. The detailed information is information indicating the content of the deposit or withdrawal. The balance is the amount of money remaining in an account. These pieces of information are stored in correspondence with each other.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a card usage history 35. The card usage history 35 is a history of payments made using a credit card. The card usage history 35 includes a user identifier, a usage date, a usage amount, and detailed information. The user identifier is information that uniquely identifies a user. The usage date is the date a payment was made using a credit card. The detailed information is information that indicates the content of a transaction made using a credit card. These pieces of information are stored in association with each other.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 40. The server device 40 is operated and managed by a business that provides rent guarantee services and payment services, and performs processing to provide these services. A general-purpose computer may be used for the server device 40. The server device 40 may be physically configured as a computer device including a processor 41, memory 42, storage 43, communication device 44, bus 45, etc. In the following description, the word "device" may be interpreted as a circuit, device, unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the server device 40 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in the figure, or may be configured to exclude some of the devices.

The processor 41, for example, operates an operating system to control the entire computer. The processor 41 may be configured with a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. The processor 41 also reads programs (program codes), software modules, and data from the storage 43 and/or the communication device 44 into the memory 42, and executes various processes according to the programs. As the programs, programs that cause the computer to execute at least a part of the operation of the server device 40 are used. The various processes executed in the server device 40 may be executed by one processor 41, or may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 41. The processor 41 may be implemented in one or more chips. The programs may be transmitted from a network via a telecommunication line.

Memory 42 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. Memory 42 may also be called a register, cache, main memory (primary storage device), etc. Memory 42 can store executable programs (program codes), software modules, etc. for implementing the rental management method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Storage 43 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 43 may also be referred to as an auxiliary storage device.

The communication device 44 is hardware (transmitting/receiving device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 44 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc., to realize, for example, at least one of Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD).

In addition, each device, such as the processor 41 and the memory 42, is connected by a bus 45 for communicating information. The bus 45 may be configured as a single bus, or may be configured with different buses between the devices.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of rental history 431 stored in storage 43. Rental history 431 is a history of a user renting a property. Rental history 431 includes a user identifier, rent payment history, rental period, and move-out status. The user identifier is information that uniquely identifies a user. Rent payment history is a history of rent payments for a property rented by a user. The rent payment history includes rent paid in the past for a property rented by a user, the date of payment of that rent, and the due date of payment of that rent. The rental period is the period during which the user rented the property. The move-out status is the status when the user moves out of the property. The move-out status includes the amount of the security deposit returned. These pieces of information are stored in association with each other.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server device 40. Functionally, the server device 40 may have an acquisition unit 401, a determination unit 402, a setting unit 403, an output unit 404, a reception unit 405, an update unit 406, a notification unit 407, a determination unit 408, and a change unit 409. Each function of the server device 40 is realized by loading a specific software (program) onto hardware such as the processor 41 and memory 42, causing the processor 41 to perform calculations and control communication by the communication device 44 and at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 42 or storage 43.

The acquisition unit 401 acquires the credit information 31, the rental history 431, and additional information selected by the user. The credit information 31 is acquired from the storage device 30A. The rental history 431 is acquired from the storage 43. The subscriber information 32, the household account book information 33, the deposit/withdrawal history 34, and the card usage history 35 are acquired from the storage devices 30B to 30E, respectively. To acquire information from the storage devices 30A to 30E, for example, an information acquisition request may be sent to the storage devices 30A to 30E, and the information transmitted from the storage devices 30A to 30E in response to this acquisition request may be received.

The determination unit 402 determines the user's creditworthiness using the rental history 431, credit information 31, and additional information acquired by the acquisition unit 401. Here, "creditworthiness" refers to a value that is an index of the user's social credibility regarding renting a property. For example, if the rental history 431, credit information 31, and additional information indicate that the user is highly likely to be able to pay the rent for a new property to be rented, the creditworthiness may be high. The creditworthiness may be expressed, for example, as a number and may be calculated. In this case, the higher the number, the higher the creditworthiness.

The setting unit 403 sets the rental guarantee fee according to the credit rating determined by the determination unit 402. For example, the lower the credit rating, the higher the rental guarantee fee. In other words, the higher the credit rating, the lower the rental guarantee fee. This is because if the user's credit rating is high, it is considered that the user is less likely to default on rent payments.

The output unit 404 outputs the credit score determined by the determination unit 402 and the rental guarantee fee set by the setting unit 403. This output is performed in such a way that at least the user can recognize this information. For example, this information may be transmitted to the terminal device 10A.

When a payment process for rent for a new property rented by a user is executed, the receiving unit 405 receives the details of this payment process. The details of this payment process are transmitted, for example, from the payment device 20. The details of this payment process may include, for example, the rent paid in the payment process and the payment date.

The update unit 406 updates the rent payment history included in the rental history 431 based on the contents of the payment process received by the receiving unit 405. For example, the rent paid in the payment process and the rent payment date may be added to the rent payment history.

If the conditions for executing the payment process for the rent of the new property are not met, the notification unit 407 notifies the terminal device 10A that the payment process will not be executed. This notification may be made, for example, by sending a payment failure notification indicating that the payment process will not be executed.

When a change in the payment conditions for a new property is requested from the terminal device 10A, the judgment unit 408 judges whether or not to permit the change based on the credit information 31 newly acquired by the acquisition unit 401, the rental history 431, and the additional information selected by the user. The change in the payment conditions may include, for example, a change in the date of payment of rent. This judgment may be made based on the creditworthiness of the user determined using this information. This judgment may also be made based on the contents of the rental history 431 in addition to the creditworthiness of the user. For example, if the credit information 31, the rental history 431, and the additional information indicate that the user is highly likely to be able to pay the rent under the changed payment conditions, it may be judged that the change in the payment conditions is permitted. On the other hand, if the credit information 31, the rental history 431, and the additional information indicate that the user is unlikely to be able to pay the rent under the changed payment conditions, it may be judged that the change in the payment conditions is rejected.

If the determination unit 408 determines that the change to the payment conditions is permitted, the change unit 409 performs processing to change the payment conditions. For example, if the change to the rent payment date is permitted, processing to change the rent payment date is performed. Note that if the determination unit 408 determines that the change to the payment conditions is rejected, processing to change the payment conditions is not performed.

2. Operation 2.1. Processing at the time of lease contract Fig. 10 is a sequence chart showing an example of processing at the time of lease contract. When a user wishes to rent a new property, the user goes to a management company that manages the rental of the property and concludes a lease contract through the management company. The processing shown in Fig. 10 is started prior to the conclusion of the lease contract.

When concluding a rental contract, the user performs an operation to input personal information and property information using the input device 11A. The personal information includes, for example, the user's name, date of birth, address, and telephone number. The property information is information about the property that the user will newly rent. The property information includes, for example, the rent for the newly rented property. The user also performs an operation to select a desired payment method using the input device 11A and input payment information required for payment using the selected payment method. The desired payment method may be selected from a plurality of payment methods, including, for example, payment using various credit cards and payment using accounts at various financial institutions. For example, if the user selects payment using a credit card, the payment information may include a credit card number. On the other hand, if the user selects payment using an account at a financial institution, the payment information may include the name of the financial institution, the branch name, and the account number. Furthermore, the user performs an operation to select additional information to be used in the screening using the input device 11A. For example, if the user wishes to have the screening performed using the subscriber information 32, the household account book information 33, the deposit and withdrawal history 34, and the card usage history 35, the user performs an operation to select these pieces of information.

In step S11, application information is sent from terminal device 10A to server device 40 in response to user operation. The application information includes a user identifier, personal information, property information, and payment information input in response to user operation, an information identifier that uniquely identifies additional information selected in response to user operation, and a terminal identifier that uniquely identifies terminal device 10B installed at the management company. For this user identifier, for example, an identifier previously assigned to the user may be used, or information included in the personal information may be used. In this example, the user identifier is "001".

In step S12, when the server device 40 receives the application information, the acquisition unit 401 acquires the credit information 31 and additional information corresponding to the application information. For example, the credit information 31 is acquired from the storage device 30A. Also, for example, if the application information includes information identifiers that identify the subscriber information 32, household account book information 33, deposit and withdrawal history 34, and card usage history 35, these pieces of information are acquired from the storage devices 30B to 30E, respectively. Furthermore, the rental history 431 is read from the storage 43 and acquired by the acquisition unit 401.

In step S13, the determination unit 402 calculates the user's creditworthiness using the credit information 31, rental history 431, and additional information acquired in step S12. A specific method for calculating the creditworthiness may be, for example, to store a standard creditworthiness in the memory 42 or storage 43, and to sequentially add or subtract the standard creditworthiness according to the credit information 31, rental history 431, and additional information. That is, the creditworthiness is calculated as the result of accumulating the standard creditworthiness with the added or subtracted value according to the credit information 31, rental history 431, and additional information. Note that if the user does not wish to be screened using additional information, no additional information is acquired in step S12, and the user's creditworthiness is calculated using the credit information 31 and rental history 431 without using the additional information.

First, the creditworthiness is calculated using the credit information 31. A known method such as the method disclosed in JP 2017-211991 A may be used as a method for calculating the creditworthiness using the credit information 31.

Next, the credit score is calculated using the rental history 431 as follows. For example, in the rental history 431 shown in FIG. 8, if the rent associated with the user identifier "001" is equal to or less than the rent of a new property included in the property information, a predetermined value may be added to the current credit score. Also, the longer the rental period associated with the user identifier "001", the larger the value may be added to the current credit score. In this case, the longer the rental period, the higher the credit score. Furthermore, the larger the amount of the security deposit returned included in the move-out status associated with the user identifier "001", the larger the value may be added to the current credit score. In this case, the larger the amount of the security deposit returned, the higher the credit score.

Furthermore, when the subscriber information 32 is used, the credit rating may be calculated as follows. For example, in the subscriber information 32 shown in FIG. 3, the higher the performance of the model associated with the user identifier "001", the larger the value may be added to the current credit rating. In this case, the higher the performance of the model, the higher the credit rating. Also, the longer the contract period associated with the user identifier "001", the larger the value may be added to the current credit rating. In this case, the longer the contract period, the higher the credit rating. Furthermore, if the communication fee payment history associated with the user identifier "001" indicates that there are no overdue payments, a predetermined value may be added to the current credit rating. Furthermore, the current credit rating may be increased or decreased depending on the type of the user's personality identified from the service usage history associated with the user identifier "001". For example, if the service usage history indicates that the user has used a large number of services, the user's personality may be identified as a meticulous type, and a predetermined value may be added to the current credit rating.

Furthermore, when using the household accounting information 33, the credit score may be calculated as follows. For example, in the household accounting information 33 shown in FIG. 4, the current credit score may be added or subtracted using the relationship between the total income amount and the total expenditure amount included in the monthly income and expenditure information associated with the user identifier "001". For example, if the user does not rent another property and the monthly expenditure amount does not include the rent of the other property, a predetermined value may be added to the current credit score if the monthly income and expenditure amount is equal to or greater than the rent of the new property. On the other hand, if the user rents another property and the monthly expenditure amount includes the rent of the other property, a predetermined value may be added to the current credit score if the monthly income and expenditure amount excluding the monthly rent of the other property is equal to or greater than the rent of the new property. The monthly income and expenditure amount excluding the monthly rent of the other property may be calculated, for example, by subtracting the amount obtained by subtracting the rent of the other property from the monthly expenditure amount from the monthly income and expenditure amount.

Furthermore, when using the deposit/withdrawal history 34, the credit rating may be calculated as follows. For example, in the deposit/withdrawal history 34 shown in FIG. 5, the larger the balance associated with the user identifier "001", the larger the value added to the current credit rating. In this case, the larger the balance, the higher the credit rating.

Furthermore, when using the card usage history 35, the credit rating may be calculated as follows. For example, in the card usage history 35 shown in FIG. 6, the larger the usage amount associated with the user identifier "001", the larger the value that may be subtracted from the current credit rating. In this case, the higher the usage amount, the lower the credit rating.

In step S14, the setting unit 403 sets the rent guarantee fee according to the credit rating determined in step S13. For example, the higher the credit rating, the lower the rent guarantee fee. The relationship between the credit rating and the rent guarantee fee may be represented, for example, by a predetermined linear function.

In step S15, a notification of the credit score calculated in step S13 and the rent guarantee fee set in step S14 is sent from the output unit 404 to the terminal devices 10A and 10B. This notification includes the credit score and the rent guarantee fee. The address of the terminal device 10B may be identified, for example, from the terminal identifier included in the application information received in step S12 described above.

In step S16, when the terminal device 10A receives the notification of the credit rating and the rent guarantee fee, the credit rating and the rent guarantee fee are displayed on the display device 12A. The user checks the credit rating and the rent guarantee fee displayed on the display device 12A.

In step S17, when the terminal device 10B receives the notification of the credit rating and rent guarantee fee, the credit rating and rent guarantee fee are displayed on the display device 12B. An employee of the management company checks the credit rating and rent guarantee fee displayed on the display device 12B. The employee then conducts a rental screening based on the credit rating. The employee also shows the rent guarantee fee and explains the rent guarantee service to the user. If the screening result indicates that the user is eligible to occupy the property, the user can enter into a rental contract through the management company. When using the rent guarantee service when entering into a rental contract, the user enters into a guarantee contract with the rent guarantee company. When entering into the guarantee contract, the user performs an operation to request payment of the rent guarantee fee using the input device 11A.

In step S18, a payment request for the rent guarantee fee is sent from the terminal device 10A to the server device 40 in response to a user operation. This payment request includes the rent guarantee fee.

In step S19, a payment request for the rent guarantee fee is sent from the server device 40 to the corresponding payment device 20 based on the payment information included in the application information received in step S12. This payment request includes the rent guarantee fee and the payment information. For example, if the user selects payment using a credit card, the payment request is sent to the payment device 20 that processes the payment using this credit card.

In step S20, when the payment device 20 receives a payment request, a payment process is performed in response to the payment request. For example, a process is performed to pay the rent guarantee fee using the credit card number included in the payment information.

In step S21, when the payment process is completed, the payment device 20 sends a completion notification to the server device 40 indicating that the payment process has been completed.

In step S22, when the server device 40 receives the completion notification, the server device 40 transmits a completion notification to the terminal devices 10A and 10B indicating that the payment process has been completed.

2.2. Processing at the time of rent payment Fig. 11 is a sequence chart showing an example of processing at the time of rent payment. In the rental contract, the rent for a new property and the payment due date of the rent are specified. When the rental contract is concluded, the rent is paid on a specified date within the payment due date each month. The rent for the property specified in the rental contract, the specified date, and this payment information are preregistered in the payment device 20 corresponding to the payment information input by the user. The processing shown in Fig. 11 is started when the specified date arrives.

In step S31, the payment process for the rent is executed by the payment device 20. For example, the process for paying the rent is performed using the credit card number included in the payment information.

In step S32, when the payment process is completed, a completion notice indicating that the payment process is completed is sent from the payment device 20 to the server device 40. The completion notice includes the rent paid in the payment process, the rent payment date, and the payment due date.

In step S33, when the server device 40 receives the completion notification at the receiving unit 405, the updating unit 406 updates the rental history 431 based on the completion notification. For example, the rent, payment date, and payment due date included in the completion notification are added to the rent payment history included in the rental history 431.

In step S34, the server device 40 sends a completion notification to the terminal device 10A and the terminal device 10B indicating that the payment process has been completed.

2.3. Processing when changing payment conditions FIG. 12 is a sequence chart showing an example of processing when changing payment conditions. Rent payment processing is basically executed on a specified day of each month. However, depending on the circumstances of the payment method selected by the user, there are cases where the conditions for executing rent payment processing are not met, such as when paying rent exceeds the credit card limit, or when the balance of the financial institution account is less than the rent. In such cases, the user can change the rent payment conditions stipulated in the rental contract. The processing shown in FIG. 12 is started when the conditions for executing rent payment processing are not met.

In step S41, a payment failure notification indicating that the payment process will not be executed is sent from the payment device 20 to the server device 40.

In step S42, when the server device 40 receives the payment failure notification, the notification unit 407 transmits the payment failure notification to the terminal device 10A.

In step S43, when the terminal device 10A receives the payment failure notice, this payment failure notice is displayed on the display device 12A. The user recognizes that the rent payment process cannot be executed by seeing the payment failure notice displayed on the display device 12A. When changing the payment conditions, the user performs an operation using the input device 11A to request a change to the rent payment conditions. For example, the change to the payment conditions may be to delay the rent payment date by two weeks.

In step S44, a request to change the rent payment terms is sent from the terminal device 10A to the server device 40 in response to a user operation. This change request includes the details of the change to the payment terms.

In step S45, when the server device 40 receives the change request at the receiving unit 405, the acquisition unit 401 acquires the credit information 31, rental history 431, and additional information, similar to step S12 described above.

In step S46, the judgment unit 408 judges whether or not to permit the change of the payment conditions using the credit information 31, rental history 431, and additional information acquired in step S45. For example, the credit score may be calculated in the same manner as in step S13 described above, and if the calculated credit score is equal to or higher than a predetermined score, it may be judged that the change of the payment conditions is permitted. On the other hand, if the calculated credit score is lower than the predetermined score, it may be further judged whether or not to permit the change of the payment conditions based on the rental history 431. Here, it is assumed that the change of the payment conditions is a change of the rent payment date. In this case, if the rent payment history included in the rental history 431 shown in FIG. 8 indicates that the rent of another property rented by the user was paid by the payment deadline for a predetermined period, it may be judged that the change of the payment conditions is permitted. The predetermined period may be, for example, one year. In this case, the judgment in step S46 becomes YES, and the process proceeds to step S47.

In step S47, the change unit 409 performs a change process to change the rent payment conditions. For example, if the user's rent payment date is delayed by two weeks, a process is performed for the business operator to advance the rent. That is, the business operator first advances the rent to the payment business operator, and two weeks later the rent is paid by the user to the business operator. At this time, the user may be charged an amount including interest on the rent. In this case, a payment request requesting the execution of these payment processes is sent from the server device 40 to the payment device 20. The payment device 20 executes the payment process in accordance with this payment request, so that the business operator advances the rent to the payment business operator, and two weeks later the rent is paid by the user to the party.

On the other hand, in step S46 described above, if the rent payment history indicates that there have been a predetermined number of overdue payments within a predetermined period of time, it may be determined that the change to the payment terms is to be rejected. In this case, the determination in step S46 will be NO, and the process will proceed to step S48 without carrying out the process in step S47 described above.

In step S48, a response to the change request is sent from server device 40 to terminal device 10A and terminal device 10B. For example, if a change process is performed in step S47, a response is sent indicating that the change to the rent payment terms has been completed. On the other hand, if the change to the payment terms is rejected in step S46, a response is sent indicating that the change to the payment terms has been rejected.

In this embodiment, the "server device 40," "storage 43," and "terminal device 10A" are used as the "rental management device," "storage unit," and "terminal device" of the present invention, respectively.

According to the embodiment described above, when a user rents a new property, the rental history 431 is used in addition to the user's credit information 31 to calculate the user's credit, so that a more accurate credit is calculated. As a result, the rental guarantee fee set according to the credit becomes a more appropriate amount. Furthermore, if the rent of other properties rented by the user in the past is equal to or less than the rent of the new property, it is considered that the user is likely to be able to pay the rent of the new property. According to the above-mentioned embodiment, it is possible to determine a higher credit for such a user than other users. Furthermore, if the rental period of other properties rented by the user in the past is long, it is considered that the user is likely to be able to stably pay the rent of the new property. According to the above-mentioned embodiment, it is possible to determine a higher credit for such a user than other users. Furthermore, by storing the rental history 431 and updating the rental history 431 each time the rent payment process is executed, it is possible to accumulate the user's rent payment history. Furthermore, since the household account book information 33 is used to calculate the user's credit, it is possible to determine a credit that reflects the relationship between the user's income and expenditure. Furthermore, if the user has a track record of paying rent in the past that is equal to or greater than the rent for the new property, it is considered that the user is highly likely to be able to pay the rent for the new property. According to the above-described embodiment, such a user can be determined to have a higher credit rating than other users. Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, if the conditions for executing the property rent payment process are not met, the user can change the payment conditions. In this case, the rental history 431 in addition to the user's credit information 31 is used to determine whether or not to allow the change in the payment conditions, which increases the accuracy of the determination.

3. Modifications The above-described embodiment is merely an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Various modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment. For example, the above-described embodiment may be modified as follows. In addition, the following modifications may be used in combination with one or more other modifications.

In the above-described embodiment, the server device 40 may obtain the user's credit rating from an external credit information agency. This external credit information agency may be a domestic credit information agency or an overseas credit information agency. The external credit information agency may also be multiple credit information agencies. For example, when the user is a foreigner, there may be cases where the user's information is not included in any of the credit information 31, additional information, or rental history 431. In this case, the server device 40 may inquire about the user's credit rating from a credit information device managed and operated by the external credit information agency, and obtain the user's credit rating from the credit information device.

In the above-described embodiment, the payment methods that the user can select are not limited to payment using a credit card and payment using an account at a financial institution. For example, any payment method may be used, such as payment using a debit card, payment using a payment service provided by a convenience store, payment using electronic money, or payment using virtual currency.

In the above-described embodiment, the method of changing the payment date is not limited to the method in which the business advances the payment. For example, a payment service provider may advance the rent instead of the business. In this case, the judgment result of the judgment unit 408 or the creditworthiness of the user may be transmitted to the payment device 20, and the final judgment as to whether or not to permit the change in the payment conditions may be made by the payment device 20.

In the above-described embodiment, the change in payment terms is not limited to a change in the rent payment date. For example, the change in payment terms may include a change in the payment method for rent, payment in installments for rent, or payment of rent the following month. For example, in the case of a change in the payment method for rent, the request to change the payment terms includes payment information required for payment using the changed payment method. If the change in the payment method for rent is permitted, a process to change the payment method for rent is performed. In this process, for example, a payment request for rent is sent to the payment device 20 corresponding to the changed payment method. This payment request includes payment information. The payment device 20 executes payment processing in accordance with this payment request, and the rent is paid using the changed payment method.

In the above-described embodiment, the predetermined period used to determine whether or not to allow the change process of the payment conditions may vary depending on the user's creditworthiness. For example, the lower the user's creditworthiness, the longer the predetermined period may be.

In the above-described embodiment, monthly income and expenditure information may be obtained from information other than household account book information 33. For example, the total monthly income may be obtained using the deposit amounts included in deposit and withdrawal history 34. The total monthly expenditure may also be obtained using communication fees included in subscriber information 32, withdrawal amounts included in deposit and withdrawal history 34, and usage amounts included in card usage history 35. The monthly income and expenditure may then be obtained by subtracting the total monthly expenditure from the total monthly income.

In the above-described embodiment, instead of determining whether or not to permit a change in the payment conditions, the creditworthiness of the user may be determined based on the situation of delays during a predetermined period indicated by the rent payment history. For example, if it is indicated that there has been a delay within a predetermined period, the greater the number of delays, the greater the value that may be subtracted from the current creditworthiness. In other words, the greater the number of delays, the lower the creditworthiness. In this case, if the change in the payment conditions is a change in the payment date, the period during which the payment date can be extended may change depending on the creditworthiness. For example, if the creditworthiness is equal to or greater than a first predetermined degree, the payment date may be allowed to be extended by up to one month. On the other hand, if the creditworthiness is less than the first predetermined degree or equal to or greater than a second predetermined degree that is smaller than the first predetermined degree, the payment date may be allowed to be extended by up to two weeks. Also, if the creditworthiness is less than the second predetermined degree, a change in the payment date may not be permitted.

In the above-described embodiment, the credit rating or rent guarantee fee may vary depending on the payment method selected by the user. For example, if the payment method selected by the user is a payment using an account at a financial institution designated as the user's salary transfer destination, a predetermined value may be added to the user's credit rating or a predetermined amount may be subtracted from the rent guarantee fee. Also, if the payment method selected by the user is a payment using a credit card that the user frequently uses, a predetermined value may be added to the user's credit rating or a predetermined amount may be subtracted from the rent guarantee fee.

In the above-described embodiment, the credit information 31, rental history 431, and additional information do not necessarily all need to be used to determine the credit rating. For example, the credit rating may be determined using the rental history 431 without using the credit information 31 and additional information. Furthermore, the credit rating does not necessarily need to be expressed using a numerical value. The credit rating may be expressed using letters, symbols, or a combination of these.

In the above-described embodiment, the additional information is not limited to the subscriber information 32, household account book information 33, deposit and withdrawal history 34, and card usage history 35. The additional information may include any information related to the user, such as the user's hobbies, preferences, and lifestyle.

In the above-described embodiment, various pieces of information do not necessarily need to be transmitted from server device 40 to terminal device 10B. For example, the above-described various notifications and responses are transmitted from server device 40 to terminal device 10A, but do not necessarily need to be transmitted to terminal device 10B.

The hardware configuration and functional configuration of the rental management system 1 described in the above embodiment are examples and are not limited to these. For example, the terminal device 10, the payment device 20, and the storage device 30 may each have a hardware configuration similar to that of the server device 40. Furthermore, at least some of the functions of the terminal device 10, the payment device 20, the storage device 30, or the server device 40 may be implemented in other devices. In other words, the functions of the rental management system 1 may be divided in any manner.

The present invention may be provided as a method including processing steps performed in the rental management system 1, the terminal device 10, the payment device 20, the storage device 30, or the server device 40. The present invention may also be provided as a program executed in the terminal device 10, the payment device 20, the storage device 30, or the server device 40. This program may be provided by being stored in a computer-readable recording medium, or by being downloaded via the Internet, etc.

The block diagrams used to explain the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more devices that are physically or logically separated and directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wires, wirelessly, etc.) and these multiple devices. The functional blocks may be realized by combining the one device or the multiple devices with software.

Functions include, but are not limited to, judgement, determination, judgment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, regarding, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs the transmission function is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. As mentioned above, there are no particular limitations on the method of realization for either of these.

The server device 40 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks of the server device 40 may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 41 may be implemented by at least one of these pieces of hardware.

The notification of information is not limited to the aspects/embodiments described in the present disclosure, and may be performed using other methods. For example, the notification of information may be performed by physical layer signaling (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI)), higher layer signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling, broadcast information (Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB))), other signals, or a combination of these. In addition, the RRC signaling may be called an RRC message, and may be, for example, an RRC Connection Setup message, an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, etc.

Each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be applied to at least one of systems using LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and other suitable systems, and next-generation systems extended based on these. In addition, multiple systems may be combined (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G, etc.).

The processing steps, sequences, flow charts, etc. of each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be reordered unless inconsistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order and are not limited to the particular order presented.

Information, etc. may be output from a higher layer (or a lower layer) to a lower layer (or a higher layer). It may also be input/output via multiple network nodes.

The input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or may be managed using a management table. The input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. The output information may be deleted. The input information may be transmitted to another device.

The determination may be based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean (true or false) value, or a comparison of numerical values (e.g., a comparison with a predetermined value).

Each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the execution. In addition, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is the case") is not limited to being done explicitly, but may be done implicitly (e.g., not notifying the specific information).

Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and/or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and/or wireless technologies are included within the definition of a transmission medium.

The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

Note that the terms described in this disclosure and the terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of the channel and the symbol may be a signal (signaling). Also, the signal may be a message. Also, a component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, a cell, a frequency carrier, etc.

As used in this disclosure, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

In addition, the information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using absolute values, may be represented using relative values from a predetermined value, or may be represented using other corresponding information. For example, radio resources may be indicated by an index.

The names used for the parameters described above are not intended to be limiting in any way. Furthermore, the formulas etc. using these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure. The various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements may be identified by any suitable names, and therefore the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not intended to be limiting in any way.

In this disclosure, terms such as "Mobile Station (MS)", "user terminal", "User Equipment (UE)", "terminal" and the like may be used interchangeably. A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology.

At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be called a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device mounted on a moving body, the moving body itself, etc. The moving body may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned moving body (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle, etc.), or a robot (manned or unmanned). At least one of the base station and the mobile station may include a device that does not necessarily move during communication operation. For example, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be an IoT (Internet of Things) device such as a sensor.

As used in this disclosure, the terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. "Determining" and "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and the like. Additionally, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc., to have been "judged" or "decided." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering some action to have been "judged" or "decided." Additionally, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

When the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Additionally, the term "or," as used in this disclosure, is not intended to be an exclusive or.

In this disclosure, where articles have been added through translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended as an illustrative example and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

1: Rental management system, 10: Terminal device, 20: Payment device, 30: Storage device, 40: Server device, 41: Processor, 42: Memory, 43: Storage, 44: Communication device, 401: Acquisition unit, 402: Determination unit, 403: Setting unit, 404: Output unit, 405: Reception unit, 406: Update unit, 407: Notification unit, 408: Determination unit, 409: Change unit

Claims (3)

A rental management system used to provide a rent guarantee service that performs subrogation on behalf of a tenant when the tenant defaults on rent for a rented property,
A storage unit for storing data relating to the payment of the rent;
an acquisition unit that acquires first information indicating that the payment process has been completed when the tenant has completed the payment process for the rent, and acquires second information indicating that the payment process will not be completed when the tenant has not completed the payment process by a specified date;
an update unit that updates the data according to the rent paid in the settlement process when the first information is acquired;
a processing unit that performs a process for paying the rent in advance when the second information is acquired,
The storage unit stores a rental history of at least one property of the tenant,
a notification unit that notifies a terminal device used by the tenant that the payment process will not be executed if the condition for executing the payment process for the rent is not satisfied;
a determination unit that, when a change in the payment conditions for the rent is requested from the terminal device, determines whether or not to permit the change based on the rental history;
and a change unit that performs a process to change the payment conditions when it is determined that the change is permitted.
Rental management system. The rental management system according to claim 1 , wherein the storage unit includes a first storage unit that stores the data, and a second storage unit that stores information regarding overdue rent payments. The rental history includes a rent payment history of the tenant for the at least one property;
The change in the payment terms includes a change in the payment date of the rent for the property;
The rental management system of claim 1, wherein the judgment unit judges to permit a change in the payment date if the payment history indicates that the rent for at least one property has been paid by the payment due date for a specified period.

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