Practical guides for foreign residents in Seoul — rental contracts and deposit protection, property registers, and the paperwork that actually matters. Written from experience living in the city, with sources cited.
Korean real estate agent fees are not whatever the agent says they are. There is a legal ceiling, it is set by city ordinance, and every licensed office in Seoul is required to display it on the wall. Almost no foreign tenant knows this, and agents are not in the habit of volunteering it. The … Read more
The Korean property register is a public document that costs 700 won, takes two minutes to download, and tells you more about whether you will see your deposit again than anything the landlord or the agent will say to you. Most foreign tenants never look at it. Some are never told it exists. Others are … Read more
Jeonse deposit protection in Korea does not begin when you sign the lease, and it does not begin when you hand over the money. It begins at midnight after you have done two specific things, in a specific order. Miss the order and your deposit — often 300 million won or more for jeonse, 10 … Read more