For older-build apartments where reconstruction and remodeling projects are out of reach, even small-scale improvement projects pursued as alternatives—such as elevator replacements or expanding parking lots—are increasingly running aground at the threshold of resident consent. Although they secure majority support, they are voted down for failing to exceed the legal standard of "two-thirds consent," making it difficult to improve living conditions in aging complexes. Unlike remodeling projects that require hundreds of billions of won, the same consent requirement applies even to small-scale work costing a few million won per household, prompting criticism that residents feel a significant disconnect.
According to the real estate industry on the 28th, A Apartment in Imun-dong, Dongdaemun District, Seoul, pushed last month to extend the elevator to the underground parking lot but the plan was voted down by residents. The approval rate was in the 60% range, exceeding a majority, but fell short of the 2/3 (66.7%) required under the Act on Ownership and Management of Condominium Buildings, sinking the project.
The complex is an aging apartment over 20 years since move-in, and residents have long faced structural inconvenience because they cannot directly connect the underground parking lot to their units. The core of the proposed work was to allow residents to move directly from the parking lot to their units without using stairs even on rainy or snowy days. Although the per-household expense burden was relatively low at about 2 million to 2.3 million won, the push was halted amid opposition from some residents over the expense.
At Kolon Tripolis in Seoul as well, the agenda to fully replace elevators at the general meeting in March garnered approval from 64.53% of section owners and 64.07% of voting rights, failing to pass the two-thirds threshold and being voted down, showing how high consent requirements for small-scale improvements are acting as a practical barrier.
There are institutional reasons why even small-scale work is hard to push forward. Elevator replacement, adding parking spaces, and exterior wall renewals constitute changes to common areas and legally require consent from at least two-thirds of residents. This standard is applied the same as for large-scale projects such as reconstruction or remodeling.
In particular, conflicting interests are identified as the biggest obstacle. Lower-floor residents often oppose the expense burden, saying they use elevators less, while upper-floor residents often support it for improved convenience. In addition, older residents are sensitive to additional expenditure, while younger residents emphasize the need to improve living conditions, leading to recurring intergenerational conflict.
Decision-making becomes even harder in complexes with high renter ratios. Actual occupants want improvements, but owners must bear the expense, so consensus is often delayed. On top of that, distrust of the decision-making process of resident representative councils or of vendor selection procedures has led not a few projects to drift for long periods.
Conflicts over small-scale work are appearing in various forms. At Hanla Vivali in Hohyeon-dong, Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, completed in 2000, the agenda to fully replace elevators passed a resident vote last year, but when the resident representative council shifted to partial replacement, conflict was triggered. A residents' emergency response committee was then formed, and controversy over the bidding process continued, escalating into legal disputes. Daewon Nestvill in Yeonseo-myeon, Sejong, also halted its elevator replacement effort last year after some residents objected, citing that "the long-term repair reserve is insufficient," and the conflict continues to this day.
At Doosan We've Trégium in Haan-dong, Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, a resident vote was held late last year to change existing plans so that new work such as parking lot improvements would be funded by the long-term repair reserve, and the notice included the phrase, "If the vote results in opposition (fails), we will charge about 150,000 won per household as an additional management fee." This sparked controversy that it was "forcing approval."
Seo Jin-hyung, a professor in the real estate law and administration department at Kwangwoon University, said, "As the need to improve aging living environments grows, the current standard requiring two-thirds consent even for small-scale work can be seen as somewhat high," and noted, "We need institutional reforms to relax the standard to a majority so that living conditions can be improved."