Gwanak-gu, Full Effort to Combat Jeonse Fraud Including Operation of Local On-Site Counseling Centers

Providing Four Major Services Including Verification of Registry Documents with Pre-Contract Housing Safety Managers (Licensed Realtors)... High User Satisfaction... Efficient Damage Relief through Local Field Consultation Centers and Outreach Counseling... Establishing Institutional Foundations for Jeonse Fraud Support and Prevention via Realtor Name Tags and Related Ordinance Revisions

Gwanak-gu (District Mayor Park Jun-hee) is fully committed to alleviating residents' anxiety by maintaining vigilance until the damages caused by jeonse fraud, which is spreading nationwide in various forms, stabilize.

Since June last year, the district has been operating the ‘Gwanak-gu Jeonse Damage Support Center.’ When affected residents submit a damage relief application, the center conducts a preliminary investigation and provides one-stop support including ▲emergency housing assistance ▲legal consultation ▲psychological counseling.

Residents wishing to report damages can visit the Jeonse Damage Support Center located on the 6th floor of the annex building of Gwanak-gu Office with their ID, contract, and statement of damage.

Considering that most victims of jeonse fraud are young people, the district has also opened the ‘Jeonse Fraud Damage 365 Open Window’ on its website and KakaoTalk channel to provide real-time information about jeonse fraud.

In each of the 21 neighborhoods, one certified real estate office has been designated as a ‘Local On-site Consultation Office’ to provide real estate-related legal services. Residents who suspect jeonse fraud can visit the on-site consultation office during operating hours to receive consultations on real estate rights analysis and market price verification.

The on-site consultation offices by neighborhood can be found on the Gwanak-gu Office website (Information by Field → Real Estate/Registry → Jeonse Fraud Damage 365 Open Window → Notices).

Additionally, the district operates a ‘Visiting Consultation Service Anytime, Anywhere’ to protect households living in homes where jeonse fraud has occurred but who are unaware of the damage. Since February, a total of 101 additional damage relief applications have been received through this visiting consultation service.

The district is also continuously promoting policies to prevent jeonse fraud in advance during lease contracts.

Single-person households such as young adults who want to find housing with peace of mind can use the ‘Gwanak-gu Single-Person Household Jeonse and Monthly Rent Safe Contract Assistance Service.’

The district has appointed five certified real estate agents with local expertise and professional real estate knowledge as ‘Housing Safety Managers’ to provide four major assistance services for single-person households’ lease contracts: ▲jeonse and monthly rent contract consultation ▲housing search support ▲housing policy guidance ▲housing safety accompaniment.

In particular, by thoroughly checking everything from the certified copy of the register to the conditions for opposability together with experts, potential jeonse fraud damages that may occur during lease contracts can be prevented in advance, resulting in very high user satisfaction. Since the service started in July 2022, a total of 789 people have used 1,007 services as of the end of September.

Meanwhile, since April, the district has implemented the ‘Certified Real Estate Agent Name Tag System’ to prevent damages caused by illegal brokerage activities by unqualified persons. On October 14 and 15, a training session for certified real estate agents was held to promote the provision of safe real estate transaction services.

The district plans to establish an institutional foundation for the rapid recovery from jeonse fraud damages, including the payment of damage support funds, through the revision of the ‘Gwanak-gu Ordinance on Support for Jeonse Fraud Victims and Housing Stability’ in the future.

District Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “Since jeonse fraud is concentrated among young adults and those with weak economic foundations, we will do our best to prevent further damages from increasing.”

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