Real Estate & Lease Disputes
For foreign residents in Korea · Pyeongtaek
Korean housing runs on deposits. You may have handed over a sum that dwarfs the rent, on the understanding that you get it back at the end — and now the end has come and it has not come back.
For a foreign tenant this is doubly uncomfortable. The protections that exist here are real, but they attach to steps you may not know you were supposed to take, and some of them stop protecting you the moment you move out and change your registered address.
The same is true from the other side. Landlords who need a property back cannot simply take it back. Whichever side you are on, the sequence matters more than the argument.
Is this you?
If any of these apply, this page is for you.
- Your lease has ended and your deposit has not been returned
- You need to move out but the deposit is still unpaid
- A tenant has stopped paying rent and will not leave
- You are in dispute over lease terms, renewal, or repairs
- You are being obstructed in recovering a premium on a commercial lease
- You co-own a property and want it divided or sold
- A sale has gone wrong — the other side will not complete, or wants out
How the process works
Find where your case is now.
Reading the contract and the facts
The lease or sale contract, the property register, and the paper trail between you — notices, messages, receipts.
What you can do at this stage — Assemble the documents and identify who actually holds the rights on the register. A single clause in the contract can decide the whole dispute. A formal written notice is sometimes sent at this point.
Locking things down
If the other side disposes of the property or hands over possession, winning later may not help you.
What you can do at this stage — Depending on the dispute, this is where measures such as a lease registration order, an injunction against transferring possession, or provisional attachment are considered.
Litigation
The claim is brought in the form that fits the dispute — recovery of a deposit, possession, division of co-owned property, damages, or transfer of title.
What you can do at this stage — Submit arguments and evidence, obtain objective proof such as expert valuation, and negotiate through the court.
Judgment and enforcement
If the other side still does not comply, the judgment has to be enforced — eviction, auction, distribution of proceeds.
What you can do at this stage — Pursue the enforcement route that matches the judgment.
These cases are won by fitting the facts to the right legal theory — and the protective steps taken early are what preserve the result.
What We Will Tell You Honestly
- Whether your deposit is actually recoverable, and in what order you rank against other creditors.
- Which protections under Korean housing lease law apply to you as a foreign tenant — and which deadlines you must not miss.
Frequently Asked Questions
My deposit has not been returned but I have to move out. What do I do?
Order matters here more than anywhere else. The protections a tenant builds up are tied to holding the property and to your registered address — so moving out and re-registering elsewhere before securing your position can weaken what you had. There is a registration procedure designed for exactly this situation, and it needs to be completed before you go, not after.
Do Korean tenant protections apply to me as a foreigner?
The housing lease protections are not restricted to Korean nationals. What varies is whether you completed the steps they attach to. That is the first thing we check, because it decides what position you are actually in.
What deadlines must I not miss?
The ones that bite are usually tied to moving out, to responding to court documents, and to the timing of notices around renewal or termination. The notice periods in particular vary with the type of contract and the circumstances, so there is no single number that applies to every lease. Bring the dates — when the contract was signed, when it ends, and when you received anything in writing — and we will map them against your contract.
My tenant will not pay and will not leave. Can I change the locks or remove their things?
No. Taking the property back yourself creates a second, worse legal problem on top of the first. Recovering possession goes through court process and enforcement, usually with a protective step taken first to stop possession being passed to someone else.
We co-own a property and the other owner will not cooperate.
A co-owner can seek division, and division does happen — the argument is over the method rather than whether it occurs at all. Which method applies depends on the property and the parties.
Can I just get a consultation and decide later?
Yes. You are not committing to anything by booking one. Plenty of people book an assessment, find out where they stand, and decide to do nothing — sometimes with our agreement. Knowing your position first is the point.
Fees for this area
We tell you the cost from the start.
Retainer from ₩3,000,000
Figures shown are exclusive of VAT.
It depends on the type of dispute and the amount in issue. The exact figure is quoted after we review your case, and it does not grow while the case is running.
Some procedures are standardised enough that people handle them without representation. We will tell you at the consultation which parts of your situation genuinely need us and which do not.
See full fee informationGuides in this area
Getting Your Housing Deposit Back
How to get your housing deposit back in Korea: the notice deadlines, the lease registration order (임차권등기명령), and when a lawsuit is worth filing.
Reviewed 2026-08
Jeonse, Explained
What jeonse (전세) is, how Korea's lump-sum deposit lease compares to wolse, and the steps that keep your deposit safe — explained for foreign residents.
Reviewed 2026-08
Lease Registration Order (임차권등기명령)
How to get a lease registration order in Korea: when you qualify, filing step by step (self-filing included), costs recoverable from the landlord, and what to verify before moving out.
Reviewed 2026-08
Move-Out Checklist and Deadlines
Moving out of a Korean lease: notice deadlines, the deposit-first order of operations, repair-reserve refunds, utility settlement, and the 15-day address rule.
Reviewed 2026-08
Reading a Korean Lease Before Signing
How to read a Korean lease before signing: matching the register, the special clauses (특약) that decide disputes, the landlord's tax certificates, and the agent's duties.
Reviewed 2026-08
Discuss Your Case
Consultation with the Attorney
60 minutes · ₩150,000 (approx. US$110), VAT included
If the consultation ends within 30 minutes, you pay only ₩100,000 (approx. US$70).
We review the facts and your documents, then tell you the legal issues and how we would approach them. The same fee whichever language you speak, Korean or English — conducted by the attorney who would actually handle your case, not by staff, and not through an interpreter.
The same fees are published on our Korean-language site.
This page provides general information only and is not legal advice. Outcomes depend on the specific facts of each case. No attorney–client relationship is created by viewing this page or submitting an inquiry.