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[NOTICE] Checkmate's Essential Guide for Move-in in Korea
Hi, this is Checkmate.
We are getting a lot of questions about moving in in Korea.
Although we are helping with step-by-step guide on finding a housing, we would like to tell you these tips before you actually move in.
1.
PREPARE CASH
Let's say you found a house you'd like to move in, and you signed the provisional contract. Now, all you have to do is to pay the rest of the deposit AND the first-month rent when you visit the real estate agency in Korea. However, most exchange students face a problem as they do not have a Korean bank account, whereas the landlords (who need to get their deposit and the rent) do not have Wise or Paypal in most cases.
If you have an acquaintance with a Korean bank account, then you can ask that person for a favor, although it can be a bit complicated process. However, the safest way you can do to pay for the deposit/rent is to just pay the amount in cash.
You can try going to an ATM Machine, often found in many areas in Seoul, or just have the money changed at the Exchange Store in Incheon Airport. Yes, it might be a bit of a too much cash, but it's the safest way to make the contract possible!
1.
THINGS THAT MONTHLY RENT INCLUDES/EXCLUDES
Before you sign the contract, double check if your rent includes OR excludes gas, electricity, or water fee! Usually, some of those fee are included in the 'MAINTENANCE FEE' which is DIFFERENT from the Monthly Rent. Thus, in most cases, people pay 1) monthly rent 2) maintenance fee 3) things that the previous two do not cover, which differ from house to house. We recommend that you check which fee is excluded before you sign the contract.
Tip: Checkmate Paper of course includes and tells you if a certain house's options include or excludes the fees mentioned above
1.
FURNITURE OPTIONS
Be careful to double check if your house has furniture options, and if so, what furniture is included. The furniture option differs from house to house as well, so you should check if your house offers a free chair/desk/bed etc or if you should buy them when you arrive in Korea.
Tip: Checkmate Paper tells you which house has which furniture options!
