Three Interfloor Noise Management Committee Members Required... Seoul City Revises 'Apartment Management Regulations Guidelines'

Designation of Home Network Safety Manager,
Including Strengthened Fire Door Management

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has established detailed operational standards for the Inter-floor Noise Management Committee, which is mandatory to be installed in apartment complexes with 500 or more households. To prevent home network hacking damage, a safety manager must be designated, and fire door management is also strengthened.

On the 10th, the city announced that it will revise and implement the "18th Seoul Apartment Management Regulations." The city explained, "The purpose is to prevent conflicts and disputes within apartment complexes and to safely maintain the residential living environment for residents," adding, "This revision was made considering the amendments to the 'Apartment Management Act,' the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's recommended revisions, suggestions from related organizations such as the Housing Managers Association and autonomous districts, complaints from frontline sites, and operational shortcomings of existing regulations."

First, due to the legal amendment mandating the formation of the 'Inter-floor Noise Management Committee,' a resident-led body for mediating inter-floor noise disputes in apartment complexes with 500 or more households, the qualifications, terms, and education of committee members, dispute mediation procedures, and expense expenditures were organized. The committee must consist of at least three members, with a two-year term that can be renewed. Other formation procedures and methods are determined by the resolution of the Residents' Representative Meeting or regulations. In complexes where installation is not mandatory, the roles are performed by the Residents' Representative Meeting chairperson, election management committee chairperson, and the management office manager.

At the request of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, management standards for home network facilities were newly established. The management entity must designate the management office manager or staff as an intelligent home network safety manager, who is responsible for establishing safety management plans for intelligent home network facilities, supervising and implementing services and construction, and conducting safety inspections. The safety manager must complete home network safety education to acquire basic knowledge and technical skills.

Additionally, to reduce fire damage in apartment complexes, implementation plans based on fire inspection results conducted semiannually must be posted on the Integrated Information Plaza. Especially, if there are issues with fire doors, the management entity's fire door inspection records must be posted to strengthen fire door management.

The revised regulations also include provisions to provide at least minimal administrative sanction information regarding legal violations when a new management office manager is assigned or changed. This was a recommendation from the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission for system improvement. The "Apartment Management Entrustment Contract" includes a clause requiring the housing management company to notify residents at least five days before the assignment date if the incoming management office manager has received an administrative sanction of 'license suspension or higher' within the past year.

Other revisions include ▲disclosure of business operator selection results ▲real-time broadcasting or attendance of Residents' Representative Meeting sessions ▲recording pet ownership status in the resident register and revising the personal information consent statement ▲specifying evaluation criteria when assessing the performance of existing business operators ▲adding television broadcast reception fees to the calculation method of usage fees per household.

The revised regulations will serve as a guide for approximately 2,300 apartment complexes in Seoul when newly enacting or revising their management regulations. Each complex must report the enacted or revised regulations to the district office within 30 days.

The revised regulations can be viewed on the Seoul Metropolitan Government website and the Seoul Apartment Integrated Information Plaza.

Han Byung-yong, Director of the Housing Office of Seoul City, stated, "Over the past year, we have thoroughly investigated areas requiring adjustment in apartment management and operations within Seoul and made reasonable improvements," adding, "With this revision, we hope to reduce unnecessary conflicts such as neighbor disputes arising from inter-floor noise in apartment living and establish a fair and safe apartment management culture."