Expansion of Villa Management Offices in Aging Multi-Family Housing Areas
Applications Accepted at District Housing Division Until February 21
The number of villa management offices, a signature policy of Gangbuk-gu in Seoul, will increase by four this year.
On January 23, Gangbuk-gu (District Mayor Lee Soonhee) announced that it will expand the villa management offices, which were first launched in 2023 as the nation’s first such initiative and are currently operating in three districts within the area, by adding four more districts within the year, bringing the total to seven districts.
District Mayor Lee Soonhee has pledged to establish villa management offices throughout Gangbuk-gu during her term. Currently, the offices are operating in Mia-Songjung-dong, Beon 1-dong, and Suyu 2-dong.
The district will accept applications for areas to be included in the villa management office expansion until February 21. A total of seven dongs-Samyang-dong, Songcheon-dong, Beon 2-dong, Suyu 1-dong, Suyu 3-dong, Ui-dong, and Insu-dong-are eligible. Samgaksan-dong and Beon 3-dong, where the density of multi-family housing is low, are excluded.
Eligible areas must be densely populated with multi-unit or multi-family housing that is subject to voluntary management. The district will review submitted applications, conduct on-site inspections, and select the final areas through a selection committee for the villa management office expansion, with results to be announced in March. Full-scale operation of the project will begin in May.
As part of this year’s expansion, the district will further strengthen the initiative by installing security lighting for crime prevention, mobile CCTV cameras to crack down on illegal dumping, and offering free legal counseling rooms to help resolve disputes in multi-family housing. Residents who wish to participate can submit the required application documents, including the application form and resident consent form, either in person at the district’s Housing Division or by mail. Applications can also be sent by email (hjhj6501@gangbuk.go.kr).
Detailed information regarding the application process can be found on the Gangbuk-gu website. For further inquiries, residents may contact the Housing Division at Gangbuk-gu Office.
The villa management office is a project aimed at managing small-scale multi-family housing, such as villas, as cleanly as apartment complexes. It is a flagship pledge of District Mayor Lee Soonhee’s 8th term. The project supports areas closely related to residents’ daily lives-including alleyway cleaning, intensive management of illegal dumping, repair support for communal facilities, identification of safety hazards, and resolution of parking issues-thereby contributing to improved quality of life for residents.
After a pilot operation in Beon 1-dong in 2023, the project received a highly positive response, with resident satisfaction reaching 94%. As a result, it was expanded last year to two more districts: Mia-Songjung and Suyu 2-dong. In 2023, the initiative won the top prize at the National Local Government Manifesto Best Practices Contest, and last year it received the Grand Policy Award at the Chamjoeun Local Autonomy Policy Competition.
District Mayor Lee Soonhee stated, "The villa management office is a highly effective project that has received strong support from villa residents who have experienced inconvenience due to a lack of management. We hope that many residents in need of improved residential environments will apply."
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