Gyeonggi-do Proposes "Excluding Security Guard Rest Facilities from Apartment Management Office Area"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province submitted an improvement plan to the government, stating that the revised "Regulations on Housing Construction Standards, etc." amended last January has side effects that reduce not only the appropriate area of rest facilities for apartment workers such as security guards but also the area of management offices.

In a proposal submitted to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 20th, Gyeonggi Province pointed out, "Previously, the management office area was required to be installed as 10㎡ plus 0.05㎡ per household for 50 or more households, but the current law changed the 'management office area' to the 'management office and rest facility area for security guards, etc.' Therefore, it is possible to split the existing management office area into a management office and rest facilities, making it difficult to secure an appropriate area of rest facilities that can guarantee comfort, and it has the side effect of reducing the management office area as well."

To solve this problem, the province received big data from the Korea Appraisal Board, which manages the Apartment Management Information System (K-apt), including the size of households per complex, number of security guards, and number of cleaners for multi-family housing complexes with 150 or more households subject to mandatory management in the province.

Based on this analysis, it was found that adding an area calculated by multiplying the number of households by 0.02㎡ to the management office area secures an area of "at least 1㎡ per person, with a minimum area of 6㎡."

This aligns with existing standards related to rest facilities, such as the "Gyeonggi Province Public Sector Rest Facility Management Standard" and the "Ministry of Employment and Labor Guidelines on Installation and Operation of Rest Facilities."

Accordingly, the province plans to promote institutional improvements to distinguish between the management office and rest facilities in the "Regulations on Housing Construction Standards, etc.," which currently define the "management office area" as the "management office and rest facility area for security guards, etc.," and to specify detailed area standards for each.

Applying the current standards, for example, in the case of 1,000 households, the combined area of the management office and rest facilities for security guards would be 57.5㎡, but applying the improvement plan would separately add the rest facility area for security guards (20㎡) to the management office area (57.5㎡), totaling 77.5㎡.

The province also proposed that rest facilities be installed on the ground floor as much as possible, considering smooth lighting, ventilation, and evacuation time in emergencies such as fire.

In addition, to reduce the burden on multi-family housing project implementers and residents due to the installation of rest facilities, the province suggested revising the Enforcement Decree of the Building Act to exclude the rest facility area from the floor area ratio calculation.

Generally, apartments must maximize the floor area ratio to obtain project plan approval (permits) so that project implementers can maximize profits. If the rest facility area is included in the floor area ratio calculation, other areas must be reduced accordingly. Excluding the rest facility area minimizes the burden on project implementers and residents while allowing more rest facilities to be secured.

Considering the nature of legal amendments, the province expects it will take some time, but even before institutional improvements, it plans to recommend securing an appropriate area for rest facilities for security guards during the province’s housing project approval and building permit pre-approval process, and to disseminate related content to cities and counties for reflection.

Hong Ji-seon, Director of the Urban Housing Office of the province, said, "Gyeonggi Province will take the lead in securing spaces where many security guards and cleaners working in multi-family housing, where 70% of residents live, can rest comfortably."

Earlier, Governor Lee Jae-myung of Gyeonggi Province expanded the rest facility area for security guards and cleaners in the new Gyeonggi Provincial Government building under construction in Gwanggyo, Suwon, and moved the rest facilities for security guards and cleaners working in the existing government building and affiliated public institutions from underground to above ground. Subsequently, the Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (GH) mandated the installation of rest spaces for cleaning workers in apartments it implements.