"From Stomping to Cigarette Smoke"... Over 510,000 Neighbor Disputes in Five Years

Complaints About Noise Between Floors and Secondhand Smoke in Multi-Family Housing Are Surging
Fact-Finding Investigation Initiation Rate Drops to Half

Issues such as noise between floors and secondhand smoke-representative examples of conflicts between neighbors-remain unresolved. Over the past five years, more than 510,000 related complaints have been filed in multi-family housing units, highlighting the urgent need for practical measures.

In the past five years, more than 510,000 related complaints have been filed in multi-family housing units.

According to data received by Min Hongcheol, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on October 5, the total number of complaints related to noise between floors and secondhand smoke in multi-family housing units from 2020 to this year reached 512,955. Among these, there were 320,345 cases of noise between floors and 192,610 cases of secondhand smoke.

Looking at the annual figures, the number of complaints has increased each year. Starting with 69,703 cases in 2020, the number rose to 79,415 in 2021, 84,386 in 2022, and 111,959 in 2023. In 2024, the number surged to 167,492.

However, the number of actual fact-finding investigations initiated by management entities was significantly lower. During the same period, only 332,312 cases were investigated, accounting for about 65% of the total complaints. The investigation initiation rate dropped from 98.5% in 2020 to just 54.5% this year.

Under the current Multi-Family Housing Management Act, management entities such as management offices are required to conduct fact-finding investigations when related complaints are received. If necessary, they may issue recommendations to residents responsible for the disturbances in order to prevent recurrence.

In reality, recommendations were issued in 244,331 cases over the past five years, representing an average rate of 73.5% compared to the number of fact-finding investigations. In particular, the rate of recommendations related to secondhand smoke varied significantly from year to year, indicating a lack of a consistent response system.

Assemblyman Min Hongcheol emphasized, "While the number of complaints is skyrocketing, the capacity for on-site response is failing to keep up. There is a need to establish a systematic and effective response system at the government level to protect residents’ housing rights."