Hapcheon County to Promote "Rural Vacant House Bank Activation Support" Project Led by Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Providing New Homes for Returning Farmers, Rural Migrants, and the Houseless

Hapcheon County in South Gyeongsang Province has been selected as a participating local government for the "Rural Vacant House Bank Activation Support" project, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and is preparing to operate a rural vacant house bank.

The "Rural Vacant House Bank Activation Support" project supports local governments in registering information on vacant houses they have collected as listings on private real estate platforms (such as Hanbang, Disco, Naver Real Estate) and on the comprehensive support platform for returning farmers and rural migrants (Greendaero). The goal is to make information about vacant houses easily accessible to potential buyers or tenants and to facilitate transactions.

In order for vacant houses to be registered on these platforms and actually sold or leased, the consent of the property owners is required. Accordingly, Hapcheon County plans to send a text message on June 11 to vacant house owners, based on ownership information collected during the vacant house survey completed in March, to confirm their "willingness to consent to transactions."

Owners who receive the text message can easily participate in the vacant house bank by submitting an electronic consent form. Once the electronic consent form is submitted, a cooperating licensed real estate agent will verify the transaction potential of the vacant house. Houses deemed eligible for transaction will then be listed on private real estate platforms and the comprehensive support platform for returning farmers and rural migrants.

Anyone can access the information on registered vacant houses online, and owners and interested parties wishing to proceed with a transaction can complete actual sales or lease agreements through local cooperating licensed real estate agents.

County Governor Kim Yooncheol stated, "As the number of vacant houses increases due to rural population decline and aging, this project will allow vacant house owners to turn idle assets into something valuable, while providing new homes for returning farmers, rural migrants, and those without housing, thereby revitalizing rural communities. I ask for your interest and active participation in the 'Rural Vacant House Bank Activation Support' project."