"Tenants Should Also Go Through Document Screening, Interviews, and an Internship Period"... Landlords File National Petition

[The Financial News] A National Agreement Petition has been filed calling for a law that would allow landlords to conduct 'pre-interviews' to verify tenant information in advance. This petition appears to have emerged as the government and the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea move to expand the scope of landlord information disclosure, prompting calls for equal disclosure of tenant information.

On the 13th, a petition titled 'Petition for the Introduction of a Tenant Interview System to Prevent Damages Caused by Malicious Tenants' was posted on the National Agreement Petition section of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea.
The petitioner explained, "With the current opaque tenant contract system, there is no way to know if a criminal or a person with bad credit is moving into my home. To prevent disputes and protect landlords' property rights, a tenant interview system is necessary so both parties can enter into contracts with trust."
The petitioner also emphasized, "Through document screening and interviews, it is possible to evaluate a tenant’s creditworthiness, ability to pay rent, and attitude toward residence."
The petition detailed the tenant selection process.
The first stage is document screening. Required documents include a credit report to check for loan delinquencies, a criminal record certificate, proof of income to verify the ability to pay rent, a certificate of tax payment, and a family relationship certificate to confirm household composition.
Those who pass the document screening move on to the second stage: an interview. During the interview, the landlord confirms the tenant’s method and willingness to pay rent.
The final third stage is a six-month internship period for the tenant. During this period, the landlord checks for any issues such as missed rent payments, property damage, or conflicts with neighbors. If there are no problems after this period, the lease agreement can be finalized.

The petitioner argued, "To minimize potential risks in lease agreements, landlords must be able to select trustworthy tenants. Such procedures are already common practice in advanced rental markets like Germany, the United States of America (USA), and France. Our country should urgently adopt this system to minimize disputes between landlords and tenants."
Within two days of posting, the petition received more than 100 preliminary supporters and was made public on the website. If the number of supporters exceeds 50,000 within 30 days, it will be automatically referred to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. According to Article 125 of the National Assembly Act, the Standing Committee must review the petition within 150 days of referral and report the results to the Speaker of the National Assembly.
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter