LH Major Defects Fall from 534 to 71; Quality Management for Apartment Housing to Be Strengthened Across the Board

[Financial News] The Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) will strengthen quality management at every stage, from inspections before completion of apartment housing to defect repairs after residents move in. Although major defects directly linked to safety have declined, the corporation plans to combine preventive inspections and prompt repairs with sanctions against contractors, as the total number of defect reports has risen.
According to LH on the 14th, major defects in public-sale housing, public rental housing convertible to ownership, and long-term public rental housing fell from 534 in 2022 to 71 in 2025. The number of homes surveyed in those years was 47,863 and 22,006, respectively, and the share of surveyed homes with major defects dropped from 1.12% to 0.32%.
Major defects are defects that seriously compromise structural safety or residents’ daily lives, such as cracks, subsidence, or leaks in major structural components.
By contrast, the total number of defects reported during the first year after move-in rose from 5.1 per household in 2022 to 11.5 in 2025. LH said this reflected rising expectations for housing quality and more detailed pre-move-in inspections. So far this year, the figure has fallen to 8.0 per household, as of the end of June.
By type of work, wallpapering accounted for the largest share of defects reported in the first half of this year, at 20%. Windows and doors followed at 18%, flooring and furniture at 11% each, and tile work at 9%.
To reduce wallpaper staining, LH has expanded the use of corrugated-cardboard protective covering and introduced an optional sheet-panel finish on some walls to prevent scratches and stains. It has improved the insulation performance of windows and doors, reducing the width of their frames, and is also considering using larger lower fixing brackets to prevent sagging and vibration. It plans to gradually switch bathroom tiles from wet to dry finishing methods.
LH has also strengthened preventive management before completion. Since the beginning of this year, it has operated a “Pre-Completion Quality Consultation” program at all sites scheduled for completion, in which LH, contractors, construction supervision firms, and customer service (CS) specialist companies jointly check for major defects and items requiring correction.
After residents move in, LH uses Homefix, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based mobile defect-reporting system. It allows residents to report defects and check the progress of repairs on their mobile devices. At project sites, LH is also using a “Digital Manual for Completion Quality” that provides quality inspection standards and key items to check.
Evaluations of contractors and construction supervision firms take into account defect repair rates and processing times. Firms that fall short of the benchmark score or perform poorly in handling defects are issued a “Notice of Unsatisfactory Quality” and have points deducted in future bid evaluations.
An LH official said, “Despite the achievement of a significant decline in major defects directly linked to safety, we take seriously the fact that the total number of defects increased. We will do our utmost to prevent defects thoroughly and address them promptly in line with residents’ expectations, so that they can feel the difference.”
[email protected] Choi Ga-young Reporter