SORA RENTAL NOTE · 27
What if my landlord refuses to accept the rent?
Learn how to document attempted rent payments in Korea and when formal payment deposit procedures may help after a landlord refuses payment.
Content checked · 3 October 2026
The key points
- A refusal to accept rent does not automatically erase your obligation.
- Keep evidence of payment attempts and the actual refusal.
- A formal payment deposit is different from keeping money in your own account.
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Start with the comic
My landlord returned the rent. Can I stop paying?
Your payment obligation does not simply disappear.
I brought the payment records and refusal messages. I’ll check the deposit requirements first.
Confirm how to pay, then check formal deposit requirements if needed.
Separate a banking problem from a refusal
- Check with the bank
- Receiving account
- Messages exchanged
An incorrect account number or bank maintenance does not itself show that the landlord refused rent. First check the agreed account, recipient, rental month and exact amount. Resolve ordinary transfer errors promptly.
If the landlord returns the money or expressly refuses it, ask in writing for the reason and a valid payment method. An unanswered call alone neither removes your obligation nor automatically establishes grounds for a formal deposit.
Document a proper offer of payment
- Offer of payment
- Payment due date
- Supporting evidence
Korean Civil Act Article 460 concerns tender: properly offering the performance you owe. Actual payment in accordance with the obligation is the normal starting point. Where the creditor has refused in advance or must cooperate, notice that payment is ready and a request to receive it may suffice.
State the month, amount and readiness to pay. For example: ‘I am ready to pay October’s KRW 600,000 rent under our contract. Please confirm the receiving account.’ A message alone is not the same as actually having the money ready.
A formal payment deposit has legal requirements
- Payment-deposit procedure
- Legal requirements
- Document folder
Article 487 allows a payment deposit, called byeonje gongtak, when the creditor refuses payment, cannot receive it, or cannot be identified without fault by the payer. A legally valid deposit can discharge the relevant debt.
Check the legal reason, recipient, amount and competent court deposit office. The creditor must be notified without delay afterwards. Keeping money yourself or sending it to an agent is not this procedure. Acceptance of the paperwork does not settle every question about legal validity.
What to check
- Check the contract account, recipient, month and amount.
- Save failed or returned transfers and refusal messages.
- Keep the correct funds ready and request payment instructions in writing.
- Check the grounds, amount, jurisdiction and notice requirements before depositing.
Common questions
Can I deposit immediately if the landlord does not reply?
Silence alone is not an automatic qualification. Check whether normal payment remains possible and whether statutory grounds exist.
Does setting the rent aside prevent arrears?
Setting it aside shows preparation; it is not payment or a valid formal deposit. Proper tender and deposit requirements must be considered separately.
Official sources
These laws and public-agency materials concern renting in Korea. Source documents are mainly in Korean.