An officetel (오피스텔) is a building used mainly for work, where some units may be used for eating and sleeping. Korean law lists it as quasi-housing (준주택), and you can rent one as a home. You are protected like a home tenant only if you really live there and complete the move-in step. The confirmed date (확정일자) adds your place in the repayment line if the home is auctioned. Ask about both before you pay anything.
Seoulstart Housing tracks officetel rents from official contract reports. Start with Seoul rent data, then use this guide to check the lease.
What an officetel is
Under the Building Act Enforcement Decree, an officetel is a general business facility (일반업무시설). It is a building used mainly for work, where some units may be used for eating and sleeping, if they meet a notice from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). The Ministry of Government Legislation (법제처) said in an interpretation dated October 1, 2026 that the officetel mixes business and residence.
The Housing Act Enforcement Decree lists the officetel as quasi-housing, after dormitories, multi-living facilities and senior-welfare housing. Quasi-housing means a building that is not a house but can be used as living space.
For a renter, this has three effects.
- The building register (건축물대장) shows the use as officetel, not as housing. Check it.
- The lease law looks at how the place is actually used, not only at the register. The Supreme Court ruled this in 1996, and the government's Easy Law pages explain it.
- MOLIT's current officetel standard has no limits on bathrooms, balconies or floor heating. Those older rules were removed.
To see how officetels compare with goshiwons and one-rooms, and for the address-report step, read goshiwon vs officetel vs one-room.
Officetel vs one-room vs apartment
Listings use these words loosely. This table shows what each word tells you.
| Officetel (오피스텔) | One-room (원룸) | Apartment (아파트) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A business facility treated as quasi-housing | A small studio home | A unit in a housing complex |
| What to check first | The register shows officetel use | The register and the landlord's name | The register and the landlord's name |
| Where to read more | This guide | Goshiwon vs officetel vs one-room | Korean apartment types |
The practical difference for you is the lease protection. A home tenant gets it by completing the steps below. An officetel tenant gets it only if the place counts as a home and the steps are done.
How big is the unit?
Listings show area in more than one way, and the numbers are not the same.
- Exclusive area (전용면적): the floor inside your unit, measured to the inside line of the outer wall. Corridors, stairs, lobbies and other shared space are not included.
- Shared area (공용면적): the space used by two or more units.
- Contract area (계약면적): another figure that sale contracts show next to the exclusive and shared areas. Ask which figure a listing uses.
Ask for the exclusive area and compare units on it. For the pyeong (평) unit and conversions, read Korean apartment sizes and pyeong.
What an officetel costs
Seoulstart reads these figures from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's real transaction records (국토교통부 실거래가) for August 2026. They are medians of reported contracts.
In Seoul, the median officetel rent is ₩700,000 a month. The median deposit is ₩10m. The typical size is 23.1 m².
| Area | Monthly rent | Deposit | Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Busan | ₩450,000 | ₩10m | 1,692 |
| Gwanak-gu | ₩600,000 | ₩20m | 266 |
| Gyeonggi | ₩600,000 | ₩10m | 4,189 |
| Incheon | ₩600,000 | ₩5m | 1,197 |
| Seoul | ₩700,000 | ₩10m | 4,373 |
| Yeongdeungpo-gu | ₩700,000 | ₩30m | 413 |
| Mapo-gu | ₩750,000 | ₩10m | 294 |
| Songpa-gu | ₩845,000 | ₩30m | 332 |
| Gangnam-gu | ₩900,000 | ₩10m | 210 |
Medians of contracts reported in August 2026. Rent figures are for new leases, the price someone moving in signs; where fewer than 10 new leases were reported, all leases are used. Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport real transaction records (국토교통부 실거래가), processed by Seoulstart. Updated monthly.
Seoul by home type:
| Home type | Monthly rent | Deposit | Jeonse deposit | Typical size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment | ₩1,000,000 | ₩100m | ₩630m | 58.1 m² |
| Officetel | ₩700,000 | ₩10m | ₩230m | 23.1 m² |
| Villa or row house | ₩550,000 | ₩40m | ₩230m | 30 m² |
Medians of contracts reported in August 2026. Rent figures are for new leases, the price someone moving in signs; where fewer than 10 new leases were reported, all leases are used. Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport real transaction records (국토교통부 실거래가), processed by Seoulstart. Updated monthly.
To go deeper:
- District pages, such as Gangnam-gu, Mapo-gu and Gwanak-gu, show the same data for one area.
- The price explorer shows the contracts reported for a building, month by month.
- The move-in cost calculator adds the deposit, the agent fee and the first month together.
- The jeonse vs wolse calculator compares the two lease types. For the whole Seoul picture, read average rent in Seoul and where to live in Seoul.
To check a price you were quoted against real contracts, read how to check real transaction prices.
The move-in report and your deposit
This is the main risk with an officetel. It is also the step that decides whether you get your deposit back if something goes wrong.
What protects your deposit
- Move-in step. A Korean files a move-in report (전입신고). A registered foreigner files a place-of-stay change report (체류지 변경신고), which the Easy Law pages treat as the equivalent. An overseas Korean (F-4) who reported a domestic residence (거소) reports the new residence within 14 days instead. A registered foreigner reports within 15 days of moving in. The fine for not reporting is up to ₩1 million. Check HiKorea for the deadline that applies to your visa type.
- Confirmed date (확정일자). This is a stamp on your lease. You can get it at a neighborhood community center (동 주민센터), a court, a registry office or a notary. The fee is ₩600, and it is free for an electronic contract.
- Keys. You must have received the home.
With the keys and the move-in step, your lease is effective against a new owner from the day after. With the confirmed date as well, you can be repaid ahead of later creditors if the home is auctioned. If you get the confirmed date on or before the day you receive the keys and complete the move-in step, that claim starts at 00:00 the next day.
Small-deposit priority in Seoul
If the deposit is small, a part of it is paid first. As of 2026, in Seoul a tenant with a deposit of ₩165 million or less gets up to ₩55 million repaid first, capped at half the home's value. These amounts apply against a mortgage set on or after February 21, 2023. Against an older mortgage, the lower amounts in force when it was set apply. You need the move-in step done before the auction is filed. Confirm the current amounts on Easy Law before you rely on them.
When a landlord asks you not to file
Some landlords ask a tenant not to file the move-in report. The tax office describes one business-use setup. An owner who rents an officetel from the start as a permanent home cannot deduct the VAT paid when buying it. A tenant who uses it as an office can deduct the VAT included in the rent. If an office-use officetel later becomes a permanent home, the tax office treats it as a switch to exempt use. We found no official source that states why a landlord asks you not to file, so we cannot tell you the reason in your case.
Here is what you lose. The Act ties protection to the move-in step. Without it, you have no protection against a new owner and no first claim in an auction. Any lease term that is worse for the tenant than the Act has no effect, but we found no official ruling on a "no move-in report" clause itself. Do not count on the clause being cancelled in court.
Before you sign:
- Ask the landlord to explain the request in writing.
- Do not agree to skip the move-in step.
- Ask the district office whether the unit can be filed.
- Run the deposit safety tool.
- Walk away if the answer is unclear. How to avoid deposit scams explains the other warning signs.
Fees you pay on top of rent
Agent fee (중개보수)
The law sets maximums, and you can negotiate below them. For an officetel, the cap for a rental is 0.4% of the transaction value, and for a sale or exchange it is 0.5%. This applies only if the unit meets both tests:
- The exclusive area is 85 m² or smaller.
- It has its own kitchen with water and drains, its own flush toilet and a bath, or a flush toilet with a bath inside it.
For other officetels, the agent and you agree on a fee up to 0.9%. The Ministry of Government Legislation says the lower cap applies even when the officetel is used for business, because the test looks at size and fittings, not use. A district office adds one more condition: the building register must show officetel use. Confirm the current rate with the agent before you sign.
Management fee (관리비)
You pay this each month on top of rent. What it covers varies by building. Ask for an itemized list of what is in it before you sign.
A building with 50 or more units must keep monthly books of its fees and costs, with receipts, for five years. An interested party (이해관계인) can ask the manager to let them inspect the books. The same law names an occupant who has the owner's consent, such as a tenant, as an interested party in another article (제24조의2), and it requires the manager to report to such occupants at least once a year. Ask the manager for the books. Do not expect a public posting of officetel management fees like the one for apartments.
Checks before you sign
- Building register. It shows officetel use, and the unit matches the one you are renting.
- The move-in step. The landlord accepts it, and the lease does not ask you to skip it.
- The landlord. The person signing is the registered owner, or has a written power of attorney.
- Debts on the home. Check for loans and tax arrears. The lease documents checklist lists what to ask for.
- Area. You know the exclusive area, not just the contract area.
- Fees. You have the agent fee, the management fee items and the move-in costs in writing.
- After signing. File the move-in report, then get the confirmed date.
Before you pay a deposit, run the deposit safety tool and compare the rent with the Seoul rent data.