"In a neighborhood where jeonse is hard to find, a listing came up that is 30 million won cheaper than the going rate. The conditions are almost perfect, including a full remodel and '2+2 contract guaranteed, no jeonse deposit increase upon renewal, no loans,' but the landlord says they will conduct interviews and choose the tenant. They say there must be no young children (to avoid noise between floors), no nailing into the walls, and no pets, and that they will interview the entire family. Is this common?"
This is part of a post that recently went up on an online community and drew major attention. As jeonse listings for apartments in Seoul and the broader capital area have disappeared and a landlord's market has solidified, stories have emerged of people feeling at a loss because landlords even demand interviews. Among landlords, the mood that "tenants must be admitted with caution" is becoming more prevalent. It is an aftermath of discussions around revisions to the so-called "3+3+3" Housing Lease Protection Act that would allow tenants to keep a jeonse contract for up to nine years by exercising the right to request contract renewal.
A petition has even appeared calling for the legalization of introducing a tenant interview system. On the National Assembly public petition website, consents are under way for the petition on "introducing a tenant interview system to prevent damage from malicious tenants." The consent period runs for 30 days from on the 12th to on the 12th of next month, and as of 2 p.m. on the 13th, 330 people had agreed. If the number of supporters reaches 50,000 or more, the petition is automatically referred to a National Assembly standing committee. Under Article 125 of the National Assembly Act, the committee must review it within up to 150 days from the date of referral and report the result to the National Assembly speaker.
The petitioner said, "Under the current blind tenant contracting system, there is no way to know whether an ex-convict or a person with bad credit is moving into my home," and noted, "Legislation of a 'malicious tenant prevention law' introducing a tenant interview system is urgently needed to prevent disputes between parties and protect landlords' property rights." The petitioner added, "To minimize potential risks that may arise in lease contracts, the landlord must choose a tenant they can trust," explaining, "In advanced rental markets such as Germany, the United States, and France, it is already a common practice."
The petitioner argues that tenants should be finally selected after a process of "first-round document screening–second-round interview screening–third-round six-month internship," evaluating creditworthiness, ability to pay monthly rent, and living attitude. Specifically, in the first round, the landlord should obtain documents such as a "credit information report" that can reveal whether there are loan arrears, a "criminal record certificate" to identify violent offenders, an "income amount statement," a "tax payment certificate," and a "family relations certificate." After the second-round interview, the landlord should sign the main contract only after confirming through a six-month tenant internship process whether there are issues such as unpaid monthly rent, damage to dwellings, or conflicts with neighbors.
Behind the growing assertiveness of landlords lies the anxiety that "once a tenant moves in, it is not easy to make them leave." A certified real estate agent in Seoul said, "While the scarcity of jeonse listings plays a role, talk of the '3+3+3 contract renewal law' has led landlords to be more selective about tenants," adding, "Given that they could be tied to one tenant for as long as nine years, they think they must choose carefully. Some landlords, when you call to schedule a viewing, ask about your job and family relationships right away."
The government's focus on "tenant protection" is another reason landlords are dissatisfied. To prevent jeonse fraud, the government is concentrating on expanding the scope of landlord information disclosure. Minister Kim Yun-duk of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said at a confirmation hearing as a nominee in Jul., "It is important to resolve the information imbalance between landlords and tenants," and added, "Active support is needed so that tenants can enter into safe contracts." On the 10th, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) revised the enforcement decree of the "Act on the Use and Protection of Credit Information (Credit Information Act)" to allow guarantee institutions to share information on malicious landlords smoothly.