How Much Is the Rental Deposit in Taiwan?

In Taiwan, a rental deposit is usually capped at two months' rent under the Ministry of the Interior's standard residential lease template. On signing day, most tenants pay that deposit plus the first month's rent, so you often hand over three months of rent at once. The deposit is meant to come back to you when the lease ends, minus any unpaid rent or damage you are responsible for.

Quick facts - Deposit: at most 2 months' rent under the standard housing lease - Signing day: usually 2 months' deposit plus the first month's rent - Contract: the Ministry of the Interior publishes a standard template, Residential Lease Contract (住宅租賃契約書範本) - The Chinese text is what counts legally; an English reference helps you read it - Our brokerage fee is half a month's rent, paid to the licensed brokerage, not to the landlord

Why is it two months?

The Ministry of the Interior created a standard residential lease template and a rule that limits the deposit to two months of rent. The idea is to give tenants and landlords a fair baseline. It is not a guarantee that every landlord follows it, which is why knowing the rule matters. If someone asks for more, ask them politely to explain, and compare with the template. For legal questions, please check with the Ministry of the Interior or a lawyer; we do not give legal advice.

What do you pay on signing day?

Most signings go like this: you pay the landlord two months' deposit and the first month's rent, so three months of rent in total, and the landlord hands over the keys. If you are renting through a licensed brokerage, the brokerage fee is separate, and you should know the amount before you view anything.

Practical tip: do not pay anything until you have read, or had read to you, the whole contract. If it feels rushed, it is okay to say you want one more day.

What should you check in the contract?

We always go through these with foreign tenants:

• The names and ID details of the landlord and tenant, and that the person signing is the owner or has authority
• The rent amount, the due date, and how you pay (bank transfer is easiest to prove)
• Utilities: who pays for electricity, water, gas and internet, and at what rate. Many landlords charge electricity at a different rate than the public utility, so ask
• The management fee (管理費): the monthly fee for shared building facilities. Is it included?
• What furniture and appliances come with the apartment, listed in writing
• How the deposit will be returned, and when
• What happens if you leave early

How do you get the deposit back?

This is the part people worry about most, and the honest answer is: be organized from day one. On move-in, take photos or video of every room, including the scratches and stains that are already there, and send them to the landlord in LINE so there is a dated record. At move-out, do the walkthrough together, and agree in writing what, if anything, will be deducted.

What we see on viewings

The question we hear most from foreign tenants is not about price. It is: is it normal that they want three months of rent on the first day? Yes, it is normal, but it surprises almost everyone the first time.

We also see people forget to ask about the electricity rate until the first bill, and sign without knowing whether the management fee is included. These are small things on viewing day and big things in month two.

Another thing we see is people feeling awkward about asking for changes. In Taiwan, landlords are used to some negotiation on small items, such as a missing appliance, and a polite request is very normal.

What if the landlord says no to something?

Not every term in a Taiwanese lease is fixed. Small things, such as adding a missing appliance, fixing a lock before move-in, or agreeing on who pays for a repair, are very often negotiable, and a polite request is normal. What is harder to change is the template's basic structure, so if you are asked to sign something that differs from the standard lease, ask why, and ask for the difference to be written down.

Keep the language simple and friendly. Many landlords are nervous about language problems more than about foreigners themselves. When they see that you ask careful questions, read the contract, and have someone who can translate, they relax. We have watched a tense conversation turn into a cup of tea more than once.

Also keep copies of everything: the signed contract, the payment receipts or transfer records, and your move-in photos. If a question comes up months later, these are the first things anyone will ask to see.

One last habit worth building: when you pay, pay by bank transfer and keep the receipt, and write the purpose in the transfer note, such as deposit or first month's rent. It takes ten seconds on signing day and it turns a vague memory into a clear record if anyone asks later. We always suggest this to foreign tenants, and landlords generally appreciate the clarity too.

How can we help?

TC TIME WALK Living works with a licensed agent from Xiangxin Real Estate (相信地產) and an interpreter who comes with you to viewings and contract signing. Deposit terms, move-out inspections, clauses that don't look right — we go through them with you, line by line, in your language. We screen out landlords who won't rent to foreigners, so your energy goes into choosing a home, not decoding a contract.