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Korea real estate agent fee: the maximum commission for home sales, jeonse and monthly rent by price band, and a calculator
Numbers checked against the official source on 2026-10-19
In Korea, a home deal's agent commission has a legal ceiling that rises in bands with the price. For a sale of a home between KRW 200 million and 900 million the ceiling is 0.4% of the price, and for a lease or rent (jeonse or monthly rent) of KRW 100 million to under 600 million it is 0.3%. Lower bands have fixed money caps (for example KRW 800,000 for a sale between KRW 50 million and 200 million). The agent charges each side separately, and the actual fee is negotiated at or below the ceiling. For monthly rent, the deal value is the deposit plus monthly rent x 100.
Law text: Licensed Real Estate Agents Act Article 32 and its Enforcement Rule Article 20 and Annex 1 on the National Law Information Center. The Rule is shown as "[시행 2026. 8. 28.] [국토교통부령 제1611호, 2026. 8. 11., 일부개정]" (in force today); Annex 1 is marked "<신설 2021. 10. 19.>". Read on 2026-10-19.
Ceiling by deal type and price band (homes)
This is the national ceiling table in Annex 1 of the Enforcement Rule. The "limit" column is a money cap on that band; where it is blank the table sets none.
| Deal | Deal value | Ceiling rate | Cap (won) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sale or exchange | under 50 million | 0.6% | 250,000 |
| 50 million to under 200 million | 0.5% | 800,000 | |
| 200 million to under 900 million | 0.4% | none | |
| 900 million to under 1.2 billion | 0.5% | none | |
| 1.2 billion to under 1.5 billion | 0.6% | none | |
| 1.5 billion or more | 0.7% | none | |
| Lease, rent and similar | under 50 million | 0.5% | 200,000 |
| 50 million to under 100 million | 0.4% | 300,000 | |
| 100 million to under 600 million | 0.3% | none | |
| 600 million to under 1.2 billion | 0.4% | none | |
| 1.2 billion to under 1.5 billion | 0.5% | none | |
| 1.5 billion or more | 0.6% | none |
How the deal value is worked out
- Lease with monthly rent: deposit plus monthly rent x 100. If that sum is under KRW 50 million, use deposit plus monthly rent x 70 instead.
- Exchange: the value of the higher-priced of the two properties.
- Several deals between the same parties at the same time, including a sale: only the sale value counts.
- Mixed buildings: if at least half of the building is homes, the home table applies; if less than half, the non-home rule applies.
- Each side pays its own commission and the ceiling applies to each side. The ceiling is to be agreed between the client and the agent, within the limit set by the city or province's ordinance.
- Office in a different area: if the property and the agent's office are in different cities or provinces, the ordinance where the office is located applies.
Commission ceiling calculator
The calculator gives the maximum for one side of a home deal under the national table above. It is a ceiling, not the actual fee, which is agreed with the agent. It does not include value-added tax or the agent's out-of-pocket costs, it does not read the city's own ordinance table (see below), and it does not cover officetels or non-home property.
Property other than homes
For property that is not a home, the rule sets the commission at no more than 0.9% of the deal value, agreed between the client and the agent, charged to each side. For an officetel of 85 square metres or less with its own kitchen, toilet and bathing facilities, a separate rate table (Annex 2) applies; it is not covered here. For non-home property the agent must write on the office's fee table the upper rate the agent actually wants to charge and cannot take more than that.
Seoul's own ordinance
The Act hands the home commission limit to each city or province's ordinance, within the national ceiling in the rule. Seoul's "Ordinance on Housing Brokerage Fees" is shown as "[시행 2022. 12. 30.] [서울특별시조례 제8585호, 2022. 12. 30., 일부개정]". Its Article 2 says the limit is the one in its Annex 1, and that the fee is the amount agreed between client and agent within it. Annex 1 appears on the law site only as a file and cannot be previewed as text, so we do not read its rates here. The ordinance text is older than the national rule. The Rule says the fee is set within the city or province's ordinance limit, so both limits apply and the lower one governs; check the ordinance's Annex 1 rates with your agent or the Seoul city office.
Where this fits in a rental move
If you are renting with a deposit, also read deposit protection and the fixed date. This page is a summary of the legal ceilings, not legal advice.
Checked 2026-10-19.
Official sources
- National Law Information Center — Licensed Real Estate Agents Act Enforcement Rule, Article 20 — commission and expenses ceiling, deal value conversion, non-home 0.9%; in force 2026-08-28 (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — same Rule, Annex 1 (housing commission ceiling rates) — ceiling rate table by deal type and price; text layer of the annex viewer (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — Licensed Real Estate Agents Act, Article 32 — the Act hands home commission limits to ordinances within the ministerial rule (checked 2026-10-19)
- National Law Information Center — Seoul Ordinance on Housing Brokerage Fees — Seoul ordinance text, in force 2022-12-30; Annex 1 not previewable as text (checked 2026-10-19)
Prices change. If an official page shows a different number from this page, the official page wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.