The biggest fear when renting out a house is that you won’t get your deposit back! Now there are banks willing to help tenants keep it

According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, among the residential rental dispute mediation cases in the first quarter of 2026, deposit return disputes accounted for 41%, landlords terminated the contract early without reason accounted for 32%, and the responsibility for house repairs accounted for 27%. Among them, deposit return issues were the most common, which also highlighted the need for financial management protection in the rental market.

Tenants pay a two-month deposit, but they may not be able to get it back after the lease ends. The return of the deposit has also become a common dispute in the rental market. According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, there were 666 residential rental dispute mediation cases nationwide in the first quarter of 2026, of which deposit return disputes accounted for 41%, making it the largest rental dispute.

According to the current standardized residential lease contract regulations, the landlord cannot collect a deposit of more than two months' rent. In the market, the lessee usually pays two months' rent first, and then the lessor keeps it until the end of the lease, completion of payment and settlement of fees, and return. However, when the landlord or business owner fails to return the deposit as agreed, it often becomes a source of dispute between the lessor and the tenant.

Gong Wenping, chairman of Taiwan Jinlian, said that according to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, among the residential rental dispute mediation cases in the first quarter of 2026, deposit return disputes accounted for 41%, landlords terminated the contract early without reason accounted for 32%, and the responsibility for house repairs accounted for 27%. Among them, the deposit return issue is the most common, and it also highlights the demand for financial security in the rental market.

Taiwan Financial Union has recently cooperated with First Bank, and First Bank has developed a deposit trust product specifically for leasing and escrow operators. When the lessee signs a lease with Lixing Company in the future, the deposit will be directly transferred to the trust account of First Bank in accordance with the contract. It will be independently managed by the bank and separated from the daily operating funds of the operator. It cannot be misappropriated during the lease period. The deposit will be returned according to the agreement after the lease expires, the house is handed over and the fees are settled.

Taiwan Jinlian pointed out that the introduction of trust will not affect the original lease transaction process. Lixing Company will still deliver the deposit payable to the landlord according to the lease contract. The deposit paid by the lessee will be deposited in full in a bank trust account and managed by a third-party financial institution, so that the landlord can obtain due protection and the tenant can confirm the custody of the deposit.

Gong Wenping said that with the increase in leasing cases, the scale of deposits handled by operators will gradually expand. If they still rely entirely on the operators' own management, it will be difficult for lessees to control the flow of funds. Therefore, it is hoped to establish a dedicated deposit and fund diversion system through the bank trust mechanism to reduce disputes over return after the end of the lease.

At present, regulations do not force charter escrow operators to hand over tenants' deposits to trusts. This time, Taiwan Jinlian took the initiative to introduce it, mainly hoping that through the participation of public financial institutions, deposit management practitioners can keep it on their own, and further upgrade it to a third-party institutionalized management.