A claim has been raised that the system should be improved so that tenants in public housing can, like residents of for-sale housing, substantively participate in the management of mixed housing complexes.
Seoul Housing and Urban Development Corporation (SH) said on the 29th that it held a "forum on improving systems for mixed housing complexes to protect tenant rights and resolve conflicts" and discussed this issue. The forum was co-hosted by Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers An Tae-joon, Lee Yeon-hee, Yoon Jong-goon, Bok Ki-wang, Chung Joon-ho, and Cho Jeong-sik, and co-organized by SH, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH), and Gyeonggi Housing & Urban Development Corporation (GH).
A mixed housing complex is a complex that includes both for-sale dwellings and public rental dwellings. On the ground, however, decision-making on management has centered on for-sale residents, and there have been steady criticisms that tenants' views are not adequately reflected.
Oh Jeong-seok, a research fellow at the SH Urban Research Institute, said, "On the ground in mixed housing complexes, conflicts are constant across various areas, including the distribution of miscellaneous income and security guard employment," and added, "The system should be improved to grant equal management authority among managing bodies and to guarantee tenant participation."
Eun Nan-soon, a Catholic University professor, said, "There are no established standards for smooth communication among residents within mixed housing complexes, and the management bylaws for for-sale and rental are also separated," adding, "We need measures such as forming a representative council for multifamily housing, standardizing criteria for establishing integrated bylaws, and guaranteeing tenants' rights to participate in decision-making."
Attorney Han Young-hwa said, "Since there are precedents of expanding tenant participation through bodies such as floor noise management committees, mixed housing complexes also need to form representative councils and establish consultation and resolution procedures."
Choi Jae-hyeok, head of the housing complex management team at LH, said, "Because decision-making is centered on the residents' representative council, differences of opinion among residents can easily arise, and there are limits to the coordinating role of public housing operators," adding, "Within a scope that does not infringe on the property rights of dwelling owners, tenants should also be given opportunities to participate in decision-making."
SH plans to prepare system improvement measures, including legal amendment proposals, based on expert and citizen opinions from the forum and submit them to the relevant ministries. Hwang Sang-ha, SH president, said, "We will do our best to actively reflect the opinions presented at the forum to develop effective system improvements that can reduce conflicts within mixed housing complexes and protect tenants' rights."