Seoul City to Provide 200,000 KRW Monthly Support for 2 Years to Semi-basement Households Moving to Ground Floors

Establishment of 'Specific Voucher' for Semi-basement Household Relocation Support
Applications Available at Dong Community Centers from the 28th
Payments Begin Late December After Eligibility Verification
Can Be Received Concurrently with Child Voucher (40,000 KRW/month)

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Seoyul] The Seoul Metropolitan Government will start accepting applications this month for the 'Banjiha Specific Voucher,' which provides 200,000 KRW per month for two years to help households living in semi-basement units relocate to above-ground floors.

On the 24th, the city announced that starting from the 28th, applications for the 'Banjiha Specific Voucher,' announced last August as part of the 'Support Measures for Banjiha Residents,' will be accepted year-round at local community service centers. This allows households living in semi-basement units to receive monthly rent subsidies of 200,000 KRW for up to two years when moving to above-ground floors.

Payments will begin at the end of December after verifying eligibility and checking for duplicate benefits. Detailed support criteria and required documents can be found on the dedicated page within the Seoul Housing Portal.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The city plans to prioritize support for households that have experienced flooding in the past and are at high risk of future flooding, as well as households with severely disabled residents who may have difficulty evacuating quickly in emergencies. However, households that ▲ own their homes ▲ move into public rental housing ▲ receive housing benefits or youth monthly rent support ▲ relocate from goshiwon (small dormitory rooms), neighborhood living facilities, rooftop rooms, or jjokbang (tiny rooms) ▲ or newly moved into semi-basement units after the announcement date of the specific voucher plan (August 10) are excluded from support.

The Banjiha Specific Voucher cannot be combined with the general voucher under the Seoul-type housing voucher program (which provides 80,000 to 105,000 KRW monthly depending on household size), but it can be combined with the child-specific voucher (4,000 KRW monthly for children under 18 in eligible households). For example, a household with an 18-year-old child living in a semi-basement can receive 200,000 KRW from the Banjiha Specific Voucher plus 40,000 KRW from the child-specific voucher, totaling 240,000 KRW monthly.

Households wishing to receive the Banjiha Specific Voucher can check whether they are at risk of flooding or have severely disabled residents through the Seoul Housing Portal guidance page. Although approximately 72,000 households are estimated to be eligible, even those not listed on the guidance page can apply if they provide supporting documents such as a flood trace confirmation or a severe disability certificate.

The specific voucher amount was calculated by considering the average monthly rent difference (138,000 KRW) between underground and above-ground households among Seoul’s monthly rent households, as well as various other housing welfare programs.

Source=Seoul City Hall

The city plans to broadly expand eligibility by relaxing income and asset requirements compared to the existing Seoul-type housing voucher and including registered foreigners as eligible recipients. For example, a three-person household must have a monthly income of 2.51 million KRW or less to qualify for the general voucher, but for the Banjiha Specific Voucher, the income requirement is relaxed to 6.41 million KRW or less.

Additionally, if a dependent who is not separated under the National Health Insurance system lives alone in a semi-basement, they will be considered a single-person household for income criteria. This is expected to expand support for low-income semi-basement households such as university students and young workers. Foreigners can also qualify if they are registered foreigners and their income can be verified through the social security information system.

Yoo Chang-soo, Director of the Seoul Housing Policy Office, said, "The ultimate goal of the Banjiha policy, including the specific voucher program, is for the Seoul Metropolitan Government to continuously accompany and improve the lives of residents living in semi-basement housing. We will steadily implement the measures established to achieve this."