Even if apartment wallpaper peels or floors creak, defects will be recognized from now on

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[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] Starting this November, defects can be recognized even in cases where apartment wallpaper peels off or flooring creaks.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 19th that the Defect Review and Dispute Mediation Committee will issue an administrative notice for the revision of the "Investigation of Defects in Multi-family Housing, Estimation of Repair Costs, and Defect Judgment Standards" used for defect judgments in multi-family housing.

The Ministry will increase the current 31 defect judgment standards to 44 by adding 13 new items and improve the content of 12 existing items.

First, defect standards for wallpaper and flooring will be established. Wallpaper and flooring are among the most frequent defects, but there were many cases leading to lawsuits due to the lack of specific defect judgment criteria.

From now on, defects will be recognized if wallpaper or sheets peel off, wrinkle, or if seams open due to construction defects. Flooring defects will be judged if there is damage, lifting, creaking, gaps, unevenness, or bulging.

Also, if apartment spaces are narrow or door sizes are too small to bring in appliances such as refrigerators, this will be considered a defect. Appliances built-in to the specifications installed in model houses or presented in sales brochures must be able to be brought in and used, with appropriate entrances and space provided to avoid defects.

Defect standards for underground parking lots have also been established. Defects will be recognized if the driving lane width falls short of legal standards, corner guards or safety paint on parking pillars or corners are peeled off, or if finishing materials such as spray coatings on underground parking ceilings and walls are not applied or have fallen off.

The defect judgment criteria related to mold caused by condensation will be strengthened. Previously, defect judgments were based only on the construction state of materials, such as whether insulation was poor or finishing materials were installed differently from the design, but going forward, defect judgments will consider condensation prevention design that accounts for indoor and outdoor temperature differences and measure temperature and humidity in the relevant areas.

When wall tiles fall off, a comprehensive judgment will be made not only on the adhesive strength of the tile adhesive but also on how well mortar is filled between the tile and the wall. For sanitary fixtures such as washbasins and sinks, defects can be judged by considering factors such as water supply discharge volume, hot water discharge temperature, and occurrence of rust.

The Ministry plans to implement the revised standards in November after administrative notice and review by the Ministry of Government Legislation. Kim Kyunghun, Director of the Housing Construction Supply Division, said, "The revision of defect judgment standards is a major overhaul after five years based on accumulated cases such as precedents, and it is expected to prevent disputes between parties caused by defects and strongly protect the rights of residents."

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