Hello, everyone!
It’s Vijob. 👋
When you start studying in Korea, the biggest concern after school is finding a place to live.
Especially if you are an international student who has just arrived in Korea, terms like deposit, monthly rent, maintenance fee, registry certificate, and fixed date can feel difficult at first.
Today, we’ll briefly organize only the things foreign students should check when finding housing in Korea, from before signing the contract to after moving in.
🔎 1. Before signing, check the place in person
It is best to avoid signing based only on online photos or sending money in advance.
Visit the place in person and check the following.
✔ Whether the photos match the actual room
✔ Whether there is mold or water leakage
✔ Whether the heating and air conditioner work properly
✔ Whether appliances such as a refrigerator and washing machine are included
✔ Whether utilities such as water and internet are included in the maintenance fee
It is important to check the actual housing cost by adding the maintenance fee to the monthly rent, instead of looking at the rent alone.
📄 2. Check the owner in the registry certificate
Before signing the contract, check the certificate of registered matters (등기부등본).
Here, you can
find out who the actual owner is
see how much debt or mortgage is attached
check whether there are issues such as seizure
You can verify these things.
👉 Be sure to compare whether the landlord named in the contract is the same as the owner listed in the registry certificate.
✍️ 3. Check the contract details carefully
At minimum, the following details must be clearly written in the contract.
📍 Address
💰 Deposit · monthly rent
📅 Contract period
💳 Payment date for deposit and balance
🏠 Move-in date
🧾 Maintenance fee and included items
👤 Landlord and tenant information
If Korean is difficult, do not sign right away without understanding it.
💰 4. Send the deposit only after checking
In Korea, it is common to pay the deposit first when signing a contract.
However, the deposit is not always set at 10% of the full deposit amount.
Before sending money, be sure to proceed in this order: check the home → check the registry certificate → check the contract details → check the account holder name .
In particular, be careful about sending money right away to someone you have contacted only through SNS or messenger without seeing the place.