TOCFL Prep Blog591 (rent.591.com.tw) is Taiwan's largest rental listing site, and almost every landlord and agent posts there — but it's Chinese-only, and by law your deposit can't exceed two months' rent. This guide covers how to actually use 591 as a foreigner, what "獨立套房" and "分租套房" mean, how to check if a listing's rent is reasonable, and the red flags that mean you should walk away.
591 vs. English-friendly alternatives
591 has the largest inventory by far, so most people end up using it even without Chinese. A few ways to work around the language barrier:
- Browse with your phone browser's built-in translate feature — the layout stays usable even translated
- Go with a friend, roommate, or your school's international office who can read the listing and message the landlord
- Use an English-first alternative like Taiwan Housing, which has bilingual listings and lets you contact landlords directly in English, though its inventory is much smaller than 591's
- Check foreigner-oriented Facebook groups — "Rental Apartments in Taiwan," "Rooms For Rent – Taipei!," and "Taipei Taiwan Apartment Rentals" are active, real groups where landlords post specifically looking for foreign tenants
Most landlords and agents in Taiwan coordinate over LINE, not email — once you message a listing, expect to be asked to add them on LINE to continue the conversation.
獨立套房 vs. 分租套房: what you're actually renting
These two terms show up constantly on 591 and describe very different living situations:
| Term | What it means | Typical price | Privacy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 獨立套房 (independent suite) | A self-contained unit with its own bathroom, and usually its own entrance or a shared building entrance only | Higher | You don't share living space with other tenants |
| 分租套房 (shared/subdivided suite) | A room within a larger apartment that's been split into multiple rentable rooms, sharing a common entrance, sometimes a kitchen | Lower | You share the apartment with other unrelated tenants, each with their own room |
| 雅房 (basic room) | Like 分租套房 but without a private bathroom — you share the bathroom with other tenants | Lowest | Least private, cheapest option |
| 整層住家 (whole floor/unit) | An entire unit or floor, rented as one lease, usually to a group who then splits rent themselves | Highest total, lowest per person if split | Full privacy, but you're the one managing the shared lease |
If a listing doesn't specify which of these it is, ask before you schedule a viewing — "分租" listings are sometimes worded ambiguously to look more appealing.
The legal deposit cap: 2 months' rent, no exceptions
Under Taiwan's Rental Housing Market Development and Management Act, Article 7, a deposit cannot exceed two months' total rent. The same cap for residential leases also comes from the older Land Act, Article 99, which states that any amount collected beyond two months' rent can be applied by the tenant toward future rent instead.
In practice:
- A landlord asking for 3+ months' deposit "as standard" for a residential room is asking for more than the law allows
- If you've already paid an excess deposit, you're legally entitled to have it applied against your rent
- This cap applies to residential rentals — commercial leases (e.g. a storefront) aren't covered by the same limit
- Get the deposit amount written into the contract, and keep proof of the transfer or cash handover — verbal agreements are hard to enforce when you move out
Checking if the rent is actually fair
Before agreeing to a price, you can check real, aggregated rent data — not just what other 591 listings claim — using the Ministry of Interior's rental price query system. It's built from actual active rental subsidy contracts, lets you search by city/district or by proximity to a specific university, and breaks results down by room type (including 獨立套房 and 分租套房) and building age, showing the 25th/50th/75th percentile rent for that category. If a listing is asking well above the median for the same room type in the same area, that's worth questioning.
Red flags to walk away from
- The landlord wants a deposit or "holding fee" transferred before you've seen the unit in person or over video call
- The listing photos look suspiciously polished or generic compared to the price
- The landlord refuses to put the deposit amount or included utilities/furniture in writing in the contract
- You're asked to pay in cash with no receipt and no written contract at all
- The unit doesn't match the address or floor shown when you visit
FAQ
Do I need an ARC (Alien Resident Certificate) to rent an apartment in Taiwan? No — landlords can legally rent to you with just a passport, though many prefer tenants who already have an ARC or a clear reason for staying (student visa, work permit) since it makes them easier to reach if something goes wrong.
Can a landlord legally ask for more than 2 months' deposit? Not for a residential rental — Article 7 of the Rental Housing Market Development and Management Act and Article 99 of the Land Act both cap it at two months' rent. Anything collected above that can legally be applied toward future rent.
What's the difference between 獨立套房 and 分租套房? 獨立套房 is a self-contained unit with its own bathroom and no shared living space with other tenants; 分租套房 is a room within a larger apartment that's been divided among multiple unrelated tenants, usually cheaper but less private.
Is it normal to negotiate rent on 591? Yes, especially outside peak semester start (August–September, February) — check the median rent for the same room type and area on the Ministry of Interior's rent query system before you counter-offer.
Do I have to sign the contract in Chinese? The contract's legally binding version will be in Chinese, but you can ask for (or prepare yourself) a side-by-side English translation to make sure you understand every clause before signing — the Chinese version is still what counts legally.