Establishing Transparent Management Culture with Real-Time Disclosure of Officetel Maintenance Fee Execution Details...Nation's First
Utilizing Shinhan Bank's 'CleanPay' Fund Management System to Ensure Tenant's Right to Know and Prevent Maintenance Fee Disputes
Recruiting Participating Officetels and Signing a Tripartite Agreement with Shinhan Bank, Including Awarding Certification Plaques
Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) is taking the lead in transparency of management fees by becoming the first local government in the country to implement the "real-time disclosure of officetel management fee expenditure details."
The district announced that it will conduct a pilot project for the "real-time disclosure of officetel management fee expenditure details" to ensure transparent accounting management of officetels, which have been blind spots in management fee monitoring, and to prevent tenant damages caused by embezzlement and breach of trust related to management fees.
Currently, apartment complexes (APTs) with 50 or more households are legally required to disclose detailed management fee statements, whereas officetels (quasi-residential buildings) have no separate regulations regarding management fee disclosure. In most officetels, building management and operations are delegated to management consignment companies, so only personnel from these companies can check the deposit and withdrawal details of the management fee accounts. As a result, there have been continuous incidents reported in the media where officetel management consignment companies excessively collect management fees from residents to gain unfair profits or embezzle funds like petty cash, leading to prison sentences. Especially since officetels are spaces where many young people such as university students and early-career workers reside, urgent measures are needed.
Accordingly, the district is pioneering the "real-time disclosure of officetel management fee expenditure details" project nationwide. The aim is to enhance transparency in the operation of management fees and maintenance of facilities to prevent incidents such as embezzlement and breach of trust in advance. Furthermore, the district plans to resolve various issues such as the "monthly rent trick," where high management fees are charged instead of monthly rent, thereby protecting young residents.
The "real-time disclosure of management fee expenditure details" is carried out through "CleanPay+," a fund management system jointly developed by Shinhan Bank and Paycoms Co., Ltd. Officetel residents deposit management fees into dedicated virtual accounts for each fund purpose within the CleanPay system and can check deposit and expenditure details by item online in real time without additional costs. This system guarantees tenants' right to know and has an internal monitoring function, thereby increasing transparency in officetel management.
The district will hold a "Real-time Disclosure of Officetel Management Fees Pilot Project Contest" from August 30 to September 23 to recruit participating officetels. Participating officetels will later sign a tripartite business agreement with Yeongdeungpo-gu and Shinhan Bank, and the district will award them with a "Management Fee Disclosure Officetel Certification Plaque."
The district hopes that the pioneering "real-time disclosure of officetel management fee expenditure details" will successfully take root and spread nationwide, protecting many tenants and providing benefits to them.
Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, "Although this is still the initial stage, we expect a positive virtuous cycle through the 'real-time disclosure of officetel management fee expenditure details' to eradicate embezzlement of management fees and the practice of lowering monthly rent while significantly raising management fees." He added, "Youth issues are not individual problems but social ones, so we will continue to develop various systems to prevent unfair damages experienced by young people entering society and to protect them."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
