Gyeonggi-do Renovates Vacant Houses to Supply Housing for Vulnerable Groups

Empty House

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province plans to purchase 'vacant houses' left as local burdens and renovate them into rental housing cheaper than surrounding market prices or communal facilities that local residents can use.

The province announced on the 30th that it will promote the 'Gyeonggi Province Vacant House Renovation Project,' which includes vacant house purchase, demolition cost support, repair and remodeling support, and installation of safety fences to renovate vacant houses.

Using 3 billion KRW from the Urban and Residential Environment Improvement Fund, the province will purchase one vacant house site each in the southern and northern parts of Gyeonggi Province and directly utilize them as facilities for residents.

The province plans to entrust the project to Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (GH) through a city/county proposal contest early next year.

Various subsidies for owners have also been prepared. Demolition cost support is a project to demolish vacant houses to create vacant lots or use them as communal facilities. Up to 10 million KRW will be supported for demolition, and up to 20 million KRW will be provided if the site is used for public purposes such as public parking lots, ecological gardens, or small parks after demolition.

Repair and remodeling support is a project that provides repair costs to vacant house owners. It encourages the use of neglected vacant houses as new homes through repair and remodeling, and owners can receive up to 30 million KRW if they rent the remodeled house for more than five years.

Safety fence installation is a project that supports 6 million KRW for installing safety fences to block access to vacant houses when demolition or repair is difficult.

The costs for demolition, repair and remodeling, and fence installation will be shared by the province and city/county at a 30:70 ratio. In 2021, a budget of 1.3 billion KRW will be allocated to six cities including Suwon, Yongin, Icheon, Anseong, Goyang, and Uijeongbu for a pilot project, and after 2021, demand surveys will be conducted again to gradually expand the project.

Hong Ji-seon, Director of the Urban Housing Office of the province, said, "To overcome the contradictory situation where vacant houses increase due to population decline while housing prices rise, subsidies have been provided to cities and counties to renovate vacant houses," adding, "We hope that vacant houses, which harm urban aesthetics and are used as crime spots, will transform from local burdens into urban regeneration hubs."

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