noun
illegal sublet apartment; apartment rented as office/storage to bypass size laws
Refers to a very small apartment that cannot legally be rented as a residence, so it is let as office or storage space instead. Often associated with Tokyo's housing market.
都心では脱法ハウスが問題になっている。
Illegal sublet apartments have become a problem in central Tokyo.
彼は脱法ハウスを事務所として借りている。
He is renting a tiny apartment as an office, bypassing the minimum size requirement.
Compound of 脱法 (dappō, 'evasion of the law') and ハウス (hausu, 'house'). The term emerged in the 2010s to describe tiny apartments rented under a legal loophole.