What a Normal Taipei Rental Contract Actually Looks Like

A normal Taiwan rental contract is a one-year lease with rent paid monthly, a deposit of no more than two months' rent, electricity and gas paid by you, the landlord responsible for repairs unless the contract lists something as yours, and a joint walk-through when you move out. Most of that shape isn't just custom. It comes from the Rental Housing Market Act and from a model contract the Ministry of the Interior (內政部) publishes, which many landlords copy or adapt.

Our recommendation: ask for the Ministry's model contract, read the official English translation side by side with the Chinese version, take the three days you're entitled to before signing, and make sure the early-termination clause says you can end the lease early. Below is what each part of a normal Taipei lease agreement says, what is and isn't allowed, and the red flags we'd walk away from.

The Taiwan rental contract most landlords start from

The Ministry of the Interior publishes a residential lease template (住宅租賃契約書範本) on its Real Estate Information Platform, most recently revised in July 2024, together with an official English translation. Printed copies are sold at convenience stores and bookstores, and universities point their students to the same form (NTNU notice).

Alongside it, the Ministry sets out the terms a standard residential lease must and must not contain (住宅租賃定型化契約應記載及不得記載事項, last revised April 2025). Since a 2023 amendment, the Rental Housing Market Act treats every landlord and tenant as having a consumer relationship, so these rules matter even when your landlord is a private individual with one flat.

Two rules from that list help foreigners straight away:

• A review period of at least three days. You're entitled to take the contract home and read it. A contract can't say you waived that right.
• Missing required terms still apply. If a required term is left out, it still counts as part of the contract, and banned clauses are void.

Some private landlords hand over a shorter, home-made contract instead. That isn't illegal, but compare it against the template: anything the template protects you on and the home-made version leaves out is a question to ask before you sign.

Rent and the rental deposit in Taiwan

• Deposit (押金). By law it can't be more than two months' rent (Article 7). Two months is the norm in Taipei, and listings write it as 押二付一 ("two months' deposit, pay one month"). At signing you usually hand over three months of rent in total.
• Rent is fixed for the term. The template says the landlord can't raise rent during the lease for any reason. Increases happen at renewal, which is why a longer first lease is worth something to you.
• How you pay. Bank transfer is most common. Keep the transfer records; you'll want them for any dispute and, if you become a tax resident, for the rent deduction.
• The deposit isn't your last month's rent. It's there to cover damage and unpaid bills. Using it as the final month only works if the landlord agrees in writing.

Lease length

One year is the default in Taipei. Six-month leases exist, usually at a slightly higher rent, and some landlords simply won't do them. The Act only covers leases of 30 days or more (Article 4); anything shorter, like a two-week stay while you search, is outside these protections. If you know your stay is short, say so at the first conversation, not after you've picked the flat.

Utilities, management fee and electricity

The template has a tick box for each bill: management fee, water, electricity, gas, internet. A normal Taipei lease puts electricity and gas on the tenant, and water is often included or charged as a small flat amount. Two protections are worth knowing:

• Management fee (管理費). If it goes up for reasons that aren't anyone's fault, the tenant's share of the increase is capped at 10%.
• Electricity. Since July 15, 2024, a landlord charging per kWh can't charge more than the average price per kWh on that period's Taipower bill, and a flat fee can't exceed the bill's total. The landlord must give you the electricity bill information, and you can also ask Taipower directly.

This is where most real disputes start. Our guide to Taiwan rental fine print explains sub-meters, "rent excludes tax" and sub-landlords in detail, and hidden costs beyond rent shows what to add to your budget.

Photo: Junyu-K via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Who fixes what

The default in Taiwan favors the tenant more than many newcomers expect. Under Article 8 the landlord must hand over a home fit to live in and keep it that way, and must explain before signing which repairs are theirs and how to reach them.

The template goes further:

• The landlord repairs damage to the home and its equipment, unless the contract or local custom says otherwise, or you caused it.
• Anything you are expected to repair must be listed and confirmed by you in a separate annex. If it isn't listed, it's the landlord's job.
• If the landlord doesn't fix something within a reasonable deadline you set, you can fix it yourself and deduct the cost from rent.

In practice, small consumables like light bulbs are on you. Ask specifically about the air conditioner and water heater, because those are the expensive ones.

The condition report and equipment list

The template's first annex, the 租賃標的現況確認書 (property condition statement), is the most useful page in the whole contract and the one most often skipped. It asks the landlord to state, among other things:

• Any unregistered additions or illegal structures, such as a rooftop addition. Our rooftop additions guide explains why that matters.
• Whether there is a residential smoke alarm. Homes are required to have one under Article 6 of the Fire Services Act.
• Any water leaks, and who fixes them before move-in.
• Radiation and sea-sand concrete testing for buildings from the relevant years.
• Whether a murder, suicide, carbon monoxide death or other unnatural death happened in the unit.
• The management fee and any unpaid fees.
• A checklist of included equipment: air conditioners, fridge, washing machine, bed, wardrobe, water heater and so on, with quantities.

That last list is how "furnished" becomes something you can enforce. Our furnished vs unfurnished guide covers it in more depth.

Ending the lease early

This clause decides how much a change of plans costs you. The template asks the parties to tick whether either side may (得) or may not (不得) end the lease before it expires.

• If "may" is ticked: give at least one month's notice. If you leave without notice, the penalty can't exceed one month's rent, and rent you paid in advance must be refunded.
• If "may not" is ticked: you're committed for the full term, apart from the statutory reasons in Article 11, such as long-term illness, or a home that needs repairs the landlord refuses to make.

Our view: for a foreigner whose job, visa or plans could change, insist on "may". It is the single most valuable box on the form.

The landlord can only end the lease early for the reasons in Article 10, like two months of unpaid rent, unauthorized subletting, or rebuilding, with written notice (three months for rebuilding).

Clauses a Taipei lease agreement can't contain

Under the Ministry's list, a standard lease must not say:

• Banned clause: The tenant waives the review period | What it means for you: You still get your three days
• Banned clause: The ad is "for reference only" | What it means for you: What was advertised is part of the contract
• Banned clause: The tenant can't declare rent on a tax return | What it means for you: You keep the rent deduction if you qualify
• Banned clause: The tenant can't register the address (不得遷入戶籍) | What it means for you: Important for your ARC address
• Banned clause: Tax increases on the landlord pass to the tenant | What it means for you: Property taxes stay with the owner
• Banned clause: The tenant must hand back their copy of the contract | What it means for you: Keep your original
• Banned clause: Notices only by phone | What it means for you: Notices should be in writing
• Banned clause: The tenant can't apply for a rent subsidy | What it means for you: The clause is void

If you see one of these, it's void, but it also tells you how the landlord thinks. We'd ask them to remove it rather than sign over it.

Moving out and getting the deposit back

When the lease ends, landlord and tenant do the handover together (Article 12), settle the last bills, and the landlord returns the deposit minus any proven damage or debts. The template also says you move your registration out of the address. Our guide to what happens when your lease ends walks through renewal, the walk-through and what to do if a deduction looks unfair.

Red flags we'd walk away from

• The person signing can't show ID and proof they have the right to rent the unit (the template requires both). If they're a sub-landlord, they need the owner's written consent.
• A deposit above two months, or "key money" that isn't refundable.
• Pressure to sign and pay on the day you view.
• No condition report and no equipment list for a "fully furnished" unit.
• A refusal to let you register the address for your ARC.

Scams follow similar patterns; see rental scams targeting foreigners in Taipei.

How TRA handles the contract with you

The contract is step three of our home search.

• We ask for the Ministry template or compare the landlord's own contract against it, and flag anything missing or banned.
• We go through it clause by clause with you in English before you sign: rent, deposit, the early-termination box, repairs, electricity and the equipment list.
• We negotiate changes in Chinese on the spot, such as ticking "may" on early termination or adding a missing appliance to the list.
• We help finalize the deposit and signing, and confirm the landlord agrees to ARC address registration.

Once the in-person search starts, finding the right place typically takes anywhere from 3 to 5 days up to about 1 to 2 weeks. You pay a deposit when we start and the balance once you've found your home; we quote individually. See how our service works.

Our pick

Use the Ministry's model contract, read it with the English translation open, and don't sign on the day you view. Before anything else, check three boxes: early termination set to "may", the equipment list filled in, and electricity billed at no more than the Taipower average rate. If you'd like someone to read the contract with you, send it to us before you sign.

FAQ

Is there an English rental contract in Taiwan?

Yes. The Ministry of the Interior publishes an official English translation of its residential lease template. The Chinese version is the one that's signed, so use the English one as a side-by-side guide.

How much deposit can a Taipei landlord ask for?

No more than two months' rent, under Article 7 of the Rental Housing Market Act. Two months is the usual amount in Taipei.

Can my landlord raise the rent during the lease?

Under the model contract terms, no. Rent can change at renewal, which is why a longer first lease protects you.

What happens if I break my lease in Taiwan?

If the contract allows early termination, you give at least one month's notice, and the penalty can't exceed one month's rent. If it says neither side may end early, you're bound for the term except for the legal reasons in Article 11.

Do I need to notarize a Taiwan rental contract?

No, notarization is optional. The template includes it as a choice, mainly so either side can enforce payment or move-out without going to court.

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