Common sticking points for foreigners renting in Taipei: agent's fees, deposits, lease language, ARC address registration, and how Seal Co-living handles them

When you rent in Taiwan for the first time, the language, the paperwork and the rules are all new, so it is easy to get stuck at the same few points. For each point below, we first explain the official rules, then how Seal Co-living handles it. Where we cannot confirm something yet, we simply say "you can ask at the viewing".

Do you have to pay an agent's fee to rent in Taipei?

Not necessarily. It depends on whether you rent through an agent. Under the Ministry of the Interior's rules on real estate agent fees (不動產仲介經紀業報酬計收標準規定), the total fee an agent charges the landlord and the tenant together must not exceed one and a half months' rent. This is a cap, not a fixed rate. The agent should state in advance, in the service agreement or the written offer, how much each side pays¹. Before you sign, ask exactly how much you will have to pay.

Seal Co-living: The fees listed on our website are the monthly rent per bed, the deposit, a monthly utilities fee of NT$1,000 and a one-time move-in fee of NT$1,500. If you want to know whether there are any other fees, just ask us at the viewing.

What is the maximum deposit a landlord in Taipei can charge?

Article 7 of the Rental Housing Market Development and Regulation Act (the Rental Housing Act) says the deposit must not exceed 2 months' rent in total². The deposit secures payment for damage and for dealing with anything left behind. When the lease ends, and you have returned the property and paid any debts, the landlord must return the deposit or what remains after deductions. The Ministry of the Interior's rules for standard-form lease contracts set the same cap³.

Seal Co-living: The deposit is 1 month of rent.

What if you can't read a lease in Chinese?

Under the rules for standard-form contracts, you must be given at least three days to review a residential lease. The landlord cannot ask you to give up this review period, and the lease cannot say that "advertisements are for reference only"³. You can take the lease home and go through it with a friend who reads Chinese or with a professional.

Seal Co-living: You can ask at the viewing whether the lease is available in English or another language.

How do you register your ARC address? Can a lease serve as proof of address?

• Foreign nationals who receive a residence permit when entering Taiwan must apply to the National Immigration Agency for an ARC (Alien Resident Certificate) within 30 days, counting from the day after entry. People who already hold a document that works as an ARC, such as a four-in-one card (四證合一), do not need to apply (Immigration Act, Article 22)⁴.
• When you apply for residence, you usually need to attach "proof of current address", such as a lease⁵.
• If you move during your residence, you must register the change within 30 days, counting from the day after you move. Bring the originals of your passport, ARC, lease and other documents to the National Immigration Agency service center for the area you moved to. If you don't, you can be fined from NT$2,000 to NT$10,000⁶.

Which documents are accepted is decided by the National Immigration Agency service center. For visa rules, check the websites of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs⁷ and the National Immigration Agency.

Seal Co-living: If you need your lease to apply for an ARC or to change your address, tell us at the viewing, and you can ask which documents we can provide. The National Immigration Agency decides on your application, and we cannot guarantee the result.

If your plans change, can you end your lease early?

Articles 10 and 11 of the Rental Housing Act list the legal grounds on which either side can end the lease early, for example when the tenant needs long-term treatment because of illness or an accident. A tenant ending the lease on these grounds must give written notice 30 days before the end date, with supporting evidence. A landlord ending the lease under the law generally must also give 30 days' written notice, or 3 months' notice when taking the property back for reconstruction². In other cases, it depends on what the lease says.

Seal Co-living: The longer the lease, the lower the monthly rent. The minimum lease is 30 days. This is how lease length and monthly rent relate:

We suggest choosing a lease length that matches your actual plans. Before you sign, you can ask us to explain how ending the lease early is calculated.

What extra protection do you have when a company sublets the home to you?

If a company rents the home from the owner and then sublets it to you, the Rental Housing Act says: the sublet needs the owner's written consent, and the company must give you the consent document when you sign (Articles 9 and 29). If the owner ends the master lease early, the company must tell you within five days of finding out, return any rent paid in advance and all or part of the deposit, and help you get priority to rent another home (Article 30)². You can check whether the company is registered on the Ministry of the Interior's system⁸.

Seal Co-living: At the viewing, you can ask us to explain who you sign the lease with and the related documents.

Summary table: sticking points and Seal Co-living

Still have questions? The fastest way is to ask us

Save the questions in this article and ask them one by one at the viewing. It is much faster than guessing online. Send 「看房」 (Chinese for "viewing") or "viewing" to our official account on LINE (add us as a friend on LINE), or fill in the online booking form. You can also browse the list of houses first to see room types and prices.