Whether you rent on jeonse or on monthly rent, the questions come in the same order. Is the property register clean? What is a fair monthly rent if part of the deposit is converted? What do I have to do on moving day to protect my deposit? How much can the landlord raise it? What if the deposit is not returned when I leave? We read the statute behind each question in a separate guide — 30 of them are linked here. This page puts them in the order you meet them.
1. Moving day protects the deposit. Your right to stay against a new owner comes from delivery and address registration together; a fixed date on top of that gives priority repayment. Registering an address without actually moving in does not create the right.
2. Both caps are about 5%. The jeonse-to-rent conversion rate is capped at 5.00% with the base rate at 3.00%, and an increase during the lease is capped at one-twentieth of the agreed amount.
3. If you must leave unpaid, register first. A lease registration keeps your rights after you move out. In Seoul, a deposit of 165 million won or less gets 55 million won first, even at auction.
1. Before the contract — the home and the agent
| Question | The figure that matters | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Reading the property register | Within a section, compare by rank number; between sections A and B, by receipt number | Reading the property register |
| Jeonse fraud warning signs | The jeonse-to-price benchmark dropped from 80% to 70% | Avoiding jeonse fraud |
| What the agent must explain | Before the deal, with records shown; the statement is kept 3 years, with 4 extra items for leases | Confirmation statement |
| Agent's fee | The rate is a ceiling, not a price; charging more is a criminal offence | Brokerage fees |
| If the agent's mistake costs you | Guarantee cover of 400 million won for firms, 200 million for individuals — ask for a copy at signing | Agent liability guarantee |
| The order of a jeonse contract | The order comes from the statute — including that the deposit comes back only when you hand the home back | Jeonse contract checklist |
2. Jeonse or monthly rent — splitting the money
| Question | The figure that matters | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| The conversion cap | The lower of 10% a year and the base rate plus 2% — 5.00% at a 3.00% base rate | Jeonse vs monthly rent · conversion calculator |
| 400 million won jeonse to a 200 million deposit | Monthly rent capped at 833,333 won; the rate on the contract date applies | Negotiating the conversion rate |
| Semi-jeonse | A lower deposit often brings you into the small-tenant band | Semi-jeonse |
| Jeonse loan rates | 1.99 points between banks with the same guarantee — 1.99 million won a year on 100 million | Jeonse loan rates |
3. Moving day — three filings
| Task | The figure that matters | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Move-in report | Within 14 days; late reports cost 5,000 to 50,000 won | Move-in reports |
| Lease report | Deposits over 60 million won or rent over 300,000 won: within 30 days of signing, and the report counts as a fixed date | Housing lease reporting |
| Your rights against others | Delivery and address registration give the right to stay; add a fixed date for priority repayment | Tenant rights in Korea |
| Small tenants | In Seoul, deposits of 165 million won or less get 55 million first, up to half the home's value | Small-tenant priority |
4. While you live there
| Question | The figure that matters | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Something breaks | The landlord must keep the home usable; necessary costs can be claimed now, improvements at the end | Who pays for repairs |
| The repair reserve in your maintenance fee | It is the owner's cost — 18,000 won a month for 24 months is 432,000 won back | Repair reserve refund |
| Rent falls behind | Arrears reaching two periods' rent let the landlord terminate — 1 million won on 500,000 a month | Two periods of arrears |
| Monthly rent tax credit | 600,000 won a month on 50 million won of pay: 1,224,000 won; registration is the gateway | Monthly rent credit |
| Jeonse loan deduction | Rent loan and subscription savings share a 4 million won cap | Housing fund deduction |
| Youth rent subsidy | Counts from May and ends in December 2028 — 8 months of slack | Youth rent subsidy |
5. Renewals and increases
| Question | The figure that matters | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| The landlord wants more | Up to one-twentieth of the agreed amount, and not within a year of the contract or the last increase — at most 10 million won on a 200 million deposit | 5% increase calculator |
| Nobody says anything at expiry | It renews for 2 years on the same terms; the tenant can then give notice at any time, effective after 3 months | Implied renewal calculator |
| The statutory renewal right | Ask by 2 months before expiry — in the filings, only one renewal in three used it (7,719 filings) | How often the right is used |
6. Moving out, and a deposit that does not come back
| Situation | The figure that matters | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Restoring the home | A duty to restore and a right to remove fittings; damages and cost claims within 6 months of the handover | Restoration obligation |
| Leaving without the deposit | Once the lease is registered your rights stay after you move; the cost can be claimed from the landlord | Lease registration order |
| Jeonse fraud | All four conditions, deposit up to 500 million won (raisable by 200 million), 30-day committee review | Fraud victim checker |
| An auction has started | Deferral up to 1 year from the next day; priority purchase at the highest bid by the sale date | Auction deferral calculator |
Three situations
You sign next week. Read the register down to the receipt numbers, and get the agent's confirmation statement and a copy of the guarantee certificate. If part of the deposit becomes monthly rent, check the rate does not exceed 5.00%.
It is moving day. Actually move in and file the move-in report the same day. Over a 60 million won deposit or 300,000 won rent, file the lease report within 30 days, which also counts as a fixed date.
Expiry is coming and you are worried about the deposit. To renew, ask by 2 months before expiry; if you must leave without the deposit, register the lease before you move your things out.
Checklist
- ☐ Property register sections A and B (compare by receipt number)
- ☐ Agent's confirmation statement and guarantee copy
- ☐ Moving day: actual move-in and move-in report (within 14 days)
- ☐ Lease report (within 30 days) or a fixed date
- ☐ Increase requests: one-twentieth, and none within a year
- ☐ Leaving unpaid: register the lease before moving out
Questions that remain
Are commercial leases the same?
No. Commercial leases have their own act: renewals run to 10 years and the increase cap depends on a converted deposit. See commercial lease renewal and the commercial 5% calculator.
Is it the same for foreign tenants?
These guides read the Housing Lease Protection Act and the Civil Act as written. How a foreigner's residence report relates to the move-in report is an immigration matter outside them.
Other home-buying topics, from subscription points to capital gains tax, are gathered in order in Buying a Home in Korea.
Sources
- Our guides linked above — each cites the Housing Lease Protection Act, the Civil Act, the Licensed Real Estate Agents Act, the real estate reporting act or the jeonse fraud special act it reads, with the date checked. The figures here are copied from those guides.
- Not read. How a foreigner's residence report relates to the move-in report; local ordinances.
- What we added. The order and the three situations.
Where to check further
- The housing lease dispute mediation committee, the Korea Legal Aid Corporation and your local community centre — for your own lease and filings.
Written on 26 October 2026. The figures are from the linked guides; the grouping is ours.
