What the Housing Service Covers
The brief is normally set by the company and lived in by the family, so we work to both: the budget and approval route on one side, the commute, the school run and the language of daily life on the other.
Brief, shortlist and viewings
District and building shortlisted against the office location, the school if there is one, and the household's actual requirements — not against a generic list of "foreigner-friendly" areas.
Landlord and property verification
Who is registered as the owner, what is already secured against the property, and whether the person signing is the owner or an agent with authority to sign.
Negotiation and lease drafting support
Deposit and rent, the term, break terms, restoration obligations, and the treatment of fixtures — reviewed in the language the company reads, not only in Korean.
Deposit protection through to completion
Possession, alien registration and the report of the place of stay, then the fixed date on the contract. We treat these as one workflow rather than three unrelated errands.
Interim housing and the handover
Serviced residences for the weeks between arrival and move-in, utilities and internet connection, and the check-in condition record that matters when the lease ends.
Choosing Between Jeonse, Wolse and a Serviced Residence
Under jeonse (전세) the tenant places a single large deposit and pays no monthly rent; the landlord's return is the use of that money. Under wolse (월세) the deposit is smaller and monthly rent is paid on top. A serviced residence is usually a service contract rather than a residential lease, which changes both the cash profile and the protection.
| Jeonse | Wolse | Serviced residence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash at signature | One large deposit, no monthly rent | Smaller deposit plus monthly rent | Little or none; billed monthly |
| Usual funding route | Company, as a returnable asset | Split — allowance against monthly rent | Company, as an expense |
| Deposit exposure | High — the whole amount sits with the landlord | Moderate | Minimal |
| Best fit | Long postings where capital can be tied up | Most standard postings | First weeks and short assignments |
| Protection that applies | Housing Lease Protection Act, once possession and the address registration are in place | Same | Usually a service contract, so the Act may not apply |
Where the company itself is the tenant, note that the Act extends opposing power to a corporate tenant only where the company is a small or medium enterprise under the Framework Act on Small and Medium Enterprises leasing the home for an employee's residence, and it runs from the day after the selected employee takes possession and completes the address registration.
How the Lease Process Runs
The order below is deliberate. Each step either creates the evidence the next one needs, or starts a legal clock.
Brief and shortlist
Budget, structure, district, size, timing and whether the company or the individual will be the tenant.
Viewings and verification
Alongside the viewings we check the ownership and the encumbrances. Anyone intending to enter a lease may, with the landlord's consent, ask the fixed-date authority for the recorded fixed date, rent and deposit information on that home.
Negotiation and signature
A lease with no agreed term, or a term shorter than two years, is treated as two years — though the tenant may assert that the shorter agreed term is valid. That default belongs in the negotiation, not in a surprise later.
Deposit remittance and possession
Company approval, the remittance route and the signature date have to line up. Possession is one of the two limbs of protection and is factual, not documentary.
Alien registration and the report of the place of stay
Alien registration within 90 days of entry where the stay exceeds 90 days, and the report of the place of stay within 15 days of moving in. Under the Immigration Act these take the place of resident registration and the move-in report, so this is what starts the tenant's protection.
Fixed date, then move-in
The fixed date is given by the eup, myeon or dong office, a si, gun or gu branch office, a district court or its branch, a registry office, or a notary. Possession plus the address registration gives opposing power from the following day; the fixed date adds priority for repayment of the deposit if the home is auctioned.
What to Prepare
Very little of this is unusual — the difficulty is that several items are needed before the assignee has the Korean documents that normally produce them, which is why housing and registration are planned as one sequence.
| Item | Held by | Needed for |
|---|---|---|
| Passport and visa | The assignee | Viewings, signature, and the registrations that follow |
| Alien registration card, once issued | The assignee | The fixed date, utilities, internet and most contracts |
| Certificate of employment from the Korean entity | The company | Landlord assurance and, where relevant, corporate guarantee |
| Corporate documents where the company is the tenant | The company | Signing in the company's name, and the small or medium enterprise position under the Act |
| Deposit funds and the approved remittance route | The company or the assignee | Signature date; the deposit and the signature have to coincide |
| Interim accommodation booking | Either | The gap between arrival and move-in |
Requirements vary by landlord, building and district. We confirm what a specific landlord will ask for before the viewing rather than at the signing table.
What to Watch Out For
Most housing problems for assignees are not about the apartment. They are about the deposit and the calendar.
Delaying the immigration-side registration
Because alien registration and the report of the place of stay take the place of resident registration and the move-in report, delaying them delays the moment the tenant's protection begins — on a deposit that may exceed a year of salary.
Signing before the encumbrances are checked
What is already secured against the property determines what a tenant would actually recover. This is checked before signature, not after.
Assuming the renewal is automatic and free
It largely is, but with rules. If the landlord gives no notice of refusal between six and two months before the end and the tenant gives none up to two months before, the lease renews on the same terms for two years. A rent or deposit increase may not be demanded within one year of the lease or the last increase, and may not exceed one twentieth.
Leaving Korea before the deposit is returned
Where the lease has ended and the deposit has not been returned, the tenant may apply for an order to register the lease right. Once that registration is made, the opposing power and priority already acquired are not lost even after the tenant gives up possession — which is exactly the situation at the end of a posting.
Housing Service — Frequently Asked Questions
Can the company sign the lease instead of the assignee?
It can, and it often does where the company funds the deposit. Note the limit though: the Housing Lease Protection Act extends opposing power to a corporate tenant only where the company is a small or medium enterprise under the Framework Act on Small and Medium Enterprises leasing the home for an employee's residence, and the protection runs from the day after the selected employee takes possession and completes the address registration. We check which structure gives your case the better position before the lease is drafted.
How is a foreign tenant's deposit protected?
By two things in combination. Taking possession of the home and completing the address registration gives opposing power from the following day, so a new owner takes the property subject to the lease. Adding a fixed date to the contract gives priority to be repaid the deposit out of the sale proceeds ahead of later creditors if the home is auctioned. Foreign nationals have no resident registration, so alien registration and the report of the place of stay serve as the address registration.
Do we need housing before the assignee arrives?
Not necessarily, and often it is better not to fix it in advance. Most households view after arrival and use a serviced residence in the meantime, because the alien registration card that many landlords and utilities expect only exists after entry. We plan the interim period so the gap is short and predictable.
Related
Statutory references on this page were checked against the current text of the Housing Lease Protection Act and the Immigration Act on the National Law Information Centre (law.go.kr). We do not publish market rent or deposit levels here, because they vary by district, building and season. Pricing is not published on this site — scope and fees are quoted individually after a consultation.
Housing an arriving household?
Tell us the district constraints, the budget structure and the move-in date — we will set out the search and the lease timeline together.
Discuss Housing Support →