Environment

Building a circular society

Environmental initiatives through housing loans

In international society, strengthening energy-saving measures in housing and buildings aimed at the achievement of targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions based on the “Paris Agreement” (effective from November 2016) has become a pressing issue, and addressing global warming and promoting high-quality housing such as advocating the formation of housing stock from the perspective of effective utilization of land and resources has also become a social issue in Japanese government policy.

Furthermore, SBI ARUHI is contributing to the building of a circular society that passes on and extendedly uses good products by contributing to the acceleration of pre-owned properties acquisition through not only "Flat 35" but also the unique housing loan products offered by the Company.

"Flat 35" No. 1 in loans executed, helping the acquisition of high-quality pre-owned properties

The "Flat 35" all-time fixed-rate housing loans with a length of up to 35 years handled by SBI ARUHI are a product aimed at the formation of high-quality housing stock through a partnership with the Japan Housing Finance Agency. SBI ARUHI has been the leader in handling "Flat 35" among all financial institutions for 15 years in succession, and as the top runner among financial institutions specializing in housing loans, is providing a boost for more people to acquire high-quality housing based on certain technical standards.

“Flat 35” Pre-owned Property Plus

Assisting purchase of high-quality pre-owned properties

This program offers reduced interest rates on “Flat 35” for a set initial fixed period when purchasing high-quality pre-owned properties.

Application criteria

In addition to the current “Flat 35” property inspection, the following inspection areas will be checked to confirm that no deterioration or similar issues are present, to the extent visible.

Inspection areas		Technical standards
		House, etc.	Condominium
Inside dwelling unit	Floor	House, etc. ー	Condominium No significant settlement; no cracks, damage, or peeling in the finishing materials
	Ceiling	House, etc., Condominium No significant cracks, damage, peeling, corrosion, or evidence of water leakage in the finishing materials
	Stairs	House, etc., Condominium No significant settlement, damage, or corrosion in the structural elements or surface; no significant looseness or corrosion in handrails, etc.
Balcony		House, etc., Condominium No significant looseness or corrosion in handrails, etc.
Rain gutter		House, etc., Condominium No breakage
Openings facing outdoors		House, etc., Condominium No gaps around the fittings; no significant malfunction in opening or closing the fittings; no significant looseness or corrosion in handrails, etc.
Water supply, drainage, hot water system*		House, etc., Condominium No leakage or signs of leakage around the joints and traps of water supply and drainage pipes

• * For condominiums, the water supply, drainage, and hot water systems in the private areas are subject to inspection.

Promotion of environmentally friendly housing

"Flat 35" includes programs for lowering the initial interest for a fixed period when acquiring housing with excellent properties such as energy saving or quake resistance, and when performing remodeling or renovation to improve performance after acquisition of a property ("Flat 35"S and "Flat 35" Renovation). SBI ARUHI is promoting the spread of environmentally friendly housing by providing these programs to customers.

"Flat 35"S

Support for the acquisition of housing with excellent properties such as energy saving and quake resistance

A program for lowering the initial rate of "Flat 35" during a fixed period for excellent energy saving, barrier-free accessibility, quake resistance, durability and modifiability as well as for building or purchasing housing with ZEH(net Zero Energy House). ZEH are houses that make the balance of annual primary energy consumption net zero while maintaining indoor comfort levels. They achieve significant levels of energy efficiency by using high-performance heat insulation on the exterior of the homes and adopting highly efficient equipment and systems, while also using renewable energy.

"Flat 35" S accounts for approximately 70% of the Company’s "Flat 35" loan execution volume in FY2024.

Eligible properties are confirmed to meet the technical standards specified by the Japan Housing Finance Agency through inspections by third-party organizations.

"Flat 35" Renovation

Promoting the spread of renovated housing (remodeling to improve performance*)

A program for lowering the initial interest rate of "Flat 35" for a fixed period when performing renovations (remodeling to improve performance) or acquiring renovated pre-owned housing.

• * Remodeling work that improves the energy-saving, quake-resistances or other performance of housing by a certain amount or more.

Case in which "Flat 35" Renovation is applicable (one example)

Support for the TCFD recommendations

In June 2022, SBI ARUHI announced its support for the Task Force of Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and discloses information in line with the TCFD recommendations.

The company will continue to assess and manage climate change-related risks and opportunities, disclose appropriate information, enhance the resilience of strategies to the challenges of climate change, and strive to make efforts to realize a carbon-free economy as a financial institution.

Our Sustainability page provides key climate change disclosures in line with TCFD recommendations.