How to verify rental-deposit return protection conditions
Verify published HUG and HF conditions and obtain SGI terms from the application-date provider documents. This guide does not assert a fixed ranking or unsupported SGI figures.
Compare HUG, HF and SGI deposit-return protection by whether your lease can actually qualify. A cheapest-or-fastest ranking cannot replace checking the property, deadline, coverage and individual assessment.
Separate return protection from loan guarantees
Deposit-return protection concerns a landlord failing to repay the tenant's deposit at the end of the lease, within policy terms and claim procedures. A guarantee for repayment of a rental loan serves a different purpose. Do not assume having one means you also have the other.
Check the HUG product guide, HF general Jeonse Jikim guarantee and SGI official service for current products and application channels. Property valuation, senior claims, contract timing, linked loans, property type and personal circumstances can change the outcome.
Check HUG and HF eligibility conditions and application channels
The HUG mobile product guide lists deposit limits of KRW 700 million in the Seoul metropolitan area and KRW 500 million elsewhere. For new leases, apply before half of the lease period has elapsed, counting from the later of final balance payment and the move-in report. Check renewal and special-case conditions separately. On the review date, this mobile page displayed a temporary apartment/officetel application restriction, an exception for corporate landlords and alternative channels. A restriction in one channel does not mean all HUG applications are unavailable; check the channel you will actually use.
The HF General Jeonse Jikim guide requires an existing HF rental-loan guarantee or a simultaneous application. For simultaneous applications, the HF-guaranteed rental loan must actually be executed. Compare the regional limit with 90% of the recognized property price minus total senior claims; separate senior-claim restrictions also apply by property type. Obtain the bank-recognized property price and senior-claim inputs instead of entering an internet asking price. Meeting one amount condition does not establish acceptance by either Korean institution.
The same home does not mean you can copy one institution's result
Assume an apartment in the Seoul metropolitan area, a KRW 200 million rental deposit, an HF-recognized property price of KRW 300 million and senior claims totaling KRW 80 million under HF's rules. This is an arithmetic exercise, not an actual property or approval case. Contract dates, the linked loan, property rights and other requirements have not yet been checked.
The HF property-limit calculation is 300,000,000 × 90% − 80,000,000 = KRW 190,000,000. Against the regional cap of KRW 700 million, the smaller amount is KRW 190 million. That is KRW 10 million below the KRW 200 million deposit, so you cannot mark the entire KRW 200 million as covered under these inputs. Do not presume partial coverage is available either; ask the bank about the requested amount and applicable limit.
Changing only senior claims to KRW 70 million gives a calculated KRW 200 million. Matching the deposit still does not mean approval. The HF linkage condition, property-specific restrictions, deadline and other checks remain separate. The registered maximum secured claim can differ from the outstanding loan balance; do not simply choose the smaller number.
Even when giving HUG or SGI the same lease, do not copy HF's recognized KRW 300 million value or calculated limit. Each institution must determine its recognized value and assess the rights. In this example, the honest HUG and SGI result is institution-specific inputs and assessment unconfirmed, not eligible. That is why comparing three premium rates comes later.
Compare premiums after matching coverage amounts and periods
For a hypothetical KRW 200 million guaranteed amount, 0.13% annual rate, 730 calculation days and a 365-day year, 200,000,000 × 0.0013 × 730 ÷ 365 = KRW 520,000. The 0.13% rate is not available to everyone; discounts, leap years and product-specific period calculations require separate checking. Obtain the covered amount, rate, coverage period and period used to calculate the premium separately on the institution's quote. Do not judge KRW 200 million full coverage against KRW 190 million coverage solely by the quoted totals.
Verify SGI terms in the current application documents
This guide does not quote a confirmed SGI eligibility limit or premium. Before applying, identify the product and provider channel on the official SGI site and obtain the product sheet and terms valid on your application date. Check eligible housing, deposit and insured-amount limits, coverage period, premium, exclusions and claim documents. Request a quote using the same deposit and period before comparing cost and coverage with HUG or HF.
Record each institution's confirmed answers
Use the same lease records to fill these fields instead of collecting only rates.
| Check field | HUG | HF | SGI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recognized property value and senior claims | Official self-check/assessment | Official self-check/bank assessment | Current product sheet and terms |
| Application deadline | Lease and official guide | Lease and official guide | Terms and service desk |
| Covered amount and exclusions | Certificate and terms | Certificate and terms | Certificate and terms |
| Estimated premium | Official calculation | Official calculation | Current quote |
| Changes and claims | Institution's guide | Institution's guide | Terms and service desk |
Do not treat a successful self-check, a consultation answer and an issued certificate as the same status. Mark enrollment complete only after checking the amount and period on the issued certificate. If any field is unknown, leave it as a question before committing rather than ranking providers as cheapest or safest. This compares HUG/HF public conditions and the SGI verification route; it does not invent current SGI figures.
Take contract dates, deposit, property type, address and owner from the same lease, building and title records. Next to every answer, note the institution/channel, check date and document name. Unknown does not mean zero or eligible.
Match the property address and owner across the title register, building register and lease. Use identical lease facts, but obtain each institution’s separately recognized property valuation and senior-claim inputs for its official eligibility check. Do not make a particular guarantor's acceptance a certainty before assessment. Save coverage, exclusions and claim procedures as well as price. Ask how renewal, landlord changes and changes to the deposit should be reported.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Should I choose whichever provider has the lowest premium?
First establish eligibility and equivalent coverage. A low quote for an unavailable or different product is not a useful comparison.
Q. Is payment automatic when the landlord does not repay?
No. The policy can require termination notices, tenant-right registration, documents and a formal claim process.
Q. What is HUG's ordinary application deadline?
The general product guide describes applying before half the lease period has elapsed. Check separate renewal or special-case conditions.
Q. Can an officetel qualify?
Check residential classification, facilities and each institution's property requirements. The name “officetel” alone does not establish approval.
Q. Does this article establish today's premium at all three providers?
No. Rates, discounts and valuation rules can change. Use the assessment for your application date.
Q. Are rental-loan guarantees and deposit-return guarantees the same?
No. Check the certificates separately; a loan guarantee does not prove that return protection is included.
Q. Can I ignore a change of landlord?
No. Notify the guarantor and ask whether the certificate or documents must be updated. Do not presume every condition remains unchanged.
Q. Is the example's 0.13% rate available to everyone?
No. It is a calculation assumption. Recalculate with the assessed rate, discounts and actual covered period.
Reviewed September 28, 2026. Acceptance and payment are subject to individual assessment and policy terms; neither is guaranteed by this guide.
