Gwangju Nam-gu, Free Inspection of Buildings Over 40 Years Old

Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, will conduct free safety inspections on small-scale buildings that are over 40 years old to ensure the safety of aging structures.

On the 6th, Nam-gu announced, "To minimize safety accidents caused by aging buildings such as collapses due to wall cracks, we are accepting applications for free safety inspections targeting houses or Type 1 and 2 neighborhood living facilities that are over 40 years old, have three floors or fewer, and have a total floor area of less than 200㎡."

The reason for offering free inspections is that under the Building Management Act, owners of small-scale buildings over 30 years old are not obligated to conduct regular safety inspections, which inevitably creates gaps in safety management.

Currently, there are 19,430 buildings registered in the building ledger within the district, and it is estimated that about 10,500 of these buildings are over 30 years old.

Nam-gu expects that a significant number of buildings over 30 years old have also exceeded 40 years, and plans to accept applications from owners or managers of buildings that meet these criteria to conduct free safety inspections.

The application period is until April 30, and applicants can submit a small-scale aging building safety inspection application form by visiting the Architecture Division on the 4th floor of Nam-gu Office or the administrative welfare center of the building’s location. Applications can also be submitted by mail or via the responsible officer’s email.

If there are many applicants, Nam-gu will prioritize inspections starting with buildings that have severe safety vulnerabilities.

Experts such as architects and structural engineers will conduct on-site inspections and classify the building’s safety into five levels. Additionally, buildings rated as inadequate or poor will undergo a second detailed inspection.

A Nam-gu official said, "For those curious about the safety status of aging buildings, the district office provides free inspections and informs the results, which can also save inspection costs. We ask for your interest and applications to help create a safer Nam-gu."