TL;DR — 3 things to know before you move out
- You've been paying it every month — and it's not actually your bill. Jangi suseon (장기수선충당금) is baked into your monthly maintenance fee (관리비), but Korean law makes it the landlord's cost, not the tenant's. Most foreign renters never notice the line item and simply walk away without asking for it back.
- Get a certificate from the management office before settlement day. Request a 장기수선충당금 납부확인서 (payment certificate) showing your monthly rate and total months paid. This is your proof — without it, most landlords won't just take your word for the amount.
- Ask for it at the same time as your deposit, not after. The best moment is move-out day, when your landlord is already settling your deposit (보증금). Once you've handed back the keys and the deposit is fully paid out, getting a landlord to reopen the conversation is much harder.
⚠️ Timing Matters — Ask Before You Return the Keys
Once the deposit is settled and you've moved out, your leverage drops sharply.
Landlords are far more responsive to a documented request made during deposit settlement than to a message sent weeks after you've already left the country. Request your payment certificate from the management office a few days before your move-out date, and bring it to the final walkthrough — not after.
Landlords are far more responsive to a documented request made during deposit settlement than to a message sent weeks after you've already left the country. Request your payment certificate from the management office a few days before your move-out date, and bring it to the final walkthrough — not after.
What Is Jangi Suseon?
A repair fund for the building's future — legally the owner's expense, not yours.
Jangi suseon chungdanggeum (장기수선충당금), literally "long-term repair reserve fund," is a monthly charge collected from every unit in a Korean apartment complex to fund major future repairs: elevator overhauls, roof and exterior wall restoration, plumbing replacement, and parking structure maintenance. It's required under the Housing Act (공동주택관리법) for apartment complexes with 300+ households, and for some smaller complexes that have an elevator or central/district heating.
The key detail most tenants — Korean and foreign alike — miss: because this fund pays for capital improvements that increase the building's long-term value, the law treats it as the property owner's financial responsibility, not the resident's. You're only fronting the money each month because the management office bills whoever is currently living in the unit, for administrative convenience.
Don't confuse it with your deposit or regular maintenance fee: Your security deposit (보증금) is a separate matter entirely, refunded per your lease terms. Jangi suseon is one specific line item within your monthly 관리비 (maintenance fee) bill — usually listed separately as "장기수선충당금" on your monthly statement.
Do You Actually Pay This Too?
Yes — it's on your monthly bill whether you realize it or not.
If you rent an apartment in a qualifying complex, jangi suseon is bundled into your monthly maintenance fee (관리비) alongside cleaning, security, common-area electricity, and other charges. Foreign tenants pay it exactly the same way Korean tenants do — there's no exemption based on visa status, nationality, or lease type (전세/월세). Most people simply don't notice it because it's a small line item within a larger monthly total.
That's precisely why this refund gets missed so often: it isn't a separate bill you pay directly to your landlord, so there's no obvious moment where the transaction feels "wrong." It quietly accumulates every month for the length of your lease, and unless you specifically ask for it back, most landlords won't volunteer it.
How Much Can You Get Back?
Monthly rate × months lived there. Rates vary a lot by building age and unit size.
| Building Profile | Typical Monthly Rate | Refund Over a 2-Year Lease |
|---|---|---|
| Small unit, newer complex | ₩3,000–₩8,000 | ₩72,000–₩192,000 |
| Mid-size unit, standard complex | ₩8,000–₩20,000 | ₩192,000–₩480,000 |
| Large unit, older complex | ₩20,000–₩50,000+ | ₩480,000–₩1,200,000+ |
These are rough ranges — the actual figure depends entirely on your specific complex's repair fund schedule, unit size, and how long the building has been collecting the fund. Never estimate your own refund. Always request the exact monthly amount and total months paid directly from the management office; they calculate this precisely for every unit.
Older complexes often mean bigger refunds. Buildings approaching major renovation cycles (typically 15–20+ years old) tend to charge higher monthly jangi suseon rates because more repairs are due soon. If you're in an older complex, it's worth double-checking the amount rather than assuming it's negligible.
How to Request the Refund — 5 Steps
From the management office to your landlord's hand.
1
Confirm your move-out date with the management office
A few days to a week before you move out, visit or call the 관리사무소 (management office) and let them know your move-out date. Many offices automatically prepare final billing documents, including jangi suseon totals, once a move-out is registered.
2
Request the payment certificate (장기수선충당금 납부확인서)
Ask specifically for this document by name. It lists your monthly jangi suseon rate and the total number of months you paid it. Bring your lease contract and ID/ARC to confirm your residency period if asked.
3
Calculate the total and prepare your request
Multiply the monthly rate by the number of months on the certificate. Write it down clearly, ideally with the certificate attached, so there's no ambiguity when you present it to your landlord.
4
Present it during deposit settlement, not after
Bring the certificate to your final walkthrough or key handover. This is when your landlord is already calculating what to return to you — folding in the jangi suseon refund at this stage is the smoothest path. Most landlords, once shown official documentation, simply add it to your deposit refund.
5
If they push back, cite the Housing Act in writing
If your landlord questions the request, send a short written message (KakaoTalk or text works fine) referencing 공동주택관리법 제30조 and attaching the certificate. Keep this message — it becomes your evidence if the dispute escalates.
Documents You Need — and What If Landlord Refuses
One certificate solves most of this. Here's what to do if it doesn't.
What to Get From the Management Office
✓ 장기수선충당금 납부확인서 (Payment certificate)
The core document. Shows your monthly rate and total months paid. Request it by this exact name — staff will recognize it immediately even if your Korean is limited.
✓ Your lease contract (임대차계약서)
Confirms your official residency period, which the management office may cross-check against their own records if there's any date discrepancy.
✓ ID or ARC (외국인등록증)
Standard identity verification when requesting resident-specific billing documents from the management office.
If Your Landlord Refuses to Pay
STEP 1 Show the certificate and cite the law in writing
Most refusals happen simply because the landlord isn't aware of this rule, or wants to see proof. A written message with the certificate attached and a reference to 공동주택관리법 제30조 resolves the majority of cases without further escalation.
STEP 2 File with the Housing Lease Dispute Mediation Committee
The 주택임대차분쟁조정위원회 (Housing Lease Dispute Mediation Committee) offers free mediation for exactly this kind of landlord-tenant dispute. Bring your certificate, lease, and any written correspondence with the landlord.
STEP 3 Consider small claims court (소액심판)
Because jangi suseon refunds are usually a modest sum, they typically fall well within Korea's small claims threshold, which is designed to be filed without a lawyer. This is a last resort for landlords who won't respond to mediation either.
Does This Apply to Officetels & Villas?
Not automatically — check your building type first.
| Building Type | Jangi Suseon Applies? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Large apartment complex (아파트) | Yes, mandatory | 300+ households, or smaller complexes with an elevator or central/district heating |
| Officetel (오피스텔) | Usually not required | Classified as 준주택 (quasi-housing); some larger buildings collect a similar fund voluntarily — check your bill |
| Villa / multi-family housing (다세대·연립주택) | Typically exempt | Usually below the household threshold that triggers mandatory collection |
The fastest way to check: Look at your monthly maintenance fee (관리비) statement. If "장기수선충당금" appears as a line item, you're paying it — and you're entitled to ask for it back regardless of what type of building you're technically in.
"I had no idea this existed until a Korean coworker mentioned it right before I moved out. Asked the management office for the certificate, showed it to my landlord at the deposit handover, and got an extra ₩310,000 added to my refund on the spot. Would have walked away from it completely otherwise."
r/korea · score 289 · March 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Jangi suseon chungdanggeum (장기수선충당금) is a long-term repair reserve fund that Korean apartment complexes collect monthly to pay for major future repairs — elevator replacement, roof and exterior wall work, plumbing, and parking structure repairs. It is required by the Housing Act (공동주택관리법) for apartment complexes with 300+ households (and some smaller complexes with elevators or central heating). Because it funds capital improvements that increase the building's long-term value, Korean law assigns this cost to the property owner, not the resident.
In practice, yes — nearly every tenant, foreign or Korean, pays it every month without realizing it. The management office bundles jangi suseon into your monthly maintenance bill (관리비) alongside cleaning fees, security, and utilities, because it's administratively simpler to bill whoever is actually living in the unit. You are not exempt from paying it monthly. What matters is that you are legally entitled to get that portion back from your landlord when you move out, since the law treats it as the owner's expense.
The refund equals the monthly jangi suseon amount multiplied by the number of months you lived there. Monthly amounts vary widely by complex age, size, and unit type — commonly around ₩3,000–₩15,000/month for smaller units in newer complexes, and ₩20,000–₩50,000+/month for larger units in older complexes with more deferred maintenance. Over a standard 2-year lease, this can add up to ₩100,000–₩1,000,000+. Ask the management office for your exact monthly rate and total months paid — don't estimate.
Get a jangi suseon payment certificate (장기수선충당금 납부확인서) from the management office showing the monthly amount and total months paid, then present it to your landlord and request reimbursement — ideally on move-out day, when the deposit (보증금) is being settled. Many landlords simply deduct nothing and hand over the amount along with the deposit refund once they see the certificate. If you wait until after you've left and returned your keys, you lose leverage, since the deposit has already been settled.
Ask the 관리사무소 (management office) for a 장기수선충당금 납부확인서 (long-term repair fund payment certificate), which lists the monthly charged amount and the total number of months you paid. Some offices issue this automatically when you report your move-out date; others require a written or in-person request. Bring your lease contract and ID/ARC to confirm your residency period. Request the certificate at least a few days before your move-out date so there's no delay at settlement.
First, share the official certificate from the management office and cite the Housing Act (공동주택관리법 제30조) in writing — many disputes are simply resolved once the landlord sees documented proof. If the landlord still refuses, you can file a free case with the Housing Lease Dispute Mediation Committee (주택임대차분쟁조정위원회), which mediates exactly this kind of dispute, or pursue a small claims case (소액심판) since the amount is usually well under the small claims threshold. Keep the certificate, your lease, and any messages with the landlord as evidence.
The mandatory jangi suseon system under the Housing Act primarily applies to 공동주택 (apartment complexes) with 300+ households, or smaller complexes with an elevator or central/district heating. Officetels are usually classified as 준주택 (quasi-housing) and are generally not subject to this mandatory fund, though some larger officetel buildings collect a similar reserve voluntarily. Villas and low-rise multi-family housing (다세대/연립주택) under the threshold are typically exempt too. Always check your specific building with the management office — if a jangi suseon line item appears on your monthly bill at all, you're likely entitled to a refund.
Mistakes to Avoid
NO Waiting until after you've moved out
Once the deposit is fully settled and you've returned the keys, most landlords consider the transaction closed. Always raise this before or during the final settlement, not by message afterward.
NO Guessing the amount yourself
Don't estimate from memory or a rough calculation. Get the exact figure from the management office's certificate — it removes any room for the landlord to dispute the number.
NO Assuming officetels or villas are automatically covered
Check your actual monthly bill for a "장기수선충당금" line item first. If it's not there, this mandatory refund rule likely doesn't apply to your building type.
NO Relying only on a verbal request
Always put the request in writing (KakaoTalk or text is fine) with the certificate attached. If a dispute ever escalates to mediation, written evidence is what actually matters.