Korea's housing lease reporting rule: who, when and how

What the lease reporting rule is

Korea's housing lease reporting rule requires the parties to a jeonse (large lump-sum deposit, no monthly rent) or wolse (monthly rent) lease to report its terms to the local authority; it is often called the jeonse-wolse reporting rule. Based on the Act on Report on Real Estate Transactions, it took effect on 1 June 2021. Just as sales must be reported, leases must be reported with the deposit, monthly rent and term, so that actual market prices can be collected and published for tenants to check. For tenants there is also a practical benefit: reporting can come with an automatic fixed date stamp, saving a separate trip. For four years after launch there was a grace period with no fines, which ended on 31 May 2025. So leases signed from 1 June 2025 can draw a fine if not reported. Reporting is an administrative duty; failing to report does not make the lease itself void.

What must be reported: area and amount

Not every lease must be reported; both area and amount conditions apply. The areas are the whole capital region including Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi, the metropolitan cities, Sejong Special Self-Governing City, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, and city areas within other provinces; county areas within provinces are excluded. The amounts are a deposit over KRW 60 million or monthly rent over KRW 300,000. Exceeding either one is enough, so even a small deposit with rent over KRW 300,000 must be reported. Covered homes are residential buildings under the Housing Lease Protection Act: apartments, multi-unit houses and detached houses, and places such as officetels when actually used as homes. Detailed scope can vary by case, so ask your local community service centre if unsure. These thresholds follow Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport guidance as of 2026 and may change.

• Whole capital region, metropolitan cities, Sejong, Jeju
• Other provinces: city areas only, not counties
• Deposit over KRW 60 million or rent over KRW 300,000
• Exceeding either one is enough

Deadline and how to report

Reporting is due within 30 days of signing the lease. The key point is that the clock starts on the contract date, not the balance payment or move-in date. Both landlord and tenant have the duty and should in principle report jointly, but if one of them reports with a contract signed or sealed by both, it counts as a joint report. In practice tenants often report alone with the contract. There are two ways: submit a form at the community service centre for the area where the home is, or report online through the Ministry's Real Estate Transaction Management System after identity verification. If you cannot do it yourself, an agent with a power of attorney can report for you. You enter the property address, deposit and monthly rent, lease term and the parties' details, and attaching a copy of the contract simplifies checks. If the dates are confusing, use a date calculator to find day 30.

• Within 30 days of signing
• Joint duty; one party with the contract counts as joint
• Community service centre or the online system
• Agents need a power of attorney

Automatic fixed date and move-in registration

For tenants, the most practical part is the fixed date. A fixed date stamp is an official date on the lease showing it existed on that day; for a tenant who has also completed move-in registration and actually lives there, it sets their priority to recover the deposit if the home goes to auction or public sale. Reporting the lease with the contract attached gives a fixed date automatically, so no separate application is needed. It works the other way too: if a tenant submits the lease contract when registering their move-in at the community service centre, this can be treated as the lease report, so everything is done on moving day. But priority repayment does not come from the fixed date alone; you also need move-in registration and actual occupancy, so reporting does not by itself complete deposit protection. For the bigger picture, see our articles on checking a lease contract and on getting your deposit back.

Example: is my lease reportable?

The following cases are hypothetical. First, a jeonse lease with a KRW 100 million deposit and no rent in a city in Gyeonggi meets both conditions, so it must be reported. Second, a lease in Seoul with a KRW 10 million deposit and KRW 500,000 monthly rent has a deposit below the threshold but rent over KRW 300,000, so it must be reported. Third, a lease in a metropolitan city with a KRW 30 million deposit and KRW 250,000 rent exceeds neither, so it need not be reported. Fourth, a KRW 100 million deposit lease in a county area of a province exceeds the amount but falls outside the areas, so it need not be reported. Now the dates. If you sign on 10 March and pay the balance and move in on 20 April, the deadline is 30 days from 10 March, the signing date, not move-in. Waiting to report with move-in registration could miss the deadline, so in such cases report separately right after signing. Actual coverage is for the authority to decide.

Common misconceptions

Several misconceptions come up. First, that only the landlord reports; both have the duty, and a tenant reporting alone with the contract counts as a joint report. Second, that you can report after moving in; the deadline is 30 days from signing. Third, the worry that an unreported lease is void is mistaken; reporting is an administrative duty, so fines may arise but the lease remains valid. Fourth, that a fixed date must be obtained separately; it is given automatically when you report with the contract. Fifth, that a fixed date alone protects the deposit; move-in registration and actual occupancy are also needed. Sixth, that every renewal must be reported; a renewal with unchanged amounts is generally not reportable.

• Only landlords report: a tenant alone counts as joint
• Report after moving in: 30 days from signing
• Unreported lease is void: fines are separate from validity
• Fixed date separately: automatic with the contract

Checklist after signing

After signing a lease, the following order reduces omissions. First, check whether the home is in a covered area. Next, see whether the deposit exceeds KRW 60 million or the monthly rent exceeds KRW 300,000. If it is covered, mark day 30 from signing in your calendar and agree with the landlord who will report. If you report yourself, prepare the contract signed or sealed by both and report at the community service centre or through the online system. Afterwards, confirm the fixed date has been stamped, and do not forget move-in registration on moving day. If you signed through a real estate agent, the agent may help with reporting, but confirm for yourself that the report was actually filed. Keep the completion screen or receipt.

• Check whether the area is covered
• Check the deposit and rent thresholds
• Mark day 30 from signing in your calendar
• Report with the contract; confirm the fixed date
• Register your move-in; keep the receipt

Common case 1: you missed the 30 days

In a busy period, 30 days can slip by. Even then, reporting as soon as you notice is best. For leases signed from 1 June 2025, after the grace period ended, a late or missing report can draw a fine. In 2025 the Ministry amended the enforcement decree to lower fines for simple late or missing reports: under that standard they range from KRW 20,000 up to KRW 300,000 depending on the lease amount and delay, while a false report is separately subject to up to KRW 1 million. These amounts follow the decree as amended in 2025 and may change, so check with the local authority. Leases signed during the grace period were excluded from fines. Since both parties have the duty, a fine can in principle fall on whichever party did not report, so agreeing at signing who will report, and telling the other party once it is done, reduces disputes. Texts asking you to pay a fine into a personal account may be scams; check the notice and the authority directly.

Common case 2: renewals, changed amounts and cancellations

Reporting the original lease is not the end. If the deposit or rent of a reportable lease changes, a change must be reported, and a renewal with different amounts must be reported too; a deposit raised through the lease renewal right is a typical case. A renewal that only extends the term with unchanged amounts is generally not reportable. If a lease is cancelled, the cancellation must be reported. Change and cancellation reports are also due within 30 days of the event in principle. If the deposit rose, the extra amount needs a new fixed date to gain priority, so check that the fixed date was reflected along with the change report. For tenants paying monthly rent, the report and fixed-date record can also help document residence when claiming the monthly rent tax credit. For the cap on increases at renewal, see our article on the lease renewal right.

• Renewal or change with new amounts: report
• Term-only extension, same amounts: generally exempt
• Cancelled lease: report the cancellation
• Higher deposit: check the fixed date covers it

Limits and disclaimer

This article explains Korea's housing lease reporting rule in general terms; it is not legal advice on any individual lease. The start date (1 June 2021), covered areas and amounts (deposit over KRW 60 million or monthly rent over KRW 300,000) and the 30-day deadline follow Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport guidance as of 2026, and the fine amounts follow the enforcement decree as amended in 2025. The detailed scope of covered homes, requirements for change and cancellation reports and how fines are set vary by case and time and may change with legislation. Rules can change from year to year, so before reporting check official guidance from the Ministry, the Real Estate Transaction Management System, your community service centre and the Korean Law Information Center of the Ministry of Government Legislation. All examples are hypothetical. Treat any message using reporting or fines as a pretext to ask for personal data or money with suspicion, and confirm with the authority directly. For lease disputes, consider public services such as the Korea Legal Aid Corporation or the Housing Lease Dispute Mediation Committee.