Deal with it during the moving week (이사 주간)

A common mistake during moving week is thinking that you only need to call one place for utility bills. Electricity, city gas, and water are handled by different agencies, and among these, city gas requires a technician visit reservation.

Electricity is handled nationwide by Korea Electric Power Corporation. If the electricity user changes due to moving, the outgoing and incoming users must notify Korea Electric Power Corporation of the change within 14 days after the change occurs (Article 1, Section 12 of the Electricity Supply Agreement). Settlement on the moving day is done by reporting the current meter reading and paying via card or designated account withdrawal.

The reporting channels are dial 123 without area code, KEPCO ON (online.kepco.co.kr), and visiting or calling the local KEPCO branch. The KEPCO Cyber Branch was merged into KEPCO ON in 2023 and no longer exists. Some pages still guide to the Cyber Branch, so don't get confused and look for those.

Only City Gas is Divided by Company

There is no single nationwide company for city gas. For example, in the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam regions, Busan is handled by Busan City Gas Co., Ltd. (Customer Service 1544-0009), Ulsan by Gyeongdong City Gas, and Gyeongnam varies by city and district. It is common for the supplier in your current neighborhood and the neighborhood you are moving to be different, so you may need to make separate reservations for outgoing and incoming with different companies.

Removal requires a technician to come and remove the intermediate valve and gas range while taking the meter reading, so your moving schedule is tied to the reservation date. Reserve immediately once the moving date is confirmed. If the reservation is delayed, your entire moving schedule will be delayed. For Busan City Gas, you can apply through the website (skens.com/busan) under 'Technician Visit Application → Outgoing Application' or by calling 1544-0009. Some places only accept card or account transfer payments on site and not cash, so check the payment method in advance.

If you have been paying city gas fees through automatic transfer, you need to apply separately to cancel the automatic transfer. If you move into a new home and do not change the name, you may end up paying the previous user's outstanding fees, so check the meter reading and outstanding amount together.

Apartments and Dormitories are Different

In apartments, row houses, and multi-family homes, electricity, city gas, and water fees are often included in the management fee. In this case, you can request the management office to settle the management fee up to your moving day. If you move into a company dormitory, there is no individual registration — instead, you need to check the management fee exemption method (fifth item).

In the BIZ360 Small and Medium Enterprise Detail, there is a field for on-site information where you can write about the shuttle bus, dormitory, shift pattern, and starting salary. However, most companies have not yet filled in the values, so it is more accurate to check directly with the company about whether the dormitory is operated.

Internet and TV services are different procedures for "moving" and "cancellation." Changing the order may result in a penalty.

1. First, check if the service of your current company is available at the new address — if it is available, proceed with the moving installation; if not, move on to the cancellation procedure
2. If the moving installation is possible, submit the moving date and the preferred time slot together. Since the technician's schedule is determined in advance, the afternoon of the moving day is not always available
3. If moving is not possible and you have to cancel, receive the penalty based on the remaining period of the contract and the conditions for returning the equipment before submitting the request via text message or email

Single Rooms and Dormitories: Check at the Time of Contracting

There are single rooms or dormitories where the internet is already available on a building level. In such cases, if you install a new individual line, you will end up paying the fee twice. It is important to ask whether "public internet is provided" at the time of signing the room contract or dormitory admission.

When There Is a Discrepancy

Disputes arising from the conclusion, use, or cancellation of a telecommunications service contract, and disputes related to the service provider's failure to explain or falsely explaining important matters such as usage fees, contract conditions, or discount rates are subject to telecommunications dispute mediation (Article 3 and 5 of Paragraph 1 of Article 45-2 of the Telecommunications Business Act). The Telecommunications Dispute Mediation Committee of the Korea Communications Commission, dial 142-246 (caller pays, weekdays 09:00~12:00, 13:00~18:00), online applications can be made at www.tdrc.kr.

The mediation committee must prepare a mediation proposal within 60 days from the date of receiving the application, and in exceptional circumstances, it can be extended by up to 30 days once (Paragraph 6 of Article 45-5 of the same law). If all parties accept the mediation proposal, the mediation is concluded, and if the mediation document includes a statement agreeing to enforcement, it has the same effect as an enforceable execution order (Paragraph 3 and 5 of Article 45-8 of the same law).

Even if you don't have to go through mediation, it is beneficial to keep the conditions agreed upon with the consultant by text message.

Household waste is handled by the special self-governing city mayor, special self-governing province office, mayor, county head, or district office head in their jurisdiction area (Article 14, Paragraph 1 of the Waste Management Act), and the disposal fee is collected by selling volume-based bags or labels indicating that it is waste, according to the local ordinance of the relevant local government (Article 5 of the same provision). Therefore, the price of the large waste sticker, the way to report it, and the place and day of disposal vary by local government. The method used in your previous neighborhood may not be applicable in the new neighborhood you are moving to.

Furniture and Mattresses — Reporting and Stickers

Large waste items such as wardrobes, beds, mattresses, and desks must be reported → pay the fee → attach the payment receipt (sticker) → and then dispose of them at the designated place on the designated day. Depending on the local government, instead of using a sticker, you may report online and write down the disposal number you receive and attach it. You can check which method applies on the website of your local city, county, or district office. If you dispose of them without reporting, it is a violation of the local ordinance, and they will not be collected and will remain as is.

Refrigerators, Washing Machines, TVs — Free Pickup Service

Large waste electrical appliances do not require the purchase of a sticker. You can dispose of them for free through the free home pickup service for waste electrical appliances operated by the E-Cycle Governance. Since the pickup manager will come to your home to collect the items, there is no need to move them to a designated location.

• Reservation: 1599-0903 or www.15990903.or.kr (Internet and mobile registration)
• Operation: Weekdays 08:00~18:00 (Lunch break 12:00~13:00), Closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays
• You can check the available areas for reservation on the website

These two items cannot be handled on the day of the move. The disposal date for the sticker and the free pickup date must be scheduled in advance for the service to be carried out. If you start choosing what to throw away early in the morning on the day of the move, that item will ultimately end up following you to your new home. Finalize your list of items to dispose of 7 days before the move and complete the reservation.

The balance payment day (잔금일) is the day the most money moves. Set the order in advance and nothing gets missed.

Why pull it again

The register you checked when signing is only a snapshot of that day. In the month or two between the contract date and the balance date, the landlord can set a new mortgage (근저당) on the house, and a provisional seizure or a seizure can be added. If you learn of it after handing over the balance, there is no way to undo it.

At the Supreme Court Internet Registry Office (인터넷등기소, www.iros.go.kr), viewing costs 700 won per copy and issuance costs 1,000 won per copy. Viewing on your phone right before the balance payment is enough. If a new mortgage or seizure appears, stop the payment and renegotiate with its removal as a condition.

The one-day gap

Even without registration, a lease takes effect against third parties from the day after the tenant receives the house and completes resident registration, and in this case filing the move-in report counts as resident registration (Housing Lease Protection Act, Article 3 (1)). That means on the day you pay the balance and move in, you do not yet have opposing power (대항력), and a mortgage set on that same day comes ahead of you. This one day is the real danger zone. Checking the register right before the balance is not a formality.

The right to be repaid your deposit ahead of others arises only when, on top of those conditions, you have a fixed date on the lease contract document (same Act, Article 3-2 (2)). Fixed dates are granted by eup/myeon offices, dong community service centers, si/gun/gu branch offices, district courts with their branches and registry offices, and notaries (same Act, Article 3-6 (1)). When you go to file the move-in report, take the contract and finish both at once.

For a jeonse (전세) or monthly-rent contract, there is a separate lease report

A housing lease contract with a deposit over 60 million won or monthly rent over 300,000 won (30만원) must be reported jointly by the landlord and the tenant to the reporting office for the housing's location within 30 days from signing (Act on Report of Real Estate Transactions, Article 6-2 (1); Enforcement Decree of the same Act, Article 4-3 (1)). A renewal that only extends the period without changing the deposit or rent is excluded.

The covered areas are special self-governing cities, special self-governing provinces, cities, counties (limited to counties within metropolitan cities and Gyeonggi-do), and districts (same Enforcement Decree, Article 4-3 (2)). Busan and Ulsan are metropolitan cities, so their entire areas — including Gijang-gun and Ulju-gun — are covered; in Gyeongnam, city areas like Changwon, Gimhae, and Yangsan are covered, and the province's county areas are not.

The grace period that ran for 4 years ended on May 31, 2025. Contracts signed on or after June 1, 2025 are fined; contracts signed during the grace period are not. A missed or late report costs 20,000 won to 300,000 won (2만원~30만원) depending on the contract amount and the delay, and a false report costs up to 1 million won (100만원) (same Act, Article 28 (5) 3; Enforcement Decree of the same Act, Annexed Table 3). The legal ceiling is 1 million won (100만원), but the charged amount for a simple late report was lowered to 300,000 won (30만원) by the Enforcement Decree amendment that took effect on June 1, 2025.

Two things save you a wasted trip. First, if the tenant files a move-in report under the Resident Registration Act, the housing lease contract is considered reported under this Act (same Act, Article 6-5 (1)). Second, if the lease contract is submitted and the report is accepted, a fixed date under Article 3-6 (1) of the Housing Lease Protection Act is considered granted (same Act, Article 6-5 (3)). In short, if you bring the contract and file the move-in report at the community service center, the lease report and the fixed date are handled in one place. If you already made the lease report and received the fixed date, there is no need to get it again at the community service center. The online channel is the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Real Estate Trade Management System (부동산거래관리시스템, rtms.molit.go.kr).

The move-in report: the same day, not 14 days

The deadline for the move-in report is within 14 days from moving into the new home (Resident Registration Act, Article 16 (1)). If you do not report within the period without a justified reason, a fine of up to 50,000 won is charged (same Act, Article 40 (4)). But there is no reason to use up the 14 days — your opposing power starts that much later.

You can also file through Gov24 (정부24). The processing time written in the Gov24 service guide is "immediate (3 hours within working hours)." That means it is processed that day only if received during working hours, so if you file online in the evening after the balance and the move, processing can slip to the next working day. Opposing power starts at 0:00 on the day after the report is completed, so if processing slips by a day, the danger zone grows by a day. The sure way is to visit the community service center for your area in person on the afternoon of the balance day and have it processed on the spot. If you move near an industrial complex, the first work week and the moving week often come back to back, so keep the afternoon of the balance day free in advance.

Company dormitories are spaces subject to Chapter 10 of the Labor Standards Act. This is not a place where things are handled by convention, but a place where documents must exist.

Document 1 — Dormitory Rules

Employers who house workers in attached dormitories must prepare dormitory rules. These include matters related to waking up and going to bed, going out and staying out overnight, events, meals, safety and health, and management of buildings and facilities (Article 1, Paragraph 1 of Article 99 of the Labor Standards Act). When preparing or changing the rules, the consent of a person representing more than half of the workers living in the dormitory must be obtained (Article 2 of the same provision). In other words, items such as whether electrical appliances can be brought in, whether cooking is allowed, and the procedure for reporting overnight stays must be clearly written in the original document.

Do not load your belongings just by hearing a verbal answer like "you can just do it on your own." If you bring in prohibited items and find out later, you will have to pay the cost twice. During the moving week, obtain a copy of the rules in advance, and reduce the amount of belongings you bring based on those standards.

Installation and operation standards are also legal requirements. Employers must meet the standards set by presidential decree regarding the structure and facilities of the dormitory, installation locations, living environment, and area (Article 100 of the Labor Standards Act). The structural and facility standards include a structure where no more than 8 people can live in one bedroom, bathrooms and washrooms, appropriate facilities for lighting and ventilation, appropriate heating and cooling equipment or devices, and facilities for fire prevention and safety measures in case of fire (Article 55 of the Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act). The privacy of workers living in the dormitory must not be violated (Article 1 of Article 98 of the Labor Standards Act).

Document 2 — Deduction Method for Management Fees

Wages should be paid in full to workers in cash, and this is the principle. Wages can only be deducted in part if there are special provisions in laws or collective agreements (Article 1, Paragraph 1 of Article 43 of the Labor Standards Act). There are only two justifications for deductions. Simply having a clause in the employment contract or dormitory rules (employment rules) stating "dormitory fees will be deducted from wages" does not constitute a legal basis for deduction. These two documents are only used to confirm the amount and conditions.

There are three things to check before moving in.

• Monthly deduction amount — how much the dormitory fee, meal fee, and utility fee are each
• Basis for deduction — whether it is specified in a collective agreement, or if not, what basis is used for the deduction
• Settlement upon departure — whether it is calculated based on the days worked, or if there is a deposit

If there is no collective agreement at the workplace but the employer is deducting dormitory and meal fees from wages, there may be grounds to dispute the deduction method itself. If you first find out about it on the first payslip, it is already too late. Ask about it before moving in, and if the documents and actual deductions continue to differ, contacting the Korea Labor Inspection Service (1350) is the official route.

Whether the dormitory is operated, and the rules and deduction method, are only confirmed by the documents provided by the company. During interviews or before starting the job, request a copy of the dormitory rules and the deduction details in advance.