Area cap for multi-family and multi-household housing raised to 1,000 sq. m.; multi-household homes allowed up to four stories

[Financial News] Starting on the 12th, the area cap for multi-family and multi-household housing will increase from 660 to 1,000 square meters. The story limit for multi-household homes will also rise from three to four, which is expected to improve conditions for supplying housing by making use of urban land.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said an amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Building Act containing these measures was approved at a State Council of South Korea meeting on the 3rd. The amendment follows the Housing Fast-Track Supply Plan announced in August and eases area and story limits that have been in place for more than 30 years.
Until now, multi-family and multi-household housing could not be expanded beyond a certain scale because of area and story limits, even when it met other requirements such as the floor-area ratio. MOLIT expects the amendment to increase housing supply through extensions and reconstruction on medium- and large-sized lots where the maximum floor-area ratio has not been reached.
The amendment also establishes a basis for easing the floor-area ratio to improve living conditions in multi-family housing. It allows the floor-area ratio to be relaxed through the building committee when community facilities are installed.
Height restrictions to ensure access to sunlight will also change. Previously, when a building exceeded 10m in height, its upper floors were often designed with a sloping profile under the due-north sunlight rules. The amended building regulations apply a fixed 5-meter setback requirement to buildings over 10m and up to 17m tall.
MOLIT expects greater design flexibility and more efficient use of interior space to lead to improved living conditions.
Lee Jin-cheol, MOLIT's Director General for Building Policy, said, "We hope this amendment will help make better use of urban land and promote the supply of general housing. We will also continue communicating with people in the field and work to improve regulations in ways that meet the public's expectations."
[email protected] Choi Ga-young Reporter