"Supporting Transparent Apartment Management"... Gwangmyeong City Launches Expert Consulting Support Group

Composed of 30 Experts Across 13 Fields Including Law, Accounting, and Architecture
Consulting on Residents' Council Operations and Resolving Conflicts Over Management and Construction Costs

Gwangmyeong City in Gyeonggi Province is launching a consulting support system to enhance the professionalism and transparency of apartment management.

On September 2, the city announced that it will establish and operate the "Expert Consulting Support Group for Multi-Family Housing Management," which consists of professionals from various fields, to provide advisory services for the management of apartments and other multi-family housing.

Through this initiative, the city aims to resolve conflicts within residents' representative councils, prevent the misuse of management fees, and address excessive construction costs-issues that are often the root causes of complaints in multi-family housing. The ultimate goal is to create a stable residential environment.

The support group is composed of 30 experts across 13 fields: law, accounting, housing management, architecture, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, telecommunications, fire safety, general safety, landscaping, pest control, security, and cleaning. According to the city, these professionals have been vetted through their work as lawyers, accountants, technical engineers, judicial scriveners, as well as their participation in the Gyeonggi Province Multi-Family Housing Quality Inspection Team, the Management Support Advisory Group, and the Gwangmyeong City Technical Advisory Committee.

The support group will provide comprehensive consulting on all aspects of multi-family housing management, including advisory services for the operation of residents' representative councils and election management committees, strengthening transparency in the execution of long-term repair reserves and management fees, and mediating conflicts within housing complexes.

In particular, the group will offer consulting for large-scale projects requiring design review and cost appropriateness assessments, such as construction projects with costs exceeding 100 million won, service contracts over 50 million won, and projects funded by the city budget.

Consulting services can be requested by the residents' representative council or the management entity, or applied for with the consent of at least 50 residents or more than one-tenth of the residents. For more details, inquiries can be made to the Housing Division of Gwangmyeong City.

This year, the city plans to conduct a pilot operation of the support group, evaluate its performance, and then pursue an amendment to the ordinance to make consulting mandatory.

Park Seungwon, Mayor of Gwangmyeong City, stated, "Operating the support group will be a groundbreaking opportunity to reduce chronic complaints and conflicts in apartment complexes and to increase residents' satisfaction with their living environment. Based on professionalism and fairness, we will protect citizens' property and rights and create a residential environment where everyone can feel secure."