Since 10 March 2026, the Ministry of Justice has published the standard housing lease contract (주택임대차 표준계약서) in English, Chinese and Vietnamese. Each file keeps the Korean text and pairs it with the translation, line by line. You and your landlord can point at the same clause on the same page.
The translation follows the October 2023 version of the form, the latest one on the Ministry’s list. This guide goes through each part in order: the first page, the 13 articles, the special terms and the two annexes. For each part, it gives the Korean label and what the blank asks for. It does not tell you whether to sign.
Where to get the translated contract
Files verified September 2026 · Ministry of Justice notice of 10 March 2026
The files sit on one notice in the Ministry of Justice’s housing lease library: 주택임대차 표준계약서 번역본(영어, 중국어, 베트남어) 다운받기. There is one pair of files per language, and each file has a view button (바로보기) that opens it in your browser.
| Language | Title on the file | Files |
|---|---|---|
| English | Standard Residential Lease Contract | HWP · PDF |
| Chinese | 住房租赁标准合同 | HWP · PDF |
| Vietnamese | Hợp đồng Thuê Nhà ở Tiêu chuẩn | HWP · PDF |
All three files keep the Korean text beside the translation. So if your landlord or broker reads Korean, both of you can point at the same line. The PDF opens on any phone. HWP is the file format of the Korean word processor Hangul, and it is the version you can type into.
The Ministry lists these files under the Korea Open Government License Type 4 (공공누리 제4유형). That license allows use with the source named, but not commercial use or changes. For that reason, this guide links to the notice rather than copying the text. Open the file next to this page and follow along.
Which form your landlord has to use
Article 30 of the Housing Lease Protection Act (주택임대차보호법) sets the rule. When a housing lease is made in writing, the standard form is used first. The Minister of Justice sets that form with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The exception is simple: both sides agree to use a different form.
So a broker’s own contract is lawful if you both agree to it. This is a priority rule, not a ban. If the paper in front of you is a different form, the translated standard contract still works as a checklist. Each article below has a line you can look for in the other form.
Two more rules apply whichever form you sign. Article 10 of the Act voids any term that breaks the Act and is unfavorable to the tenant. And disputes over the use of the standard contract are among the cases the Housing Lease Dispute Conciliation Committee can mediate (Article 22).
What the first page asks
Page one describes the home and the kind of contract. Most of it is plain facts: address, area, and which rooms you are renting. Two lines need more attention, because they are where the landlord states what is already owed on the building.
| Korean label | On the English form | What goes there |
|---|---|---|
| 소재지(도로명주소) | Location (road-name address) | The street address of the building |
| 임차할 부분 | Portion to be leased | Building, floor and unit number, and the area in square meters |
| 계약의 종류 | Type of contract | New contract, renewal by agreement, or renewal by the tenant’s right under Article 6-3. For a renewal, the previous term, deposit and rent |
| 미납 국세·지방세 | Unpaid national or local taxes | The landlord ticks “none” and signs, or ticks “yes” and the details go on the broker’s explanation form |
| 선순위 확정일자 현황 | Senior leases assigned with fixed dates | Earlier tenants who hold a fixed date. Same two choices, same signature |
| 확정일자 부여란 | Fixed-date assignment | Space for the fixed-date stamp. No separate application is needed once a lease report with the contract attached is accepted |
| 보증금 있는 월세 · 전세 · 월세 | Lease with deposit and monthly rent · Lease with deposit · Lease with monthly rent | Tick one |
One line reads differently in the Vietnamese file. For the unit, the Korean asks for 동·층·호, and the Vietnamese renders 동 as Phường/Xã, an administrative ward. In a detailed address, 동 is the building number inside a complex, as in 101동.
The two lines on unpaid taxes and senior leases are the only places on page one where the landlord signs. When the answer is “yes”, the details go into the broker’s explanation form (중개대상물 확인·설명서). They sit on page 2, under the item for actual rights and rights not shown on the register.
The Act backs these lines with a duty. Under Article 3-7, added in 2023, the landlord must show you two things when the contract is made. The first is the fixed-date record for the house. The second is proof of tax payment. Before signing, the landlord can meet each duty instead by consenting to let you look the record up yourself.
What the 13 articles set
The 13 articles are the body of the contract. The table sums up what each one sets, in plain words. The exact wording is in the file, with the Korean and the translation side by side.
| No. | Title | What it sets |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 보증금과 차임 및 관리비 Deposits, Rents, and Management Fees |
The deposit, the earnest money paid at signing, dates for the intermediate and final payments, the monthly rent and its payment day, and management fees. A fixed fee of 100,000 KRW or more a month is broken into eight items |
| 2 | 임대차기간 Term of lease |
The handover date, and a lease term that runs from the day of handover |
| 3 | 입주 전 수리 Repairs before move-in |
Whether repairs are needed, the deadline, and what happens if they are not done. One listed option is to deduct the cost from the deposit or rent |
| 4 | 임차주택의 사용·관리·수선 Use, Management, and Repair |
No structural change, subletting, transfer or non-residential use without the landlord’s consent. Who pays for which repairs during the lease |
| 5 | 계약의 해제 Rescission |
Until the intermediate payment, or the final payment if there is none, the landlord can cancel by paying back double the earnest money. The tenant can cancel by giving it up |
| 6 | 채무불이행과 손해배상 Non-Performance and Compensation |
If one side fails to perform, the other sets a reasonable deadline, then may cancel and claim damages |
| 7 | 계약의 해지 Termination |
The tenant may end the lease if part of the home becomes unusable without the tenant’s fault. The landlord may end it if unpaid rent reaches two payments, or if Article 4 (1) is broken |
| 8 | 갱신요구와 거절 Request for and Refusal of Contract Renewal |
The tenant may ask to renew between six and two months before the end. The landlord may refuse only on the grounds in Article 6-3 (1) of the Act |
| 9 | 계약의 종료 Termination or Expiration of Contract |
The tenant returns the home in its original state, and the landlord returns the deposit at the same time. Normal wear and aging are not the tenant’s to restore |
| 10 | 비용의 정산 Settlement of Expenses |
Utilities and management fees are settled at the end. The tenant may claim back the long-term repair reserve from the owner or the management office |
| 11 | 분쟁의 해결 Resolution of Disputes |
The two sides try talks, or mediation by the Housing Lease Dispute Conciliation Committee |
| 12 | 중개보수 등 Brokerage Fee, etc. |
The broker’s fee as an amount or a rate, with VAT in or out. Each side pays its own share |
| 13 | 중개대상물확인·설명서 교부 Explanation Manual for Verifying the Premises |
The broker gives each side the explanation form and a copy of the broker’s guarantee certificate on a set date |
Article 4 comes with a note on the form that splits repair costs. Repairs from aging or defects in main systems, such as heating, water and sewage, and wiring, fall to the landlord. Damage caused by the tenant, small routine repairs, and consumables such as light bulbs fall to the tenant. The note cites Article 623 of the Civil Act and court rulings.
What the special terms add
Special terms (특약사항) come after Article 13. The form already prints six of them, plus a blank space marked “Other” (기타) for terms the two sides add.
The third term is the one with a number left open. The form does not suggest an amount. It only sets the rule that applies once the two sides write one in.
The first term ties into timing. Protection against third parties starts the day after you move in and register, as Annex 1 below shows. The printed term keeps the landlord from adding a mortgage until the day after the agreed date.
What the two annexes are for
Rules verified September 2026 · Housing Lease Protection Act Articles 3, 3-2, 6, 6-2, 6-3 and 7 · Act on Report on Real Estate Transactions, Article 6-2
Annex 1 (별지1) is a summary of the rules that protect a tenant, grouped by stage. Annex 2 (별지2) is a form the landlord uses to refuse a renewal. Both come attached to the contract in the same file.
| Stage | What the annex says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rights | Handover plus registration lets you claim the lease against third parties from the next day. Add a fixed date and you are repaid ahead of later creditors. Keep both for the whole term | Act, Articles 3 and 3-2 |
| Before signing | Check the register certificate, unpaid taxes, and fixed-date records for a multi-household house. With the landlord’s consent, tax records are at the tax office and fixed-date records at the community center or registry | Act, Article 3-6 |
| Lease report | Covered areas only. A deposit over 60 million KRW or rent over 300,000 KRW a month is reported within 30 days to the city, county or district office. A report with the contract attached counts as a fixed date | Reporting Act, Articles 6-2 and 6-5 |
| Rent increase | No more than 5% of the current rent or deposit, and not within one year of the contract or the last increase | Act, Article 7 |
| Silent renewal | If neither side gives notice in time, the lease renews on the same terms for two years | Act, Article 6 |
| Renewal request | Once only, for two years, with any increase capped at 5%. A silent renewal or a renewal by agreement does not use it up | Act, Article 6-3 |
| Higher deposit | Get a new fixed date for the added amount | Annex 1 |
| Disputes | Conciliation committees at the Korea Legal Aid Corporation, the Korea Real Estate Board, the Korea Land and Housing Corporation and local governments | Act, Article 14 |
One more point sits in the Act, not the annex. The annex says a tenant may end a silently renewed lease at any time. Article 6-2 adds that the notice takes effect three months after the landlord receives it.
Annex 2 is the Notice of Refusal to Renew (계약갱신 거절통지서). It lists the nine grounds in Article 6-3 (1) of the Act as tick boxes. They run from rent arrears of two payments to the landlord’s family moving in. The form states that the refusal takes effect when the notice reaches the tenant.
How “resident registration” applies to a foreign resident
Rule verified September 2026 · Immigration Act, Article 88-2
The contract and Annex 1 speak of resident registration (주민등록) and the move-in report (전입신고). The first special term asks for a date to complete the move-in report and get the fixed date. Read those words through one article of the Immigration Act (출입국관리법).
Article 88-2 (2) names two procedures: registration as a foreign national (외국인등록) and the report of a change of residence (체류지 변경신고). They take the place of resident registration and the move-in report. So for a foreign resident, the move-in step on this contract is the change-of-residence report. The Immigration Act gives 15 days from the move for that report.
Overseas Koreans who hold a domestic residence report (국내거소신고) are covered by a separate rule. Article 10 (4) of the Act on the Immigration and Legal Status of Overseas Koreans treats that report as registration. A report of moving counts as a change-of-residence report.
Frequently asked questions
Official sources
Every rule here comes from the pages below. Laws and forms change, so open the page before you act on it.