From Now On, 'Urban Blight' Vacant Houses Left Unattended Will Incur Compulsory Execution Fines

Enforcement of Amendment on the 14th... Strengthened Vacant House Management
Penalty for Non-compliance with Safety and Demolition Measures

(Data provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

From now on, if the owner of a vacant house in urban areas, which poses a high risk of accidents and damages the cityscape, does not take appropriate measures, a compliance penalty will be imposed.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that the partial amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the "Special Act on the Maintenance of Vacant Houses and Small-scale Housing," which includes these provisions, will take effect from the 14th. The amendment was promulgated on April 13.

Vacant houses left unattended for a long time can cause various problems such as deterioration of urban aesthetics, worsening residential environments, creation of high-crime areas, and risk of collapse, so there have been many calls for improvement.

According to the amendment, the criteria for grading vacant houses will be specified first. Each local government head must conduct a survey to evaluate the deterioration and poor condition of pillars, exterior walls, etc., as well as the landscape and hygiene, and assign a grade from 1 to 4 to the vacant house.

The vacant house grade will be referenced when establishing maintenance plans or implementing maintenance projects, and the direction of maintenance and utilization may vary depending on the grade.

For example, vacant houses graded 1 to 2, which are in relatively good condition, will be encouraged for maintenance and utilization. On the other hand, vacant houses graded 3 to 4, which are unsuitable for neglect, may be ordered for demolition or safety measures by the local government head, or subject to compulsory demolition.

The management responsibility of vacant house owners will also be strengthened. If the owner fails to comply with a safety measure order within 60 days, a compliance penalty equivalent to 20% of the standard market value of the building will be imposed; if the demolition order is not complied with, a penalty equivalent to 40% of the standard market value will be imposed.

The compliance penalty can be imposed repeatedly twice a year until the order is fulfilled.

However, since situations may vary by region and individual, provisions have been established allowing local ordinances to reduce the penalty to 10-20% of the standard market value.

Additionally, a public reporting system will be operated so that anyone can report harmful vacant houses in their surroundings. Upon receiving a report, the local government will visit the site within 30 days, interview the owner or manager, and provide necessary administrative guidance.

However, since there are criticisms that local governments may excessively interfere with the private property rights of owners, resistance is expected at the site in the future. There are also opinions that measures are needed for economically vulnerable people who do not intentionally neglect vacant houses but lack the capacity to manage them.

Ahn Se-hee, Director of the Urban Housing Supply Cooperation Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "We hope that this amendment will serve as an opportunity for local governments and community residents to cooperate and effectively maintain vacant houses left unattended in urban areas."

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