"Controversy Over Apartment: 'Pay Parking Fee Due to Small Area, 2 Cars Not Allowed'"

Resident Conflicts at New Apartment in Incheon
One Free Parking Space per Household over 59㎡
Monthly Parking Fees Charged Separately for 36㎡ and 44㎡ Units

A shortage of parking spaces has sparked debates over resident parking fees, particularly in newly built apartments in the Seoul metropolitan area.

According to Yonhap News on the 7th, a document titled "Parking Lot Operation Regulation Agreement" was recently shared among residents of a newly built apartment in Incheon where informant A lives, leading to heated discussions.

The agreement included a separate table calculating parking fees per household based on the apartment size and the number of parking spaces.

In this table, households with a net floor area of 59㎡ or more are charged no parking fee for one vehicle, but households with 36㎡ and 44㎡ units are charged approximately 16,000 KRW and 9,000 KRW per month per vehicle, respectively.

Additionally, while households with a net floor area of 59㎡ or more can park up to two vehicles, other sizes are not allowed to park more than one vehicle.

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Photo by Yonhap News]

Mr. A said, "It is unfair to charge more parking fees just because the unit is smaller, and it is unreasonable not to allow parking for more than one vehicle. Regardless of the size, at least one free parking space should be guaranteed."

However, there are also many opinions within the resident community that setting parking fees based on the share ratio according to unit size in limited parking spaces is a legitimate measure.

An official from the apartment management office explained, "This is just a draft prepared in consultation with the association," adding, "Once the operation regulations are finalized through the residents' representative meeting, fees will be charged."

Similar Issues Arise Among Residents in Newly Built Apartments in Bucheon

Recently, disputes among residents over parking have been increasing, especially in apartment complexes. The image is not related to the specific content of the article.
Photo by Kim Dahee, Asia Economy

Similar disputes among residents are also occurring in newly built apartments in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.

In this apartment, parking fees are free for one vehicle per household with a net floor area of 59㎡ or more, but separate fees will be charged for 39㎡ units. Like the Incheon apartment, 39㎡ units are also not allowed to park more than one vehicle.

These two apartments in Incheon and Bucheon have parking capacities of 1.19 and 1.27 vehicles per household, respectively. The controversy over apartment parking fees was triggered by the fact that parking facilities cannot accommodate all residents' vehicles.

According to Statistics Korea, the number of registered vehicles per household in Incheon increased significantly from 0.87 in 2010 to 1.32 in 2020 over ten years.

However, according to the revised Incheon city parking lot installation standards in 2016, apartment complexes in Incheon only need to secure at least one parking space per household regardless of net floor area.

Recently, many households own two or more vehicles, making the efficient allocation of limited apartment parking spaces among residents a major issue in resident communities.

Various alternatives such as strict management of unregistered external vehicles and temporary allowance of double parking are being discussed, but since the parking lot area is fundamentally insufficient, it is difficult to find a solution that satisfies everyone.