How do you make sure you actually get your deposit back?

Move-in day is where you win or lose this. Almost every deposit dispute is decided by evidence that either exists from day one or does not exist at all.

What to do on move-in day, in about 30 minutes:

1. Photograph and video everything before you unpack. Every wall, the floor, the ceiling, inside cupboards, the bathroom, window frames, the front door, every appliance. Open the fridge, run the taps, turn on the aircon. Get the whole room in a slow video walkthrough as well as individual photos.
2. Photograph every existing defect close up, with something for scale.
3. Make sure the timestamps are intact — do not screenshot and delete originals.
4. Send them to the landlord or agent the same day, by KakaoTalk or email, with a short message: "Moving in today, here is the condition of the room." Their reply, or even just the delivered message, is the record that matters. This step is what most people skip and it is the most valuable one.
5. Photograph the meters — electricity, gas, water — on the day you move in and the day you leave.

During the tenancy:

- Get 확정일자 at the community centre right after signing. It gives your deposit legal priority if the owner defaults. Under 1,000 won.
- Report anything that breaks in writing rather than by phone, so there is a record it was pre-existing or their responsibility.
- Keep every rent transfer receipt.

On move-out:

- Clean properly. "Cleaning" deductions are the most common charge and the easiest to remove by leaving the place genuinely clean.
- Do the same photo and video walkthrough on the empty room.
- Agree the return date in writing. Deposits are normally returned on the day you hand back the keys; a landlord asking to wait until a new tenant is found is not entitled to do that.

If they refuse: the Korea Legal Aid Corporation offers free help, and district foreigner support centres and the Seoul Global Center handle these cases regularly with interpreters. There is also a small claims process that works. Foreign students often assume they have no recourse — they do, and landlords generally know it, which is why documented tenants get their money back.

The short version: 30 minutes with your phone on day one is worth more than any argument later.