Move-in & living

Message your host first — the entrance code or key location is usually a one-line answer. If you get no reply, contact HomesInKorea by 1:1 chat with your booking ID, and we will reach the host and help.

1. Open Messages and write to your host. Call the number shown in your booking if they do not answer quickly.
2. No answer? Tap 1:1 chat (bottom right) or email help@homesinkor.com with your booking ID and where you are.
3. Keep screenshots and the time you arrived. Not being able to move in is a protected case: if it is the host's fault, you are entitled to a full refund or help finding an alternative.

In an emergency: 119 (fire / ambulance) · 112 (police) · 1345 (Immigration Contact Center, multilingual).

Move-in is from 3:00 PM on your move-in date and move-out is by 11:00 AM on your move-out date (Korea time). Arrange the exact key handover with your host in chat — their contact details appear in your booking once the contract is confirmed.

• Arriving earlier or leaving later is up to the host; ask in advance.
• These times are also used for the refund rules: the 24-hour free cancellation ends 24 hours before 3:00 PM on your move-in day.

Tell us within 24 hours of move-in. Take photos or a video, message the host, and contact HomesInKorea with your booking ID. If the room is seriously different from the listing, cannot be used, or is unsafe, we can arrange a full refund or an alternative room.

What counts as a protected case:

• The room does not exist, or is clearly not the one advertised
• Major differences from the photos or description (size, facilities, location)
• You cannot move in (no key, no access, someone else living there)
• Serious safety problems — fire, water leak, electrical hazard

What usually does not qualify: cleanliness, sunlight, smell and other things that vary from person to person. Hidden defects you could not have noticed at move-in can still be reported later with evidence.

After 24 hours without a report, the room is considered accepted, so do not wait.

Message your host with a photo and a short description — repairs and maintenance are the host's responsibility. Most hosts respond the same day. If you get no answer within a reasonable time, or the problem makes the room unsafe or unusable, contact HomesInKorea with your booking ID.

• Use the in-app chat so there is a record; it is auto-translated.
• Safety first: for gas smell, flooding or electrical danger, leave the room and call 119 if needed, then message the host.
• Damage you caused yourself may be charged to you (see "I received an extra charge after moving out").

Give the host a little time — many are individuals, not companies — then contact HomesInKorea with your booking ID and what you asked. We will reach out to the host on our end.

• Before the contract is confirmed, hosts have 24 hours to respond to a request; after that it is cancelled automatically and you can choose another room.
• After confirmation, the host's phone number is shown in your booking; try calling for urgent matters.
• Repeated non-response is a breach of the Host Terms and we take it seriously.

In Messages, inside HomesInKorea. Every inquiry and every booking has its own chat thread with the host. Messages are translated automatically into your language, and the thread keeps a record you can refer to later.

• Before booking: "Chat with Host" on the listing opens an inquiry thread.
• After booking: the booking's thread shows the contract status and payment notices as well.
• Keep money matters inside the platform — never agree to payments by chat or bank transfer.

Chat is translated automatically. Open the thread, tap the translation menu at the top right, and choose your language — Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Indonesian or Arabic. Messages from the host then appear in that language; tap any message to see the original.

• Your own messages are sent as you wrote them; the host sees them translated into Korean.
• Translation is automatic, so keep sentences short and avoid slang for the best result. Numbers, dates and addresses come through unchanged.

On the listing page, in the house rules section — smoking, pets, noise, visitors, move-in and move-out procedure, and anything else the host has set. The rules become part of your contract when you book, so read them before you request.

• Rules differ from room to room, even in the same building.
• Not sure what a rule means? Ask the host in the inquiry chat.
• Breaking house rules can lead to contract termination and extra charges.

Yes — your contract and your room stay yours while you are away. Days you do not use are not refundable and do not count as leaving early; installments continue to be charged on schedule.

• Let your host know roughly how long you will be gone, especially in a share-house.
• Make sure your card can cover installments that fall while you are away (the second installment is on your move-in day; then every 30 days).
• Planning not to come back? That is an early move-out — see "What happens if I leave early?".

Our blog covers living in Korea as an international student — recycling and trash days, transport cards, getting a phone plan, banking, and neighborhood guides. The help center sticks to questions about your contract and your room.