1-year housing insurance for only 3 days

On June 30th, I'm moving out of my
Tokyo apartment after two years. I'm moving back to my home country a month later, and I didn't want to pay the contract renewal fee (equivalent to a month's rent).

I actually moved in on June 28th, 2012, and now the housing insurance company has asked me to pay for a full year worth's of insurance, even though I'll only need the insurance for three days (June 28, 29, 30). I asked for them to allow for a 3-day insurance payment, but they're not budging. They told me that I "must" play by their contract rule, and the only way to avoid it would be to move out by June 27, which I can't.

Needless to say, that inflexibility on their part is annoying. I don't want to skip payment, but paying a full year's of insurance for three days seems like a rip-off (and it's not like the balance will get transferred to the next tenant).

Am I screwed, or can anyone recommend a course of action in order for me to get a better deal out of this?

I think you can get refund 解約返戻金.
it depends on the insurance contract, how to calculate the refund amount. generally, monthly or daily. not yearly.
you are mixing stories.
housing company = the owner or real estate
housing insurance company = insurance company which provides housing insurance. the insurance company may not force to renew the insurance.
you can get 解約返戻金 from the insurance company, not from the housing company.
if you have a Japanese friends, a friend may call the company(housing company ?) to clarify the points.

Thank you Ken for your recommendation. I wasn't mixing companies, and was only referring to the insurance company (which is however affiliated to the housing company).

In any case i appreciate your help and will call the insurance company to negotiate a 解約返戻金. It's strange however that they didn't bother to mention that possibility when I first called them. Let's hope it works.

If not, I'd say just don't pay. If they're going to be inflexible and make you pay a year's worth of cash for 3 days, then that's just stupid, especially since you were totally willing to pay for that period.

If you aren't willing to do that, and they don't allow you to get a refund, weigh the cost of a hotel room like Toyoko Inn versus the apartment for those three nights. Is there someone else you can stay with? Presumably you'll be all packed up by then anyway, so can vacate if absolutely necessary.

But yeah, that's one of the problems I hit in Japan all the time... workers don't actually use their brains, they just parrot whatever the book says and that's it.

generally, your housing company might be a dealer (代理店) of the insurance company.
the comment that you should pay the insurance money has come from the housing company according to the contract between you and the housing company (or the owner). the insurance company and a dealer will not say such a thing and not enforce you to the renewal.
if the housing company and the insurance dealer is the same, I think you should not trust their words.
I think you have some documents from the insurance company, since you already have the contract. you know the insurance company name and the insurance name,and your customer number(or the contract number). there should be a contact phone number for customers.
what I am saying as the insurance company is like that:
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%90%8D%E5%AE%B3%E4%BF%9D%E9%99%BA
these companies are generally big, and they do not cheat you. they just follow the contracts. the insurance you have is 火災保険. I know there should be refunds 解約返戻金.
YOUR HOUSING COMPANY MAY BE NOT A GOOD (WORSE) COMPANY. BE CAREFUL. ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR JAPANESE FRIENDS WHO HAVE MORE EXPERIENCES.

While I agree that you'll encounter quite a bit of unnecessary inflexibility in Japan, my reaction to this situation is mixed. Insurance is one of those industries that tends to be inflexible for a reason. A lot of money is on the line, and the individual sellers really shouldn't have much flexibility to vary from the set plans.

It's unfortunate that your apartment doesn't offer a prorated day charge that includes insurance for those that overlap monthly rental periods (like other rentals might offer), but that is the contract you agreed to and signed.

Try contacting them about the refund scheme that Ken mentioned. If they offer that then you're fine. Otherwise, if your contract states that you must carry their insurance to live there then you'll either have to pay or move out earlier than planned.

Victory! After much arguing back and forth and in face of my stern refusal to fork 10,000 yen for three days of insurance, they agreed to settle the matter without me paying a single yen. It was certainly worth it to refuse to bend to senseless rules. What a great feeling!