Mandatory Repair of Defects Identified During Apartment Pre-Visit Before Move-In

(Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] Starting next year, apartment construction companies must complete repairs on defects pointed out by prospective residents during pre-move-in visits before the residents move in. If it is recognized that repairs cannot be completed before move-in due to unavoidable circumstances, the repairs must be completed by the date agreed upon with the prospective residents.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that the Enforcement Decree of the Housing Act containing these provisions passed the Cabinet meeting on the 15th.

The amendment specifies the deadline for addressing defects pointed out during the prospective residents' pre-move-in visits. If the defects are in private areas, the project owner must complete repairs before handing over the housing unit to the prospective resident; if the defects are in common areas, repairs must be completed before passing the usage inspection.

If it is recognized that completing repairs before move-in is difficult due to reasons such as difficulties in securing materials and manpower or natural disasters, the repairs may be completed by the date agreed upon with the prospective residents.

Serious defects that must be addressed before the usage inspection include cracks in major structural components, leaks, electrical leakage, and other defects that pose serious structural safety risks or are likely to cause significant inconvenience to the prospective residents' daily life.

Additionally, when city or provincial governors establish and operate a quality inspection team for apartment complexes, the team must be composed of experts in relevant fields. For apartment complexes with 300 or more households, construction quality must be inspected through document reviews such as resident recruitment announcements and on-site investigations. The amendment will take effect on January 24 next year.

On the same day, a partial amendment to the Special Act on Cadastral Resurvey also passed the Cabinet meeting.

The amendment establishes the basis for the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to designate a responsible executing agency for cadastral resurvey projects, and for the cadastral authority, as the project implementer, to entrust tasks to the designated agency. The responsible executing agency will jointly carry out some tasks with private companies.

Also, the cadastral authority must specify in the cadastral register that the area is a "planned cadastral resurvey district," and the land status survey and measurement, which could only be conducted after the project district was designated, can now be conducted immediately once the implementation plan is established.

The amendment will be promulgated on the 22nd and, after a grace period, will take effect on June 23 next year.

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