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Written on 2026-10-26 after checking public pages from HUG (including its mobile product page), HF and the Seoul housing portal. Application availability was as of that date and can change. This is not a recommendation of any institution or product. No application was made and no logged-in screens were viewed. The only image is a self-made illustration. Nothing here promises income.
The diagram below is a self-made illustration, not a real screen.
Jeonse deposit insurance pays your deposit back if your lease ends and the landlord does not. This guide covers jeonse deposit insurance eligibility, limits and fees using official information from the Korea Housing & Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG) and the Korea Housing Finance Corporation (HF). It does not point you to either one.
Who this suits
- People who have signed, or are about to sign, a jeonse lease
- People worried that their deposit is high compared with the house price
1. Who can get HUG jeonse deposit insurance (전세보증금반환보증)?
- Eligible housing: apartments, detached and multi-household houses, row houses and multiplexes, senior welfare housing, and residential officetels. For an officetel, the lease or broker’s property description must say “residential”. Neighborhood commercial facilities are not eligible.
- Guarantee limit: house price × 90% − senior claims
– Example (illustrative numbers): for a 100 million won house, a 90 million won deposit qualifies, but 95 million won does not.
- Deposit cap: 700 million won in the capital area, 500 million won elsewhere
- Main conditions
– You live there and have a move-in report and a fixed-date stamp
– Senior claims are within 60% of the house value
– No auction, seizure or similar claims on the title, and the landlord owns both the building and the land
– The lease runs 1 year or more and was made through a licensed broker
– The building is not listed as an illegal building (apartments excepted)
- Application deadline
– New lease: before half the lease term has passed, counted from the later of the final payment date and the move-in report date
– Renewal: from 1 month before the old lease ends until half the renewed term has passed
- Fee: covered amount × fee rate × lease days / 365. The rate depends on the deposit, the housing type and the debt ratio (0.115% to 0.154% a year on the mobile page). Applying on mobile and paying in one go each give a 3% discount.
- Guarantee period: from the issue date until 1 month after the lease ends
- Documents (mobile): lease with a fixed-date stamp (plus the original lease for renewals), a move-in household record issued within 1 month, proof of deposit payment (receipts or transfers), and a resident registration copy
- Where to apply: HUG branches, partner banks, or the HUG mobile app. On the check date, the app said apartment and officetel applications were temporarily unavailable.
- Contact: HUG 1566-9009
2. Who can get the HF Jeonse Jikim Guarantee (전세지킴보증)?
- Only for tenants who already use an HF Jeonse Loan Guarantee (전세자금보증) at the handling bank, or who apply for one at the same time. You apply at that bank.
- The house price, as HF calculates it, must be 1.2 billion won or less.
- Limit: the lower of house price × 90% − total senior claims, and the regional cap (700 million won in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon; 500 million won elsewhere)
- Senior claim limits: for detached and multi-household houses, total senior claims within 80% of the house value and senior mortgages within 60%; for other housing, within 60%
- Fee rate: 0.04% to 0.18% a year (LTV up to 70%: 0.04%; 70 to 80%: 0.11%; 80 to 90%: 0.18%). Qualifying households get 0.02 percentage points off.
3. Can you get the jeonse insurance fee back? (fee support)
- Under a Ministry of Land program, the local government refunds HUG fees you have already paid to your own account.
- Young adults and newlyweds (married within 7 years): the full fee paid, up to 400,000 won
- Other tenants: 90% of the fee paid, up to 400,000 won
- These amounts apply to policies taken out from 31 March 2025 (up to 300,000 won for earlier ones). The age that counts as “young” depends on local rules.
4. How is the jeonse deposit insurance limit calculated?
Example (illustrative numbers): a house priced at 200 million won with a 30 million won senior mortgage
- House price × 90% = 180 million won
- Minus senior claims: 180 − 30 = 150 million won
- A deposit of 150 million won or less fits within the HUG limit. Other conditions still apply, such as senior claims being within 60% of the house value.
Common mistakes
- Trying to apply after half the lease term has passed
- Signing without checking senior mortgages
- Signing directly with the landlord, without a broker, and missing the conditions
Checklist
- ☐ Move-in report and fixed-date stamp
- ☐ Mortgages and seizures checked on the title record
- ☐ Deposit within house price × 90% − senior claims
- ☐ Deadline (half the lease term) noted
- ☐ Local notice checked for fee support
Related guides
FAQ
When must I apply?
For HUG, a new lease must apply before half the lease term has passed, counted from the later of the final payment date and the move-in report date. For renewals, from 1 month before the old lease ends until half the renewed term has passed.
How much does it cost?
HUG: deposit × fee rate × days/365, with the rate depending on deposit, housing type and debt ratio. HF Jeonse Jikim: 0.04%–0.18% a year.
Are officetels eligible?
For HUG, yes, if the contract or the broker’s property disclosure marks it as residential.
Is a direct deal without a broker OK?
No. HUG requires a lease made through a licensed real estate agent.
How much fee support is there?
For sign-ups on or after March 31, 2025: young adults and newlyweds get the full fee back, others 90%, each up to 400,000 won, paid by the local government.
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