Gyeonggi Province Provides Consulting on Multi-Unit Buildings including Officetel and Commercial Spaces, Total of 128 Cases

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 23rd that the 'Multi-Unit Building Management Support Group,' composed of private experts and operated since March of last year with the goal of resolving disputes between management entities and residents in multi-unit buildings such as offitels and commercial spaces, has provided consulting for a total of 128 cases as of the first half of this year.

The Multi-Unit Building Management Support Group refers to free consulting provided by 30 private experts including lawyers, housing managers, accountants, architects, and labor attorneys on matters related to multi-unit building civil complaints.

Multi-unit buildings such as commercial spaces and offitels with individual owners are subject to the Multi-Unit Building Act rather than the Collective Housing Management Act, making the management methods different from general apartment complexes.

For this reason, residents and managers of multi-unit buildings face confusion and conflict over management fee charges, making expert advice essential, according to the province's explanation.

Looking at major cases, residents of an offiitel in Gimpo City brought request for assistance to the support group, stating that 'the management company selected by the developer at the initial stage of occupancy has not transparently disclosed management fees to residents for several years.'

The support group advised residents on procedures for convening management association meetings and methods for changing management companies so that residents could appoint a manager and manage the building independently.

In the case of a small-scale commercial building in Yongin City, inquiries from shop owners were received regarding the reorganization of long-term maintenance plans due to building deterioration and concerns about cost burden.

The support group guided shop owners that the burden of long-term maintenance reserve funds should be borne by individual unit owners and provided assistance in establishing long-term maintenance plans by presenting specific practical cases such as maintenance plans for similar-sized facilities.

The province plans to provide consulting for approximately 60 multi-unit building-related civil complaints in the second half of this year.

In particular, considering the stages of social distancing, the province will combine existing on-site consulting with non-face-to-face consulting via video call or telephone. Non-face-to-face consulting is more convenient and expedient than on-site consulting as there are no restrictions on location or time.

Eligible applicants are offitels, commercial spaces, and apartment complexes with fewer than 150 units subject to the 'Multi-Unit Building Act.' Managers, individual unit owners, or occupants of multi-unit buildings can apply for the service.

However, when applying as an individual unit owner or occupant, a consent document from at least 10% of individual unit owners or occupants is required.

The application method is to download the application form from the Gyeonggi Province website (www.gg.go.kr) and submit it via fax (031-8008-3479) or by mail (Architecture and Design Division, Gyeonggi Province Government, 1 Hyowon-ro, Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province).

Once an application for support is received, the support group reviews the application details and building management status before consulting, and provides applicants with basic information on multi-unit building management.

A province official stated, "Multi-unit buildings have multiple individual unit owners in one building, and since common areas such as corridors and elevators are used together, it is important for building members to understand their respective rights and obligations to prevent disputes," and added, "The Multi-Unit Building Management Support Group provides consulting services necessary for multi-unit building management, so we request your interest and participation."

Meanwhile, the province is providing basic information necessary for multi-unit building management through the Gyeonggi Architecture Portal (ggarchimap.gg.go.kr), including ▲Gyeonggi Province Multi-Unit Building Management Manual and Guide ▲Multi-Unit Building Management Support Group case collection ▲Standard management regulations ▲Documents related to management association meetings, etc.