by Kwon Hyeonji
Published 05 Apr.2024 06:00(KST)
Updated 08 Apr.2024 16:46(KST)
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 5th that it will fully cover the safety inspection costs for 86 apartment complexes with fewer than 150 households (a total of 180 buildings).
Apartment complexes with 150 or more households receive regular safety inspections through management offices or other management entities, but complexes with fewer than 150 households have no legal management obligations, leading to gaps in safety management.
Accordingly, the city provides free safety inspections annually for small-scale apartment complexes with fewer than 150 households and conducts inspections at least once every three years to check for defects or safety issues in each complex. The target complexes are aged apartments that have passed 15 years since their approval for use and have more than 50% of units sized at or below the national housing standard (exclusive area of 85㎡). Over the past 10 years (2014?2023), the city has provided free safety inspection costs for a total of 967 complexes.
Even if residents do not apply separately, the district offices select apartment complexes requiring safety inspections and carry out the inspections. The results are communicated to the owners to alleviate residents' concerns.
Along with visual inspections, when necessary, precise inspections are conducted using specialized observation equipment such as a theodolite to check for building cracks, repair status, tilt, concrete strength, and overall safety conditions. Additionally, facilities governed by the Apartment Housing Management Act, such as city gas facilities, fire safety facilities, and electrical facilities, are also inspected.
Han Byung-yong, Director of the Seoul Housing Policy Office, said, “Since 2014, we have supported safety inspections for small-scale apartment complexes with fewer than 150 households that have no legal safety inspection obligations,” adding, “We will continue to work diligently to eliminate blind spots in safety management.”
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