Can you rent in Taiwan without a guarantor in 2026?

A 保證人 is a Taiwanese co-signer who promises to cover unpaid rent or damage. Some older walk-up landlords and cautious agents ask for one more often from foreigners without local credit history than from ARC holders with a Taipei or Taichung salary trail. The ask is preference, not a nationwide visa law. Gold Card and work-permit renters who show an ARC early usually face fewer co-signer demands than visitor-status seekers hunting on Facebook.

Prepare a compact file: passport, ARC (or clear visa timeline), employment contract or enrolment letter, recent payslips, and a local phone number. Offer to use the Interior Ministry standard contract (內政部定型化租約) so deposit and notice terms stay within the legal frame described in rental contracts and deposits. Paying more than two months as "extra deposit" is not a lawful substitute for a guarantor; push excess cash back toward rent instead.

Target 591.com.tw listings and agents who already place foreigners, then say ARC and job status in the first message. Opening a Taiwan bank account after you hold a residence card makes rent transfers and deposit returns cleaner than overseas wires alone. Some owners accept a slightly longer fixed term or clearer early-exit wording instead of a co-signer once they see stable income.

If every suitable flat insists on a local friend as guarantor, widen the search to foreigner-friendly agents, newer managed buildings, or a short monthly furnished bridge while you collect local payslips: how to rent a home. Never pay a "guarantor fee" to a stranger who promises to rubber-stamp your lease; that pattern overlaps rental scam cases even when the Mandarin listing looks professional.