Korean Expat Community for National Disasters

Finding accommodation is a problem that probably every international student has to face. It is not an easy task, especially if you are not fluent in Korean like me. Here, I will share my own experience on how I could rent one-room as a first-year student who speaks limited Korean. Before that, here is what you have to know about Korean housing: There are various types of accommodation besides university dormitories: officetel, one-room studios, two-rooms, apartments, etc. Each of them differs in price, size, and comfort level. Among them, one-room and two-room apartments are quite common, especially for students because of affordability. They are rented on a monthly rent or deposit basis. There is 월세 (wolse) where you pay rent every month in addition to a certain amount of deposit that you give when moving in and get it back when moving out. Also, there is 전세 (cheonse) where you pay a big amount of deposit beforehand and that's it, there won't be a need to pay monthly. You get the deposit back when your contract ends, but the amount is usually quite large so, many people opt for wolse. Many owners ask for a maintenance fee (관리비) which is not included in the rent. Sometimes the rent is low but maintenance fees are expensive or vice versa, so do your math when checking the rooms and compare. Even if the rent is low, it might exceed expenses with kuallibi (관리비) compared to rooms with higher rent. Here is a step-by-step process of finding an accommodation: Step 1. Do your little research on housing in your area. Check the deposit, rent, maintenance fee, the size, and location of the rooms. You can do that on apps like Dabang (다방), Zigbang (직방), or Karrot(당근) and get a general idea of what to expect. For me, Karrot was more convenient, because there was more information and real-life pictures of the room. P.S. The prices on the apps are not given in thousands or hundreds as we usually see but in units of 만 (10 000). You probably see numbers like 월세 200/33, which means the deposit is 2 million won and the monthly rent is 330 thousand won, or 전세 4,500 which means the rent-free deposit is 45 million won. The size is mostly shown in units of 평 (pyeong), not in m2. Step 2. Once you get to know roughly the pricing and amenities you would like to have in your place, decide how to actually find accommodation. One of the ways is just contacting through the apps above. The difference is that Dabang and Zigbang houses are uploaded by realtors and they will contact you first when you leave a message, meaning there will be extra commission too. On Karrot, on the other hand, house owners upload as well, so you won't have to go through real estate agents. Another way is visiting a realtor's office in your neighborhood. They can find you the best option according to your needs and budget. This is the fastest and stress-free way to find accommodation. Communicationwise, some people offer interpreting services. If you can afford it, hire one to make the process smoother. The third way is to walk around your neighborhood look for signs of accommodation rentals and call the number on it. This is the most cost-effective way but quite time and energy-consuming. I contacted house owners in this way in addition to Karrot. I messaged over 20 people and got a reply from only half of them (calling would've been faster, but I messaged because I am not fluent in Korean and had to use a translator). And with only a couple of them, I could arrange a meeting, which left me with very few options. Step 3. See the place in person and check if it matches your requirements. In my case, because I cook a lot, my top priority was a separate kitchen from the bedroom, which made it quite challenging to find one (If you need that type of housing, look for 분리형(detachable) sign). The point is, that the more demands you have, the more difficult it is to find a room. Step 4. Once you make up your mind on a certain accommodation make a contract with the owner. Read the contract thoroughly, get answers to your questions before signing it, and try to negotiate if you are not satisfied with anything (if you have friends who are fluent Korean speakers, ask them to help you, if not, use a translator). Most rental contracts are done for 6 months minimum (I was rejected several times because house owners preferred one-year deals). Step 5. If you get to make a contract, congratulations! Now you only have to move in. But don't forget to report the change of residence. You can do that by visiting the nearest community service center, the Immigration Office,  or online at https://www.hikorea.go.kr/. Note that it should be done within 14 days of the date of the change, otherwise, you will be fined. I hope this information was useful to you in starting your apartment-hunting journey. Good luck!