Gyeonggi Province Recommends Housing Law Application Instead of Building Code for 'Townhouse' Construction

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hoon] Gyeonggi Province has submitted an amendment proposal to the Enforcement Decree of the Housing Act to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to prevent 'permission splitting' by consolidating identical business entities.

According to Gyeonggi Province on the 16th, 'townhouses,' which have recently drawn investment demand, are characterized by forming residential complexes on a small scale, unlike general apartment complexes. In cases with fewer than 50 units (30 units for detached houses), they fall under the Building Code rather than the Housing Act.

The problem lies in the fact that some townhouse developers promote adjacent townhouses as large-scale complexes similar to apartment housing when recruiting residents; however, since they obtain 'permission splitting,' they are not managed under the Housing Act. This has resulted in ▲poor residential environments due to lack of auxiliary and welfare facilities such as community centers needed by residents ▲omission of safety equipment such as fire hydrants and sprinklers ▲non-compliance with mandatory inspections including quality checks and residents' advance preliminary inspections ▲limited administrative solutions when group complaints arise from construction defects due to non-compliance with mandatory inspections.

To address these issues, the Province proposed that when an identical business entity receives building permits on multiple 'adjacent' parcels of land and constructs and supplies housing for small-scale residential complexes such as multi-unit attached houses, if the total number of units planned for construction on each parcel exceeds a certain scale (50 units or more for complex-type housing), it should obtain project plan approval under the Housing Act, which includes auxiliary and welfare facilities.

To prepare for the time required until the Housing Act Enforcement Decree is amended, the Province also proposed that cases in which housing is constructed and supplied as a single complex on multiple 'adjacent' parcels with a certain number of units or more be included in the scope of 'Rules on Housing Supply,' and that verification procedures for application documents such as resident recruitment details be conducted through city and county mayors.

Ko Yong-su, director of the Architecture and Design Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "It is expected that this proposal will prevent loopholes in small-scale residential complex construction and protect presale buyers from false and exaggerated advertising," and added, "We plan to continue cooperating with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to ensure prompt amendment of relevant laws and regulations."