SH Corporation Launches 'Binjip Care Plus' to Accelerate Housing Supply Through Vacant Homes...

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH Corporation) announced on the 14th that they will implement the Seoul-style "Vacant House Care Plus" for comprehensive management of vacant houses in Seoul.

Seoul-style Vacant House Care Plus is a newly introduced vacant house management, support, and purchase system to solve the problem of privately owned vacant houses in Seoul. When vacant house owners register their vacant houses in this system, SH Corporation manages and supports the registered vacant houses and even purchases them, providing a total vacant house management system.

The main contents of this system are broadly divided into three parts. The first is "vacant house management." For vacant houses that apply for Vacant House Care Plus, safety and hygiene inspections are conducted to reduce related risks. The second is "vacant house utilization support." SH Corporation plans to support vacant house owners who lack expertise in architecture and development by providing consulting so they can utilize their vacant houses. The third is "vacant house purchase." If the vacant house owner wishes to sell, SH Corporation helps them to decide on purchase based on the standards and procedures of the Seoul Vacant House Project and facilitates the sale.

Vacant House Care Plus is an extension of the "Seoul Vacant House Project" promoted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and SH Corporation. It aims not only to directly purchase and utilize vacant houses publicly but also to activate the utilization of vacant houses through voluntary participation by private owners. Since last year, through the Vacant House Project, Seoul and SH Corporation have purchased about 300 vacant houses and supplied them as rental housing, social housing, and living SOC facilities.

SH Corporation plans to take a step further from the existing public-led vacant house utilization projects by establishing a wide-ranging and rapid vacant house management system through Vacant House Care Plus. By encouraging voluntary participation from vacant house owners, it intends to build accurate vacant house data and prevent vacant house problems in advance through various service provisions. It is also expected to resolve information provision consent issues through data construction and utilization based on voluntary applications from vacant house owners.

Kim Seyong, President of SH Corporation, expressed expectations, saying, "Seoul-style Vacant House Care Plus will be a proactive response to the vacant house problem in Seoul. Going forward, Vacant House Care Plus will provide an opportunity for citizens to no longer neglect vacant houses but to utilize them directly."

Meanwhile, applications for Vacant House Care Plus, which started on the 1st, will be accepted until August 31. Vacant house owners (or their agents) can apply directly through the SH Corporation website. The application targets are single-family houses and multi-family houses in Seoul that have been vacant for more than one year.

After a two-month pilot application period, SH Corporation plans to review improvements and officially implement Vacant House Care Plus. In the long term, it aims to expand its role as a citizen platform capable of mediating, supporting, managing, and utilizing private vacant houses.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.