Real Estate
From jeonse to property taxes
Topic guides
Scattered guides, put in the order you meet themReal Estate
56 posts
Buying a Home in Korea — From Subscription Points to Capital Gains Tax: 84 Points, a 3.00%p Stress Rate, 60 Days for Acquisition Tax and the 1.2 Billion Won Line
Subscription points top out at 84, with 35 for dependants, and your loan limit is the smallest of DSR, LTV, the price-band cap and the stress rate. You can back out only until performance starts, and acquisition tax is due within 60 days. 43 guides in the order you meet them.
Renting a Home in Korea — Jeonse and Monthly Rent From Contract to Deposit Refund: the 5% Caps, Registration and Your Deposit
Your right to stay comes from delivery and address registration together, and a fixed date adds priority repayment. The conversion cap is 5.00%, increases stop at one-twentieth, and if you must leave unpaid, register the lease first. 30 guides in the order you meet them.
Korea Housing Rent Increase 5% Cap Calculator — One-Twentieth of Rent or Deposit, No Claim Within 1 Year (Housing Lease Act Art. 7)
Article 7 of Korea's Housing Lease Protection Act caps an increase claim at one-twentieth of the agreed rent or deposit and bars it within 1 year of the lease or last increase; ordinances may set lower. A 200 million won deposit can rise by up to 10 million won; 800,000 won rent by 40,000.
Jeonse Fraud Auction Deferral Calculator (Korea) — Up to 1 Year From the Day After, Priority Purchase at the Highest Bid by the Sale Date (Special Act Arts. 17, 20)
Korea's Special Act on Jeonse Fraud Victims lets a victim ask the court to defer or suspend an auction for up to 1 year from the day after. A victim who declares by the sale date at the highest bid price must be granted the sale. A deferral from 26 October 2026 runs to 26 October 2027 at most.
Jeonse Fraud Victim Checker (Korea) — All Four Conditions, Deposit Up to 500 Million Won (Raisable by 200 Million), 30-Day Committee Review (Special Act Art. 3)
To be decided a jeonse fraud victim in Korea a tenant must meet all four conditions of Article 3: opposing power and fixed date, a deposit of 500 million won or less, loss to 2 or more tenants, and suspected intent not to repay. The committee may raise the cap by 200 million and reviews within 30 days.
Rent Arrears Lease Termination Checker (Korea) — Two Periods of Unpaid Rent Let the Landlord Terminate, Worse Clauses Void (Civil Act Art. 640)
Korea's Civil Act Article 640 lets a landlord terminate a building lease once the tenant's arrears reach two periods' rent. At 500,000 won a month the line is 1,000,000 unpaid; a one-period clause reads as void under Article 652.
Korea Housing Subscription Ineligible Winner Ban Calculator — 1 Year in the Capital Region, 6 Months Elsewhere, 3 Months in Slump Areas
If an ineligible win is cancelled, Article 58 of Korea's Rules on Housing Supply bars selection for another sale home from the win date: 1 year in the capital region, 6 months elsewhere (1 year in speculation or overheated areas), 3 months in slump areas, judged at the new notice date.
Korea Housing Subscription Re-Winning Restriction Calculator — 10 Years for Price-Capped or Speculation-District Homes, 7 for Overheated Areas, 5 for 85㎡ or Less in Crowded Zones
Article 54 of Korea's Rules on Housing Supply bars a winner's whole household from another sale home for 10 years after winning a price-capped or speculation-district home, 7 years in an overheated area and 5 for a land-lease home. If more than one applies, the longest.
Implied Lease Renewal Calculator (Korea) — Landlord 6 to 2 Months Before, Tenant 2 Months, Then 3 Months' Notice to End
If a Korean landlord gives no notice 6 to 2 months before a lease ends, or the tenant none by 2 months before, it renews for 2 years on the same terms. After that the tenant can end it at any time, effective 3 months after notice arrives — received 21 October 2026, from 22 January 2027.
Lease Registration Order Checker (Korea) — Moving Out Without Your Deposit: Register First and Your Rights Stay
If a Korean lease has ended and the deposit isn't returned, the tenant can apply to the local court for a lease registration order; once registered, opposing power and priority are kept even after moving. Costs can be claimed from the landlord.
Small-Tenant Priority Repayment Checker (Korea) — In Seoul, Deposits of 165 Million Won or Less Get 55 Million First
When a home goes to auction in Korea, tenants whose deposits are under the regional limit and who moved in and registered before the auction registration get a set amount ahead of mortgage lenders. In Seoul that's 55 million won for deposits of 165 million or less, never more than half the house value.
Restoration Obligation — Restore on Moving Out, a Right to Remove Fittings, Claims Within 6 Months (Korean Civil Act)
Korean Civil Act Art. 615 requires restoring a borrowed thing on return while allowing removal of attached items, and Art. 654 applies it to leases. Damage and cost claims must be made within 6 months of the landlord getting the property back.
Who Pays for Rental Repairs — The Landlord's Upkeep Duty, Necessary Costs Now, Improvements at the End, a 6-Month Deadline
Korean Civil Act Art. 623 makes landlords keep a rental fit for use. Tenants can claim necessary costs straight away and improvement costs only if the added value remains when the lease ends, within 6 months of handing the property back.
Long-Term Repair Reserve Refund Calculator — The Owner's Cost, Get It Back If You Paid as a Tenant (Korea)
Under Korea's Multi-Family Housing Management Act, the long-term repair reserve is collected from owners, so tenants who paid it in their fees get it back from the owner under Decree Art. 31(8). 18,000 won for 24 months is 432,000 won.
Commercial Lease Converted Deposit & 5% Increase Calculator — Deposit + Rent×100, Seoul 900 Million Won Threshold
The 5% cap on Korean commercial rent increases applies when the converted deposit (deposit + rent × 100) is within 900 million won in Seoul, 690 million in the control zone and Busan, 540 million in metropolitan cities, 370 million elsewhere. 50 million + 3 million rent gives 350 million won.
Commercial Lease Premium Protection — From 6 Months Before Expiry, 4 Obstructive Acts, Damages Capped at the Lower Premium, 3-Year Limit
Article 10-4 of the Commercial Building Lease Protection Act bars the landlord from obstructing premium collection from 6 months before expiry until the end and lists four obstructive acts. Damages are capped at the lower of two premiums; claims lapse after 3 years.
Commercial Lease Renewal Right — Ask 6 to 1 Months Before Expiry, Up to 10 Years, 8 Grounds for Refusal
A Korean commercial tenant can ask for renewal between 6 months and 1 month before expiry, and the landlord can't refuse without just cause. The right runs up to 10 years in total, with 8 refusal grounds from three periods' arrears to reconstruction.
When an Estate Agent's Mistake Costs You — Guarantee Cover of 400 Million Won for Firms and 200 Million for Individuals in Korea
Article 30 of Korea's Licensed Real Estate Agents Act makes agents liable for property loss caused intentionally or negligently, and Decree Article 24 sets guarantee cover at 400 million won or more for firms (plus 200 million per branch) and 200 million or more for individuals.
The Property Confirmation and Explanation Statement in Korea — Explained Before the Deal, Records Shown, Kept 3 Years, 4 Extra Items for Leases
Article 25 of Korea's Licensed Real Estate Agents Act requires agents to confirm and explain rights and restrictions before a deal completes, show records such as the land register, and hand over a written statement kept for 3 years. Decree Article 21 lists 13 items.
Land Transaction Permit Zones in Korea — A Permit Over 60 m² in Residential Areas, 2 Years' Own Use, Penalties up to 10% (Calculator)
Article 11 of Korea's Act on Report on Real Estate Transactions requires a permit for land deals above set areas inside permit zones, and contracts without one have no effect. A home bought for own use must be used so for 2 years, with penalties of up to 10% of the price each year for breaches.
Housing Lease Reporting in Korea — Over 60 Million Won Deposit or 300,000 Won Rent Means 30 Days, Fines of 20,000 to 300,000 Won, Fixed Date Included
Article 6-2 of Korea's Real Estate Transaction Reporting Act and article 4-3 of its Decree require housing leases with a deposit over 60 million won or rent over 300,000 won to be reported jointly within 30 days. Late reports draw 20,000 to 300,000 won by delay and amount, false reports 1 million won, and submitting the contract counts as a fixed date.
Selected for Korea's Youth Rent Subsidy? It Counts From May and Ends in December 2028 — You Have 8 Months of Slack
MOLIT says the subsidy is paid retroactively from the May rent regardless of when you applied, and Bokjiro says new 2026 recipients are supported only until December 2028. Paid without a break, the 24th payment is April 2028, leaving 8 months of slack.
Age and Holding Relief — the Tables Add to 90%, the Law Cuts at 80%
Age 65 with 15 years and age 70 with 10 land on exactly the same figure — and nothing beyond it.
Two Rate Tables — Korea's Three-House Heavy Rate Really Starts at KRW 2.9bn
The tables are identical up to a base of 1.2bn — below that line, the number of houses changes nothing.
Korea's Long-Term Holding Deduction — Residence Alone Is Worth KRW 11.6m
Two people sell the same home after the same ten years. One pays 2.62m, the other 14.23m. Holding is not what separates them.
Korea's KRW 1.2bn Apportionment — A Slope, Not a Cliff
“Exempt up to 1.2bn” is right. The sentence that usually follows is not — crossing it does not put the whole gain into tax.
Korea's 600m to 900m Acquisition Tax Slope — KRW 10m Costs 923,000
“1 to 3%” is right on average. Measure what another KRW 10m of price costs in tax and a different number appears.
The Rural Surtax and the 85 Square Metre Line
Cross 85 square metres of exclusive area and the notice gains a line. On a KRW 900m home that is 1.8m won; under the 12% heavy rate, 9m.
Counting Dependents for Korea’s Subscription Score
Thirty-five of the 84 points sit here, at five points a person. But the term does not mean what the everyday word means, and counting the people you live with will be wrong.
Where Korea’s No-Home Period Splits — The Start Date Is Settled Twice
Fifteen years of renting from age 20 counts as zero if the start date has not arrived. The errors come not from adding wrong but from picking the wrong date.
Korean Gift With Assumed Debt — Gift Tax vs Capital Gains Tax, and Between Family the Default Runs the Other Way
The Act subtracts assumed debt, and the Decree names the rental deposit as one. One paragraph later it presumes that between spouses and lineal relatives the debt was never assumed.
Only One Renewal in Three Used Korea's Statutory Renewal Right — We Counted 7,719 Filings
The statute cannot tell you how often the right is used. The rental filing data can, because it carries the answer as a field.
Jeonse Loan Rates Differ by 1.99 Points Between Banks — With the Same Guarantee Behind Them
The lowest was 3.79% and the highest 5.78%. On a KRW 100 million loan that is KRW 1.99 million a year.
Five Places People Get Korea's DSR Wrong — All of Them in Figures
Counting interest only gets you a quarter of the way, the heavy thing is the term rather than the balance, and the LTV limit is not your limit.
Korea's Housing Subscription Deposit Goes by Where You Live, Not Where You're Buying
The note under table 2 pins the threshold to your resident registration area. And you may pay 500,000 won a month while only 250,000 is ever counted.
The Order to Check Before Buying a Home in Korea — The Reversible Stretch Ends at “Beginning Performance”
Money leaves as deposit, interim and balance, but the point of no return and the point of ownership arrive somewhere else. The order comes from the statutes.
Korea Housing Market 2026 — Supply Cliff, Jeonse Squeeze, Stress DSR
Supply cliff, jeonse squeeze, tight lending. Check your loan limit before timing the market.
Korean Capital Gains Tax A to Z — Rates, Deductions, Expenses (2026)
From 10 May 2026 the multi-home surcharge is back: +20 points for two homes in adjusted areas, +30 for three or more, and no long-term holding deduction.
Korean Acquisition Tax Explained — Why It Ranges From 1% to 12%
Local education tax is not a share of the acquisition tax: the provision says “(rate − 2%) × 20%,” and homes use a different formula entirely.
Korea's Comprehensive Real Estate Tax vs. Property Tax — Why December Bills Too
1.2B won for one home, 900M for others. Because it's totalled per person nationwide, the same value gives different results.
Reading Korea's Property Register — Sections A and B Are Not Compared by Rank Number
Within a section, rank number. Across sections, receipt number. Article 4(2) is the most misread provision in Korean conveyancing.
Korean Real Estate Brokerage Fees — the Rule Says “Determined by Mutual Agreement”
The rates are ceilings, not list prices. And taking more than the ceiling is not an administrative fine but a criminal offence.
Jeonse vs Monthly Rent — the Numbers the Law Actually Fixes
The conversion cap is the lower of 10% a year and the base rate plus 2 points. At a 3.00% base rate in September 2026, that is 5.00%.
Your July Property Tax Bill in Korea — the Numbers Are in the Decree, Not the Act
All the Act contains is a 40-80% band. And the tax burden cap for housing was deleted outright in 2023.
Korea's One-Home Capital Gains Exemption — “How Many Years” Has No Single Answer
Trading up gives you three years; caring for a parent and marriage give ten. And trading up carries a second requirement almost nobody mentions.
Korea's Jeonse Contract Checklist — the Order Comes From the Statute
Delivery and resident registration create opposing power; a fixed-date stamp adds priority repayment. And the statute says you cannot be repaid unless you hand the property over.
Avoiding Jeonse Fraud 2026 — Register, Fixed Date, Deposit Guarantee
We opened the Housing Lease Protection Act: “0:00 the day after” is nowhere in it, and the test is delivery of the house plus resident registration — both.
Semi-Jeonse — How to Split Between Deposit and Rent
Reading the Decree in the Korean original turned up three restrictions the usual table omits. Chief among them: where one building holds several small-deposit tenants, the priority amount is divided proportionally — a common shape in semi-jeonse.
Korea's Conversion Rate Cap and How to Negotiate It
We opened the conversion-rate ceiling in the statute: neither 10% nor 2% is in the Act. Both sit in the Decree, so both can move without the National Assembly — and they already have, twice.
Tenant Rights in Korea — Opposing Power, Priority Repayment, Renewal
In Seoul, deposits up to ₩165m get small-deposit priority and ₩55m is repaid ahead of the mortgage — two different numbers. Renewal is due two months before expiry.
Rent Turns on 1.2 Billion, Jeonse on 300 Million — Two Different Provisions
The last multiplier in the deemed-rent formula — the term-deposit rate is 31 per 1,000, that is 3.1%. It was spelled out not in the Decree but in Article 23(1) of the Enforcement Rule.
Korea's Monthly Rent Tax Credit — Registration Is the Gateway
We opened Article 95-2 of the Restriction of Special Taxation Act. The 17% band carries a separate ₩45M aggregate-income test, and a clause inserted on 23 December 2025 lets a spouse claim as well — though the ₩10M cap is measured across both.
Buying an Apartment in Korea, Step by Step — Contract to Registration
A false transaction report is fined at up to 10% of the price, not a flat sum — on a ₩1B deal that ceiling is ₩100M.
US Mortgage Guide 2026 — Rates, Conforming Limit, PMI, Down Payment
PMI does not just end at 78% — it also ends at the midpoint of the schedule, year 15 on a 30-year loan. The 2026 conforming limit is $832,750.
US Housing Market 2026 — +2.0% Nationally, +0.2% to +4.4% by Division
Up 2.0% nationally — but +0.2% to +4.4% once you split it by division. And the 19% jump in housing starts is printed with a ±15.9% band.
Refinance Your Mortgage to Cut Interest — Minutes in an App
Still on an old high rate? Refinance in-app to save millions a year. Costs and watch-outs included.