Before you sign a lease in Korea — the four pages to check first

Housing questions come up more than anything else here, and most of the damage happens before the contract is signed. These are the official pages people check, with nothing copied from them.

Checking a place before you sign

Two documents decide most of it: who actually owns the place, and what similar units really rent for. Both are public and free to look up.

Read the lease section before you meet the agent. It tells you which clauses are void no matter what the contract says.

This is what neighbours actually paid. If your quote is far above it, ask why before you negotiate.

Protecting your deposit

A jeonse or large monthly deposit is only protected if you do two things: register the move-in date and get a fixed date stamp, and ideally take out deposit insurance.

Insurance has eligibility limits and deadlines. Check them before signing, not after.

Government24 — civil services portalWhere the move-in report and fixed-date stamp are filed, along with most other civil paperwork.plus.gov.kr

File the move-in report the day you get the keys. Protection starts from that date, not from the contract date.

Deposit protection rules change, and what a landlord tells you is not always current. Confirm on the official pages before you hand over money.

What did you wish you had checked before signing your first lease?