Gyeonggi Province Expands Personnel and Sectors of 'Apartment Complex Quality Inspection Team' to Prevent Defect Disputes

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Nohun] Gyeonggi Province has expanded both the inspection sectors and personnel of the 'Apartment Complex Quality Inspection Team,' which has experts visit multi-unit housing before occupancy to inspect construction sites.

The province announced on the 8th that it has appointed 120 private sector experts by field—including technical engineers and first-class technicians with specialized knowledge and extensive experience in apartment complex construction—to the 8th-term Quality Inspection Team.

In line with the nationwide expansion of the apartment complex quality inspection system under amendments to the Housing Act to be implemented on January 24 next year, the province expanded the inspection team to 120 members, the maximum composition specified in the ordinance. While expanding the inspection team members, the province reinforced members in the fields of architectural structure, geotechnical foundation, fire safety, and traffic to prevent traffic accidents within apartment complexes, natural disasters such as typhoons and heavy rains, and on-site safety accidents.

The 8th-term Quality Inspection Team's term of office runs for two years from this month through September 30, 2022, and reappointment up to two additional terms is possible, for a maximum of 6 years.

The province first introduced the quality inspection system nationwide in 2007, which conducts advance inspections of defects and poor workmanship in apartment complexes (30 units or more), urban residential units (50 units or more), mixed-use residential complexes (300 units or more), and residential officetel units (500 units or more) that are either undergoing frame construction (approximately 25% completion) or awaiting occupancy approval. Last year, the province expanded the inspection phase to include those undergoing frame construction and included officetels with 500 or more units as inspection targets.

Over the past 13 years, the Quality Inspection Team has conducted on-site inspections of a total of 1,936 complexes, identifying and ordering corrections for approximately 77,000 quality defects and construction flaws, with an improvement rate reaching 95%.

Additionally, field specialists from various sectors have visited sites to meticulously inspect defects and poor workmanship in specialized areas such as electrical, mechanical facilities, and fire safety that residents find difficult to understand, and resident satisfaction with the system has been reported to be very high.

Shin Wuk-ho, Head of the Apartment Complex Division at Gyeonggi Province, said, "The quality inspection system is highly effective in preventing defect disputes that arise between construction companies and prospective residents after occupancy due to poor workmanship," and added, "Going forward, we will continue to conduct thorough quality inspections from the perspective of residents and increase occupant satisfaction."