[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, will conduct free safety inspections targeting houses under 200㎡ and first- and second-class neighborhood living facilities that are over 40 years old to strengthen the safety management of small-scale aging buildings.
Nam-gu announced on the 9th, "To prevent accidents that can suddenly occur in small-scale aging buildings, such as the collapse of a detached house in Gwangju last April, construction experts will visit the sites and conduct free inspections. Residents who wish to receive inspections are requested to submit applications by September 2."
The free inspection service for small-scale aging buildings is a safety policy being implemented for the first time this year by the district office.
This is to eliminate safety management blind spots for small-scale aging buildings in the district following the enforcement of the Building Management Act, which provides the legal basis for local governments to inspect small-scale aging buildings either ex officio or upon application.
Currently, it is estimated that there are about 7,500 small-scale aging buildings in the district that meet the free inspection criteria, and safety inspections are expected to be conducted on about 600 of these buildings.
Accordingly, Nam-gu plans to accept applications from owners and managers of houses under 200㎡ and first- and second-class neighborhood living facilities that are over 40 years old, and start providing free inspection support from next month.
However, vacant houses under the Special Act on Small-scale Housing Maintenance, buildings damaged by adjacent construction sites, and buildings scheduled for demolition are excluded from the inspection targets.
The safety inspections will be conducted in two stages.
The first safety inspection will include on-site inspections conducted ex officio by the district office and the safety inspection team, as well as inspections upon application. If the safety grade of the structure falls into the 'insufficient' or 'poor' categories, which are considered dangerous among the five levels, a second inspection will be conducted.
For inquiries regarding the free inspection of small-scale aging buildings, contact the Architecture Division of Nam-gu Office for detailed information.
A Nam-gu official stated, "We will do our best in the safety inspections to provide building managers with inspection results and improvement plans to promote building maintenance and performance enhancement, and to prevent unexpected accidents."
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