Gyeonggi Province's 'Semi-Basement Housing Upgrade Legislation Initiative' Now Realized

[Suwon Ilbo = Reporter Kim Gap-dong] Gyeonggi Province's legislative efforts to improve semi-basement housing with high flood risk and strengthen resident safety have now materialized.

According to the province on the 29th, National Assembly Member Yeom Tae-young (Democratic Party·Suwon District) introduced amendments to the 'Three Semi-Basement Housing Upgrade Laws' on the 27th to improve semi-basement housing with high flood risk and support residents' resettlement.

This bill was prepared following a National Assembly forum co-hosted by Rep. Yeom Tae-young and Gyeonggi Province on July 12, with semi-basement residents' housing upgrade and resettlement support as the main pillars.

The 'Three Semi-Basement Housing Upgrade Laws' comprehensively amend the Building Act, the Special Measures Act on Vacant Houses and Small-Scale Housing Improvement (hereinafter 'Small-Scale Housing Improvement Act'), and the Urban and Residential Environment Improvement Act (hereinafter 'Urban Improvement Act').

The bill focuses on incentivizing reconstruction by providing Floor Area Ratio exceptions when semi-basement houses in flood-risk areas are demolished—by adding an area equivalent to or exceeding the existing semi-basement living space to the above-ground floor area ratio—and supplying part of the exception area as public rental housing to upgrade semi-basement residents' housing. These incentives will be provided temporarily until 2035.

First, the Building Act amendment provides benefits allowing demolished semi-basement houses with basements used as living spaces to have the basement area added to the above-ground floor area when calculating Floor Area Ratio.

In the Small-Scale Housing Improvement Act and Urban Improvement Act amendments, 'semi-basement housing-concentrated improvement projects (projects with 50% or more semi-basement housing ratio)' are allowed Floor Area Ratio up to 1.5 times the legal limit, while other 'semi-basement housing improvement projects' have an additional 1.2 times the existing basement area applied to Floor Area Ratio to promote improvement.

Additionally, of the Floor Area Ratio increased through exceptions, small-scale housing improvement projects must supply up to 50% as public rental housing and urban improvement projects up to 75%, supporting tenants' resettlement and granting priority occupancy rights to tenants of demolished semi-basement houses.

When the bill passes, it is expected that disaster-vulnerable residential areas will be converted to safe new buildings and public rental housing will expand, strengthening residential safety.

Lee Gye-sam, Director of the Urban Housing Bureau, stated, "We welcome the introduction of the 'Housing Upgrade Three Laws' to enable semi-basement residents to live in safer and more pleasant residential environments," and added, "We will do our best until the end in responding to bill review procedures so that efforts to upgrade semi-basement residents' housing can bear fruit."