Korean Job Discussion Forums

[semphoon]

I came home last night and couldn't enter my mansion. I needed to get a person to come and replace the lock. It cost W100,000.

Who should pay for this?

Me? The hagwon owners? The owners of the actual apartment, who my boss rents the house from?

Many thanks.

[OiGirl]

Why couldn't you get in? Who on earth did you call to replace it? Even when I've been totally soaked on locks, it was less than half that.

[unknown9398]

Given the scant information provided, I would say it's your responsibility to pay for the new lock. Maybe if you explain what prevented you from getting in, my opinion would change.

I think the bottom line is that you ordered the lock to be changed, and that's not something that landlords or employers pay for.

[kermo]

"Couldn't enter" as in "you couldn't find your keys" or "there was something wrong with the lock"?

Is there anything in your contract about apartment maintenance?

There's nothing specific in my contract, so when the neighbour downstairs started complaining that water was running from the ceiling, I was quite unsure of who was responsible for the cost. Was it me or her or the landlord or my school? My school agreed to pay because the apartment is a bit old and run-down, but I forked over the 300,000 won and they said they'd pay me back.

I was told, however, that it's "Korean tradition" for the inhabitant to cover the costs. Who knows whether there's any merit to it. I'm still not sure why my apartment was responsible for the bill at all.

[marlow]

I won't pay maintenance. Sure I pay for building service fees, but pipes, doors, faucets, ceilings, floors, windows, whatever, are all off my list unless I damage them in anger or for fun. Rent is supposed to cover routine wear and tear on a place.

[Qinella]

[kermo]

Yesterday night my TV broke.
I bought a DVD player so I could watch movies and listen to music using the TV. The speakers are pretty crap and the resolution is hazy (the TV is from 1995, after all) and I've never had anything but the lowest channels (2-13) in fuzzy reception, but it did a good job of keeping me entertained.

Now it's dead (just a black screen and a high-pitched squeal) and is my university keen to buy a new one? No, no they are not. They have scheduled a repairman (bless 'em) in 6 days though. (crosses fingers)

[semphoon]

Its one of those key pad locks so I needed to get a man out. It just stopped working. He took the lock and repaired the motor and came back an hour later.

I spoke to my boss. She is going to talk to the landlord (who should pay for it....it's his house).


Danny Parents

[VanIslander]

[Ilsanman]

If you are forced to pay for it, just make sure not to give anyone a copy of the key, including the landlord. When you move out, they'll regret it.

[kimchi story]

[pest2]

dont know about Korea and its quirkiness, but in the US, the landlord of a rental would not only have to pay for the lock, but they would have no choice about whether to fix it or any other things in your apartment that might have broken due to wear and tear. For example, if the reefer broke, they could not simply say, "oh, we've decided not to fix it". If the reefer was present when you consented to rent the apt and it was functional, they MUST fix it. (Its different it you clearly acted in a way to cause the thing to break.. ie, you smashed the lock with a baseball bat... then you have to pay).

But ...this is Korea... I am also pretty sure renters have far fewer rights in this dump.

[dogshed]

[dogshed]

[regicide]