Renting in Seoul for one to three months: your real options

How can you rent an apartment in Seoul for a month?

Use a short-term rental (단기임대, dangi imdae) platform, registered serviced accommodation, a share house or a goshiwon — not a standard lease, which in Seoul runs one to two years with a large deposit. Short-term platforms take bookings of a week or more, hold a small deposit, and add a service fee.

A month or three in Seoul is a common need: an internship, a research visit, a gap between leaving one flat and moving into another, or a trial stay before committing to the city. The housing market, though, is built around long leases. This guide explains why, sets out the options that do fit, and covers the legal points — lodging registration, tenant protection and immigration reports — as of October 2026.

Why doesn't a normal Seoul lease work for one to three months?

Because standard leases are written for one to two years, carry deposits of many months' rent, and the law treats short leases as two-year leases unless the tenant chooses otherwise.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government's housing page describes both jeonse and monthly-rent (월세, wolse) leases as running one to two years, with a wolse deposit generally ten to twenty times the monthly rent. It also warns that a tenant who terminates the contract midway is not eligible for a deposit refund. For someone staying eight weeks, that structure makes little sense.

The law adds another reason. Article 4 of the Housing Lease Protection Act (주택임대차보호법) says a lease with no fixed term, or a term under two years, is treated as a two-year lease — although the tenant may insist that the shorter term is valid. In other words, a landlord who signs a three-month standard lease cannot rely on getting the flat back after three months unless the tenant agrees. That is one reason most landlords and agents steer short-stay enquiries elsewhere. For how a standard lease works, see our guide to renting in Seoul as a foreigner.

What are your options for a short stay in Seoul?

There are five realistic routes, and they differ most in commitment, deposit size and legal protection.

Informal sublets — taking over someone's flat while they are away — also appear in expat groups. They can work, but you are paying someone who may not be the person on the lease, and the landlord may not have agreed. If you consider one, ask to see the original lease and the landlord's consent, and never pay more than you could afford to lose.

How do short-term rental platforms work?

You pick a furnished flat in an app, pay the full rent for the period plus a small deposit up front, and the platform releases the rent to the landlord once you move in.

The largest Korean platform, 33m2 (삼삼엠투, samsam-emtu), described its model at a press briefing reported by Bizwatch on August 12, 2026:

• Length: a minimum of one week and up to 12 weeks per booking; extensions are allowed, and the average stay was about four weeks.
• Deposit: a fixed ₩330,000, whatever the home.
• Fees: tenants pay 9.9% of the usage charge (rent + maintenance fee + cleaning fee); landlords pay 3.3%.
• Payment: the platform holds the rent and deposit, pays the rent to the landlord after you confirm move-in, and returns the deposit after the landlord checks the home — automatically within 15 days if the landlord does not respond.
• Scale: about 120,000 listed rooms nationwide and more than 370,000 contracts to date, per the company.

The same report says the company keeps a weekly minimum and advises landlords not to supply hotel-style bedding or cleaning, precisely so that its rentals stay leases rather than lodging. The article also names LiveAnywhere (리브애니웨어) and Zigbang (직방) among other operators in the market. The company itself said short-term rent is set higher than ordinary monthly rent, which matches the trade-off: you pay more per month in exchange for a small deposit and no long commitment.

Before booking on any platform, check whether it accepts a foreign phone number, passport identification and an overseas card. Those requirements are set by each platform and can change.

Is Airbnb legal for a month in Seoul?

Only for listings in the right building type with the right registration; many former Seoul listings, including officetels, are not allowed.

Renting rooms by the night is a lodging business. Under the Public Health Control Act (공중위생관리법), running a lodging business without reporting it is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to ₩20 million. In cities, the home-sharing category is the "foreign tourist urban homestay" (외국인관광 도시민박업). The Enforcement Decree of the Tourism Promotion Act defines it as a resident using the home they live in — a detached house, multi-household house, apartment, row house or multi-unit house — to offer foreign tourists a stay. Officetels are not on that list.

Airbnb's own rules follow the same line. Its help page on Korea says officetels and goshiwon are not permitted as listings in Korea and are removed, with reservations starting 30 or more days after removal cancelled. KED Global reported in September 2024 that Airbnb Korea would require new listings to submit business registration from October 2, 2024, giving existing listings a one-year grace period before removal.

Does the law protect a short-term renter's deposit?

Possibly not. The Housing Lease Protection Act does not apply where a lease is clearly made for temporary use, so the usual deposit protections may not cover a short stay.

Article 11 of the Housing Lease Protection Act reads, in short: this act does not apply to a lease that is clearly for temporary use (일시사용을 위한 임대차). Whether a particular contract counts as temporary depends on its facts, not just its title — but a booking described as a four-week stay is the kind of contract the article is aimed at. The protections a long-term tenant relies on, such as the fixed date (확정일자, hwakjeong ilja) on the lease and priority repayment of the deposit, are explained in our guide to key money and deposits.

The practical answer is to keep the money at risk small:

• Prefer a fixed, small deposit over a deposit worth several months' rent.
• Pay through a platform that holds the money until you move in, not by bank transfer to a stranger.
• Check that the person you pay is the owner, the registered tenant with the owner's written consent, or the platform.
• Photograph the home on arrival and departure, with dates, to support the deposit return.
• Read the cancellation and early-departure terms before paying; they differ by platform and listing.

Do you need an ARC or an address report for a short stay?

For a stay of 90 days or less after entry, you do not register as a foreign resident; if you are already registered and move, the 15-day address report still applies.

Article 31 of the Immigration Act (출입국관리법) requires foreigners who will stay more than 90 days from entry to register within 90 days, which produces the residence card most people still call an ARC. Article 36 requires a registered foreigner who changes their place of stay to report it within 15 days of moving in.

This matters in two situations. If you are a new arrival using a short-term rental as a base while you look for a long-term flat, your 90-day registration clock is already running — and you will need an address to register. Ask the platform or landlord whether you can use the short-term address for registration before you rely on it. If you already live in Korea and move into a short-term flat for a few weeks between leases, think about when to report the move, because your registered address is tied to your long-term tenancy; this is a point to raise with the immigration office or a lawyer, not one to guess at.

How much does a one-month stay cost compared with a normal lease?

Expect to pay more per month than a standard lease, but far less up front. Short-term rent and fees replace the large deposit.

For example, if a furnished one-room is listed at ₩500,000 a week including maintenance and cleaning, four weeks costs ₩2,000,000, plus a 9.9% fee of ₩198,000, plus the ₩330,000 deposit you get back — about ₩2.53 million paid up front. A standard lease on a comparable flat might cost less each month, but would ask for a deposit of millions of won and a commitment of a year or more. Prices vary widely by area and season; use the rent figures in our guide to how much rent is in Seoul as a reference point, not a quote.

When does a regular lease make more sense?

Once you know you will stay six months or more, a standard lease through a licensed agent usually costs less per month — and it gives you the legal protections a short-term booking may not.

A common pattern is to book a few weeks on a short-term platform, view flats in person during that time, and move into a standard lease once one is signed. In that case, give yourself time: viewing, checking the registry, signing and paying the balance all have to fit inside the short-term booking, and extending a booking depends on availability.

Seoul Housing Help is an independent bilingual service in Seoul that books viewings and interprets with Korean realtors and landlords; licensed agents handle the brokerage, and we take no commission from landlords. Our apartment search support is built around standard leases found through licensed agents, including live video viewings while you are still abroad, so it fits the move from a short stay into a long one. If you are already renting and need help talking to a landlord in Korean, there is hourly landlord and move-in help. Prices are on our pricing page, and the 15-minute intro call is free.

Sources (read October 27, 2026): Housing Lease Protection Act (주택임대차보호법) Articles 4 and 11, Immigration Act (출입국관리법) Articles 31 and 36, Public Health Control Act (공중위생관리법) Articles 2 and 20, and Enforcement Decree of the Tourism Promotion Act (관광진흥법 시행령) Article 2 (law.go.kr); Seoul Metropolitan Government, "Housing" (english.seoul.go.kr); Airbnb Help Center, "Officetel and goshiwon removal in Korea" (airbnb.com); KED Global, September 24, 2024 (Airbnb Korea business-registration requirement); Bizwatch, August 12, 2026 (33m2 terms, deposit, fees and scale); Money Today, July 28, 2026 (Dabang June 2026 Seoul one-room rents). — This guide is general information, not legal advice. Seoul Housing Help is not a real-estate agency or law firm; licensed agents handle brokerage and a lawyer can advise on your contract.

Frequently asked questions

Can I rent an apartment in Seoul for just one month?

Yes, but usually not on a standard lease. Seoul's city government describes normal leases as running one to two years. For a month, people use short-term rental (단기임대) platforms, registered serviced accommodation, share houses or goshiwon. As of August 2026, the platform 33m2 offered stays of 1 to 12 weeks with a ₩330,000 deposit.

Is Airbnb legal for a month-long stay in Seoul?

Only for listings that hold the right registration. Seoul homestays for foreign tourists must be in a house or apartment the host lives in, and Airbnb says it removes officetels and goshiwon in Korea and has required business registration for listings. Check that a listing is a registered home, not an officetel, before booking a long stay.

Does a short-term rental protect my deposit like a normal lease?

Not necessarily. Article 11 of the Housing Lease Protection Act says the act does not apply where a lease is clearly for temporary use, so the usual deposit protections may not cover you. Keep the deposit small and pay through a platform that holds the money until you move in.

Do I need an ARC to rent short term in Korea?

Not to stay a short time. Under the Immigration Act, foreigners staying more than 90 days must register within 90 days of entry. If you are already registered and move, you must report the new address within 15 days. What a landlord or platform asks for at booking varies, so check before paying.

What does a one-month rental in Seoul cost?

It varies by home and area, and short-term rent is usually higher than an equivalent monthly lease. For comparison, small villa one-rooms in Seoul averaged about ₩640,000 a month on a ₩10 million deposit in June 2026 (Dabang). Short-term platforms add service fees; 33m2 charged tenants 9.9% as of August 2026.