'Bad Landlord Caught Repeatedly Skipping Security Deposits'... More Powerful Jeonse Fraud Prevention App Released

'Ansim Jeonse App 2.0' Launched... Nationwide Villa, Officetel, and Apartment Prices at a Glance

The ‘Safe Jeonse App (APP) 2.0,’ which allows users to check prices, guarantee accident history, and tax delinquency status for villas, officetels, and apartments nationwide at a glance, will be launched.

On the 30th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that it will release the ‘Safe Jeonse App 2.0’ (hereafter App 2.0), which provides tenants with necessary information when signing a jeonse contract, on the 31st. The launch of App 2.0 was originally scheduled for July but was moved up in consideration of public concerns over the spread of jeonse fraud.

Comparison of Ansim Jeonse App 1.0 vs 2.0.
[Data provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport]

In App 2.0, the scope of price information, which was initially limited to multi-family and row houses in the metropolitan area, has been expanded to cover all cities and counties nationwide, and housing types have been extended to include officetels and large apartments. The sample size for price data, which was 1.68 million households in the metropolitan area, has been significantly expanded to 12.52 million households nationwide.

When tenants enter the apartment address, jeonse deposit, priority rights, and mortgage information, the app diagnoses whether there is a risk of jeonse fraud. It also informs whether the housing can be enrolled in the Jeonse Deposit Return Guarantee provided by the Housing and Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG) by comparing the tenant’s deposit and the housing price. For some villas, provisional prices as of one month before completion are also included.

Not only current information but also past records of certified real estate agents are disclosed. Starting at the end of this year, a list of ‘malicious landlords’ who habitually fail to return jeonse deposits will also be available for inquiry.

The app also includes measures for landlords to use it. App 2.0 issues a ‘Safe Landlord Certificate’ to landlords who meet certain conditions, such as entering debt and delinquency history. An additional feature allows tenants to verify this certificate on their own mobile phones.

Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, “We discussed prevention measures against jeonse fraud and services that should be provided through the app with young people, and reflected the results to upgrade the app. From now on, the Safe Jeonse App will be essential when signing jeonse contracts.”