A home lease in Korea runs through five stages, and the Housing Lease Protection Act (주택임대차보호법) sets a rule or a deadline at each one. The same rules cover foreign residents. One article of the Immigration Act connects them to you.
This page is the map. It puts every stage on one table, explains the foreign-resident link once, and sends you to the guide that covers each stage in full. Read the stage you are in now, then come back for the next.
What happens at each stage of a lease
Deadlines and fees verified September 2026 · Housing Lease Protection Act and the rules under it
Each row is one stage. The numbers are the ones you will need at that stage, and each guide shows where they come from.
| Stage | What the law sets | Numbers to know | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before signing | The landlord must present fixed-date and tax records, or consent to your looking them up | After signing, tax records open without consent until the lease starts, if the deposit is over 10 million KRW | Before you sign |
| Signing | The standard contract is used first, unless both sides agree otherwise | Translated into English, Chinese and Vietnamese on 10 March 2026 | The standard contract in English |
| Moving in | Handover plus registration protects you from the next day. A fixed date puts you ahead of later creditors | Change-of-residence report within 15 days. Fixed date 600 KRW, or 500 KRW online. Lease report within 30 days of the contract date if the deposit is over 60 million KRW or rent over 300,000 KRW | Fixed date and move-in |
| Renewal | Silent renewal for two years, or one renewal request that the landlord can refuse only for listed reasons | Notice window six to two months before the end. Each increase capped at 5%, and no more than once a year | Renewal and rent increases |
| End | The lease continues until the deposit is repaid. A lease registration order keeps your rights if you move | Registration order stamp 2,000 KRW. Mediation finished within 60 days, extendable by 30 | Deposit not returned |
The moving-in row has the most deadlines, and they run on different clocks. The change-of-residence report counts from the day you move in. The lease report counts from the day the contract was made.
How the rules apply to a foreign resident
Rule verified September 2026 · Immigration Act, Article 88-2
The Housing Lease Protection Act and the standard contract are written in terms of resident registration (주민등록) and the move-in report (전입신고). Article 88-2 of the Immigration Act (출입국관리법) translates them for you.
So the report you file when you move is the step that starts your protection as a tenant. How to file it, and the 15-day deadline, are in How to Report a Change of Address or ARC Details in Korea. Overseas Koreans with a domestic residence report follow the same path through Article 10 (4) of their own Act.
What to check before and at signing
Before signing, three records matter: the register certificate, the landlord’s unpaid taxes, and earlier fixed dates on the house. Since April 2023 the landlord must present the last two, or consent to your looking them up. Before You Sign a Lease in Korea shows where each record comes from and what to hand in.
At signing, the Ministry of Justice’s standard contract now comes in English, Chinese and Vietnamese, each paired line by line with the Korean. Korean Standard Lease Contract in English walks through the first page, the 13 articles, the special terms and both annexes.
What to do after you move in
Three records protect a deposit: living in the home, the change-of-residence report, and a fixed date on the contract. The first two make the lease count against third parties from the next day. The fixed date decides your place in line if the home is sold. Fixed Date in Korea for Foreign Tenants covers where to get it and what the office checks. It also shows how the lease report can stand in for it.
What changes when the lease comes up for renewal
If neither side gives notice in time, the lease renews on the same terms for two years. If you ask for a renewal, the landlord can refuse only on nine listed grounds, and any increase stays within 5%. Lease Renewal in Korea also covers the separate cap on turning a deposit into monthly rent, which moves with the Bank of Korea base rate.
What to do when the deposit does not come back
The lease is treated as continuing until the deposit is repaid. If you must move before that, a lease registration order keeps the rights you already had. Mediation and a court action deal with the money itself. What to Do When a Landlord in Korea Keeps Your Deposit covers all three. It also covers the part of a small deposit that is paid first in an auction.
That last guide also notes a 2026 change. Gwangju Metropolitan City became part of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City on 1 July 2026. A special act sets which rules apply there until each law is amended.
Where to get help with a lease problem
Housing Lease Dispute Conciliation Committees (주택임대차분쟁조정위원회) hear lease disputes for a fee that starts at 10,000 KRW, as listed on the MyHome portal. For advice before it reaches that point, the Korea Legal Aid Corporation answers on 132. Free Legal Advice in Korea sets 132 next to two other free routes and shows who each is for.
For questions about your stay, including the change-of-residence report, the Immigration Contact Center is on 1345.
Frequently asked questions
Official sources
Every rule on this page comes from the sources below. Each guide linked above lists the exact articles.