Before you sign a lease in Korea, the landlord must show you two records. One is the fixed-date history of the house. The other is proof that taxes are paid. Article 3-7 of the Housing Lease Protection Act has required this since April 2023. A third record, the building’s register certificate, you can pull yourself for 1,000 KRW online.
This guide shows where each record comes from, what you need to request it, and which part of each record answers which question. It also covers what the broker must explain, and what the standard contract lets you do if something was hidden. It does not tell you whether a house is safe to rent.
What the landlord must show you
Rule verified September 2026 · Housing Lease Protection Act, Article 3-7
Article 3-7 of the Housing Lease Protection Act (주택임대차보호법) lists two things the landlord must present when the contract is made. For each one, the landlord has a second option: consent, given before signing, to let you look the record up yourself.
| Record | Korean | Or instead |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed-date dates, rent and deposit information for the house | 확정일자 부여일, 차임 및 보증금 등 정보 | Consent to your request at a fixed-date office (Article 3-6 (4)) |
| Tax payment certificates, national and local | 납세증명서 (국세 · 지방세) | Consent to your viewing of unpaid national and local taxes |
Either way, the law expects the information to reach you by the time you sign. The duty covers contracts made after the article took effect. Sections 3 and 4 below show how to use each consent route.
How to read the register certificate
Fees verified September 2026 · Real Estate Registration Act, Article 19 · fee rule, Articles 2 and 3
The register certificate (등기사항증명서) is the public record of the property. Article 19 of the Real Estate Registration Act (부동산등기법) lets anyone view it or get a certified copy for a fee, at any registry office. You do not need the landlord’s consent. The Internet Registry Office (인터넷등기소) offers the same record online.
| How | Fee |
|---|---|
| Certified copy, online or at a kiosk | 1,000 KRW |
| Certified copy at a registry office | 1,200 KRW, up to 20 pages |
| View only, online | 700 KRW |
| View only, at a registry office | 1,200 KRW |
Article 15 (2) of the Act splits every record into three parts. Each part answers a different question.
| Part | Korean | What it records |
|---|---|---|
| Title section | 표제부 | The property itself: address, structure and area |
| Section A | 갑구 | Ownership |
| Section B | 을구 | Rights other than ownership, such as mortgages (저당권 and 근저당권), jeonse rights (전세권) and registered leases (임차권) |
The standard contract’s first page asks for the address and area of the home. Those lines can be read against the title section. The person signing as landlord can be read against the owner in Section A. Section B is where earlier claims on the property appear.
How to check the landlord’s unpaid taxes
Rules verified September 2026 · National Tax Collection Act, Article 109 · Local Tax Collection Act, Article 6
Two parallel laws let a tenant view a landlord’s unpaid taxes. One covers national taxes, the other local taxes. The rules match on almost every point.
| National taxes (국세) | Local taxes (지방세) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where to apply | Any tax office (세무서) | The head of the local government |
| When | Before the contract, or after signing until the lease starts | Same |
| Consent | Needed, with one exception below | Same |
| Without consent | After signing, if the deposit is over 10 million KRW, until the lease starts. The office then tells the landlord | Same, over 10 million KRW |
| What to bring | Application form, proof of the landlord’s consent (or the contract, if no consent is needed), your ID | Same |
| What you see | Reported but unpaid tax, tax billed but not yet due, and arrears | Arrears, tax billed but not yet due, and reported but unpaid tax |
One timing rule applies to national tax. Tax the landlord reported but did not pay shows up 30 days after the filing deadline. For global income tax, it is 60 days (Enforcement Decree, Article 97 (3)).
The consent-free route opens only after you sign. The standard contract has a special term that fits this window. It lets you cancel before the lease starts without losing the earnest money (section 6).
How to see earlier fixed dates on the house
Every fixed date given on a house goes into a register kept by the fixed-date office. Article 3-6 (4) of the Act lets a person about to sign a lease request that information, with the landlord’s consent. Annex 1 of the standard contract names this check for multi-household houses (다가구주택), where several tenants share one building.
Under Article 6 (2) of the Enforcement Decree, you receive four items. They are the property, the date of each fixed date, the rent and deposit, and the lease terms. Names of other tenants are not included. The fee is 600 KRW per request, with 50 KRW more per page over 10.
Apply at a fixed-date office: a community center (동 주민센터), a registry office, or a court. The same offices that stamp fixed dates keep this record.
What the broker must explain
A licensed broker (개업공인중개사) must check and explain the property before the deal is closed. The broker must also show the documents behind the explanation, such as the register certificate. For a housing lease, the Enforcement Decree adds items that apply only to leases.
The full list also covers the building’s condition, facilities and surroundings. The items below are the ones tied to the lease and the deposit.
The broker writes these items into the explanation form (중개대상물 확인·설명서), signs it and gives each side a copy when the contract is written. The broker keeps a copy for three years. Article 17 of the Act also requires the broker’s registration certificate to hang where you can see it in the office.
What the contract lets you do if something was hidden
The standard lease contract prints a special term for this situation. It covers senior lease information the landlord did not disclose, and unpaid taxes above an amount written in the blank. If you find either, you may cancel before the lease starts. You keep the earnest money, notwithstanding Article 5 of the contract.
Article 5 is the normal rule: before the intermediate payment, the tenant can cancel only by giving up the earnest money. The special term is the exception, and it only works if the amount blank is filled in when you sign.
What to say at the counter
Tax offices, community centers and registry offices run in Korean. Show the Korean line on your phone, or read the romanized line aloud.
Frequently asked questions
Official sources
Every rule here comes from the pages below. Laws and fees change, so open the page before you act on it.
