Find your apartment without getting scammed
Wolse (monthly rent) is your safest bet. Here's the playbook.
Need the full details? Read our comprehensive Housing Guide.
Choose wolse, not jeonse (for now)
Jeonse requires a massive deposit (often $50K-$300K+) with real fraud risk. Wolse is a smaller deposit (5-20M KRW) plus monthly rent, like how renting works in most countries. For your first apartment in Korea, wolse is the safe choice.
Tip: Typical wolse: 5-10M KRW deposit + 800K-2.5M KRW monthly rent depending on area and size.
Use a real estate agent (부동산)
Walk into any 부동산 office in your target neighborhood (they are on every block). Tell them your budget and preferences. They will show you apartments, handle the contract, and verify the landlord's ownership. Commission is regulated by law (0.3-0.8% of contract value).
Tip: For expat-friendly agents, try neighborhoods like Itaewon, Gangnam, or Hongdae where agents are used to foreign clients.
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Check the property registry before signing
Ask for the 등기부등본 (property registry document). This shows who actually owns the property and if there are any liens or mortgages on it. If the landlord is not the registered owner, or total debts on the property exceed 70% of its value, walk away.
Sign the contract and register
Standard lease is 2 years. Pay 10% deposit at signing, remaining 90% at move-in. After signing, go to your district office (동사무소) to get a confirmed date (확정일자) stamped on your lease. This protects your deposit legally.
Tip: The contract will be in Korean. Get it translated or have a Korean-speaking friend review it. The English version (if provided) is not legally binding.
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Budget for extras beyond rent
Monthly costs beyond rent: management fee (관리비, 50-200K KRW), electricity (30-80K), gas/heating (20-100K, spikes in winter), water (10-20K), internet (20-40K). Total utilities run about 150-400K KRW/month on top of rent.
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