A housing lease in Korea must be reported within 30 days of signing whenever the deposit exceeds 60 million won or the monthly rent exceeds 300,000 won. Crossing either one triggers the obligation. The four-year grace period that followed the rule's June 2021 introduction ended on 31 May 2025, so contracts newly signed from 1 June onward face fines for failure to report or late reporting.
The fine amounts came down in the process. According to Energy Economy News, an amended enforcement decree promulgated and effective on 29 April 2025 cut the range from 40,000–1,000,000 won to 20,000–300,000 won. The figures fell, but the meaningful change is that enforcement actually began.
Is My Contract Reportable?
There are two thresholds: a deposit above 60 million won, or monthly rent above 300,000 won. The distinction between "above" and "at or above" is where people slip. A pure jeonse (lump-sum deposit lease) of exactly 60 million won with no monthly rent does not cross the line and is not reportable. At 60.01 million won it is.
The second common misunderstanding is that deposit and rent are not combined into a single converted figure. Even for a semi-jeonse arrangement, each amount is measured against its own threshold. A contract with a 50 million won deposit and 300,000 won monthly rent clears neither line and is exempt — raise the rent to 310,000 won and it becomes reportable with the deposit unchanged.
| Contract terms | Deposit test (above 60M won) | Rent test (above 300K won) | Reportable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeonse 60M won | Below | N/A | No |
| Jeonse 61M won | Above | N/A | Yes |
| Deposit 30M / rent 250K won | Below | Below | No |
| Deposit 50M / rent 300K won | Below | Below | No |
| Deposit 50M / rent 310K won | Below | Above | Yes |
| Deposit 10M / rent 600K won | Below | Above | Yes |
| Deposit 200M / no rent | Above | N/A | Yes |
| Deposit 300M / rent 1M won | Above | Above | Yes |
Geography is a separate filter. As Kuki News summarizes, the rule covers residential buildings across the entire Seoul metropolitan area and in city-designated areas of the provinces. Metropolitan cities, Sejong and Jeju City are included; within provinces the si (city) units qualify while gun (county) areas fall outside. A property in a gun area carries no reporting duty even when the amounts exceed both thresholds.
Deposit and rent are never summed. Each is measured against its own line, and crossing either one makes the contract reportable.
How Much Is the Fine — Between 20,000 and 300,000 Won
Financial News reports that violating the duty draws a fine of 20,000 up to 300,000 won. Two variables move the number within that band: the contract amount and how long the report was delayed.
As KB explains, the floor of 20,000 won applies where the contract amount is under 100 million won and the delay is three months or less. The ceiling of 300,000 won applies where the contract amount reaches 500 million won or more and the delay exceeds two years, or where a party refuses joint reporting. Longer delays and larger contracts climb the scale.
| Category | Conditions | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Late/missing report, floor | Contract under 100M won, delay 3 months or less | 20,000 won |
| Late/missing report, ceiling | Contract 500M won or more, delay over 2 years or refusal to report jointly | 300,000 won |
| False reporting | Filing details that differ from the facts | Up to 1,000,000 won |
False reporting sits in its own category and runs far heavier — up to one million won. Entering amounts that differ from the contract belongs here. Set against a maximum of 300,000 won for delay, filing late but accurately is the cheaper failure.
The cutoff date matters too. Contracts signed during the grace period are excluded from penalties; the rule applies to contracts newly signed from 1 June 2025. Actual assessment work began in July.
Does a Residence Registration Cover It?
When a tenant submits the lease contract while filing a jeonipsingo (residence registration), the reporting duty is treated as fulfilled and a confirmed date is granted automatically. The reverse holds as well: completing the lease report confers the confirmed date. For anyone registering residence on moving day, that means one counter visit instead of two.
The sequence can break, though. If the contract is signed but move-in is two months out, waiting for the residence registration blows through the 30-day window. The clock runs from the contract signing date, not the move-in date. The later the balance payment and occupancy, the more sense it makes to file the lease report first. What the confirmed date and residence registration each actually secure is covered in the split between opposing power and priority repayment rights.
Renewals follow different terms. Continuing an existing contract with no change to deposit or rent is not reportable; only renewals that change the amounts are. Using the lease renewal right with an increase held within 5% does change the amount, so it falls inside the duty. How that ceiling is calculated appears in the conversion rate that sets the monthly rent cap.
| Situation | Report required | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| New contract above the thresholds | Yes | Within 30 days of signing |
| Renewal with changed deposit or rent | Yes | Amount-changing renewals are covered |
| Renewal with no change in amounts | No | Unchanged renewals are excluded |
| Contract submitted at residence registration | Treated as filed | Deemed reported, confirmed date granted |
| Contract below both thresholds | No | Under 60M won and 300K won alike |
Concern about tax exposure comes up frequently. The government has stated that the system exists to protect tenants and that the data is not used as tax material for rental income.
What to Check
- Measure deposit and rent separately — no summing, no conversion. Crossing either the 60 million or 300,000 won line is enough
- Confirm the property sits in a covered area — the whole Seoul metropolitan region, metropolitan cities, Sejong, Jeju City and provincial si areas qualify; gun areas do not
- The 30 days run from signing, not move-in — file early when the balance payment is far out
- Check whether residence registration lands inside 30 days — if not, file the lease report separately and first
- For renewals, verify whether amounts changed — even an increase within 5% counts as a change
- Report the amounts exactly as written — delay caps at 300,000 won, but false reporting runs to one million
- Joint reporting is the default — a single party may file if the other refuses, and refusal is cited as an aggravating factor in setting the fine