Quote:
Originally Posted by jesselt
Could someone tell me the difference between 大家さん ・ 地主？
Is the former just used when addressing your landlord or is there some other difference?
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地主 is the landowner. 大家 is the owner of a rented house/apartment. If you rent a house/apartment in Japan, these are often the same person but sometimes they actually are two different parties.
Take me for example, I rent a condominium. My 大家 is the guy I pay my monthly rent to. He legally owns the unit that I live in. As to the 地主 of the land that my building stands on, it is a corporation.
地主 is a much heavier word than 大家; therefore, in case your 地主 and 大家 are the same person, you call him 大家さん 100% of the time.