SORA RENTAL GUIDES
Renting in Korea,
one question at a time.
Comics, real-life examples and practical checks for students at Korea University, Kyung Hee University and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
Find the guide you need.
Three legal rights that protect your rental deposit in Korea
Understand opposability, fixed dates and small-deposit priority in Korea, with Seoul thresholds, a four-panel comic and a practical contract checklist.
Read the full guide
Moving out early: when do rent payments end and your deposit return?
Check when rent ends and your deposit is due if you leave a Korean lease early. Compare fixed terms, agreed termination, implicit renewal and three-month notice.
Read the full guide
What happens if you miss the two-month notice deadline for a Korean housing lease?
Understand Korea's two-month non-renewal deadline and the three-month termination rule after implicit renewal, with a date example, checklist and common questions.
Read the full guide
Can you stay for two years when your Korean studio lease says one year?
Understand your choices under a one-year residential lease in Korea: leave at the agreed expiry or claim protection for two years from the original lease start. Includes notice, date examples and early termination.
Read the full guide
How to check other tenants’ priority deposits before renting in a multi-household building
Before renting in a dagagu multi-household building near Korea University or Anam, check deposits that do not appear in the property register, fixed-date records, registered households and the landlord’s tax certificates.
Read the full guide
What if the room number on your lease differs from the room you actually occupy?
Understand how a room-number mismatch can affect a Korean tenant’s rights against third parties. Compare dagagu and dasedae buildings, check official records and correct the lease and address-registration details.
Read the full guide
Renting from another tenant: do you need the landlord’s consent?
A complete English guide to subletting in Korea: landlord consent, the original lease, the small-part exception, deposit repayment and a written-consent checklist.
Read the full guide
14 days for a move-in report, 30 days for a rental report: which date starts each deadline?
Understand the 14-day Korean citizen move-in report, 30-day housing rental report and separate 15-day foreign resident address-change rule, with examples and a checklist.
Read the full guide
When the owner changes, what happens to your lease and deposit?
A complete English guide to a change of landlord in Korea: protected leases, deposit repayment, verified rent accounts, ownership checks and moving out safely.
Read the full guide
Changing your deposit or rent, or renewing your lease: do you need to report again?
Renewing a studio lease near Korea University or changing the deposit or monthly rent? Compare reportable renewals, changes during a lease, unchanged-term extensions and the 30-day reporting deadlines.
Read the full guide
Can an incorrect registered address, building or unit number put your deposit protection at risk?
Entered the wrong address, building or unit number when registering your move near Korea University? Learn how building types differ, what this means for deposit protection and what to check when correcting the record.
Read the full guide
Moving in? Check two separate reports.
Your immigration address report and rental contract report serve different purposes. Check your foreigner registration status and contract date separately.
Read the full guide
Who pays when the boiler or air conditioner breaks?
A practical guide to repair costs in Korean student rentals: aging equipment, tenant damage, small repairs, contract terms and documenting a repair request.
Read the full guide
Do I have to pay for wallpaper and cleaning when I move out?
Understand ordinary wear, tenant damage and cleaning agreements in Korean student rentals, and check the basis for deductions from your security deposit.
Read the full guide
Is a room holding payment automatically lost if I cancel?
Understand Korean room reservation payments: when a lease may already exist, cancellation-payment agreements and what to confirm before transferring money.
Read the full guide
Can my landlord enter my room using the door code?
Understand landlord visits in Korea: ownership, permission, necessary repairs and emergencies, with practical steps for student renters.
Read the full guide
Is my lease invalid if I signed without understanding the Korean?
Learn why a language barrier does not automatically invalidate a Korean lease, and how to check translations, important mistakes and misleading explanations.
Read the full guide
My co-tenant stopped paying rent. Can the landlord ask me to pay?
A practical guide to joint leases in Korea: shared liability, roommate cost splits, reimbursement and what to arrange when one student leaves.
Read the full guide
Do international students pay higher brokerage fees in Korea?
Understand Korea’s brokerage fee limits, negotiated fees, VAT and extra charges before renting near Korea University, Kyung Hee University or HUFS.
Read the full guide
Does Korean tenant protection cover a one-semester rental?
A short lease is not automatically a temporary-use exception. Learn what to check when renting for a semester or exchange program in Korea.
Read the full guide
What if a relative or manager signs for the landlord?
Check identity, authority to sign, and authority to receive your deposit before renting through a landlord’s representative in Korea.
Read the full guide
The property register says “trust.” Who can sign my lease?
A student guide to checking leasing authority, the trust register, consent documents and deposit repayment responsibility for trust property in Korea.
Read the full guide
Do I have to follow every special clause I signed?
Learn when a lease clause conflicts with Korean tenant protection, when ordinary house rules can still apply, and how to review wording before signing.
Read the full guide
How is extra rent calculated when I reduce my deposit?
Understand Korea’s cap on converting an existing rental deposit into monthly rent, with an illustrative calculation and a checklist for the agreement.
Read the full guide
The landlord refused renewal to move in, then rented to someone else. What now?
Check the conditions, evidence and damages rules when a Korean landlord refuses renewal for personal occupancy but later relets the home.
Read the full guide
Can my lease end because I paid rent late twice?
Understand Korea’s two-installment rent-arrears rule, why late payments differ from unpaid rent, and why a deposit does not replace monthly payments.
Read the full guide
What if my landlord refuses to accept the rent?
Learn how to document attempted rent payments in Korea and when formal payment deposit procedures may help after a landlord refuses payment.
Read the full guide
What if the room is not available on move-in day?
A practical Korean rental guide to delayed handover: confirm the agreed date, document temporary accommodation costs, and understand cancellation limits.
Read the full guide
Can international students or monthly renters get a deposit-return guarantee?
Foreign tenants and some monthly-rent contracts may qualify for HUG deposit-return protection. Check the lease term, deadline, property and required documents.
Read the full guide
The lease is not in my name. How do I prove where I live?
Prepare immigration housing evidence for a friend’s apartment, dormitory or temporary accommodation without changing the facts.
Read the full guide
An address-only lease for immigration: is it safe?
Use evidence of the place where you really live. A paid paper address is not a solution to missing housing documents.
Read the full guide
They asked for a Korean resident register. What can I provide?
Learn when a Certificate of Alien Registration is the relevant document, how to request it and which recorded details to include.
Read the full guide
I am 18. Can I sign a Korean lease without a parent?
For a foreign student, legal capacity cannot be decided from age or the Korean age of majority alone.
Read the full guide
The landlord wants to keep my passport as rent security. Is that allowed?
Identity checks and keeping your passport to secure a debt are different. Keep control of your original travel and residence documents.
Read the full guide
What if a room is refused because of where I come from?
How foreign students can distinguish a rejected housing application from possible discrimination, preserve useful records and seek advice in Korea.
Read the full guide
How can I arrange language help before signing a lease?
Find Seoul’s official global real estate agency directory and prepare a useful language-assisted rental meeting, with the service scope and charges confirmed in advance.
Read the full guide
Can a foreign student sign a Korean electronic lease?
Prepare your Residence Card and authentication method, review the actual digital lease, and keep the completed contract and application results separately.
Read the full guide
What should I check when opening a Korean account for rent?
Prepare bank-specific identity and account-purpose documents, then check that the account can actually make your deposit and monthly rent payments.
Read the full guide
How do I send a rental deposit to Korea from my home country?
Check the real beneficiary and bank instructions, plan for exchange and transfer costs, and confirm the amount received in won before treating your deposit as paid.
Read the full guide
Can I bring my rental deposit into Korea as cash?
Understand arrival declarations, customs procedures and records to keep before paying a Korean rental deposit in cash.
Read the full guide
How do I send my returned rental deposit to my bank abroad?
Prepare the bank records, beneficiary details and account access you may need to remit a refunded Korean rental deposit after moving out.
Read the full guide
Will paying my housing deposit affect my visa financial evidence?
Plan housing payments and visa financial evidence together using the requirements for your own study situation.
Read the full guide
Can a foreign student get a loan for a rental deposit?
Check a Korean deposit loan’s borrower, visa and property conditions before budgeting or paying a contract deposit.
Read the full guide
Can international students apply for Seoul’s youth rent subsidy?
Check Seoul’s youth rent support nationality condition and application period before counting a subsidy in your housing budget.
Read the full guide
Does “student housing” include international students?
Read the nationality rules in a public housing notice, distinguish university dormitories from LH rentals, and plan for an actual move-in date.
Read the full guide
Can a working international student claim a rent tax credit?
Understand tax residency, employment income, housing conditions and rent-payment evidence before expecting a Korean tax refund.
Read the full guide
What if your visa situation changes before your lease ends?
Coordinate a leave of absence, graduation or other academic change with immigration advice and your housing dates without assuming that one deadline replaces another.
Read the full guide
Can someone in Korea handle move-out after you leave?
Set clear authority for keys, inspection, settlement and deposit receipt, and check whether an overseas power of attorney needs formal certification.
Read the full guide
Do you need a three-year internet plan for one semester?
Check whether your room already includes internet, compare the full cost of a separate connection, and plan equipment return before leaving Korea.
Read the full guideSix quick questions before you rent
What will I pay?
Keep the upfront deposit separate from monthly spending. Compare rent + maintenance + utilities not included in maintenance, and ask separately about the brokerage fee, moving and other one-time costs. Confirm whether any fee varies by usage.
Can I ask before arriving or receiving my card?
Yes, you can discuss your dates and room requirements with Sora. Rental documents and landlord requirements vary. Tell us your arrival date and registration status; do not assume you must wait for the physical card to address reporting questions.
What should I prepare?
Your move-in and move-out dates, deposit and monthly budgets, campus destination, and furniture needs. Before signing, confirm identification, the full address and unit, the owner, payment recipient, lease terms, included items and the required documents. Do not send passport images in an initial public inquiry.
How do I record the room?
Before bringing in your belongings, record a 360° overview and close-up photos of existing marks. Check appliances separately. Keep dates, original filenames, the furniture list, keys and meter readings in the condition record.
Which reports should I check?
Check the immigration address procedure and rental contract report separately. Registered foreigners changing residence have a 15-day rule from moving; reportable rental contracts have a 30-day rule from conclusion of the contract. If you are waiting for a card, confirm the procedure with 1345 for your registration status.
What should I organize before leaving?
Confirm the lease end and notice first. Agree on final rent, maintenance and utilities, any repair questions, inspection, key handover and deposit-return arrangements. Compare the move-in record with the move-out condition; ask for a written breakdown of disputed charges.
SORA · EVERYDAY LIVING
Your first week in a Korean home
Five practical guides for everyday life near Korea University. Check the rules for your address, equipment and service provider.
How to Dispose of Household Waste Near Korea University
A practical first-week checklist for rubbish bags, food waste, recycling and local collection rules in Anam, Jongam and Jegi.
Read guide →Using Heating and Hot Water in a Korean Studio
Learn common Korean controller labels, check your exact boiler model and know when to ask for help.
Read guide →Why Do I Still Receive Utility Bills After Paying the Maintenance Fee?
Check rent, maintenance fees and separately billed utilities before moving into a room near Korea University.
Read guide →Why Does My Korean SIM Work for Internet but Not Identity Verification?
Understand the difference between mobile data, calls, SMS and Korean online identity verification before choosing a SIM or eSIM.
Read guide →Finding a Clinic or Medical Help Near Korea University
Learn Korean clinic labels, confirm language assistance and find official hospital and pharmacy information near your room.
Read guide →