LH to Strengthen Apartment Quality Management as Defects Hit 11.5 per Household Last Year

Improvements to Materials and Construction Methods for Common Defects in Public Housing
Stronger Sanctions for Builders and Supervisors Over Poor Defect Repairs

Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) said on the 14th that it would significantly strengthen quality management at every stage, from pre-completion inspections to post-move-in repairs, to reduce defects in apartment buildings.

According to LH, the average number of defects per household in its apartment buildings rose from 5.1 in 2022 to 11.5 in 2025. This year, the figure stood at 8 per household as of June.

By defect type and construction trade, as of the end of June, the most frequently reported defects were in wallpapering (20%), windows and doors (18%), flooring (11%), furniture (11%), and tiles (9%), in that order.

LH plans to implement tailored improvement measures focused on construction trades with high defect rates. First, it will expand the area protected with corrugated cardboard to prevent wallpaper stains. It has also introduced an option to install sheet panels on some walls to prevent scratches and stains. To reduce window-frame sagging and rattling, LH is considering narrowing the frames by improving insulation performance and expanding the use of lower fixing hardware to strengthen their hold. It is also pursuing a gradual shift from wet to dry finishing methods for bathroom tiles.

LH has also stepped up preventive management to identify and address potential defects before project completion. Early this year, it introduced "Pre-Completion Quality Consulting," under which LH, construction companies, construction supervisors, and customer service (CS) specialists jointly inspect major defects and items requiring improvement at each site across all projects scheduled for completion. It is also tracking progress from defect reporting through the completion of repairs using Homefix, an AI-based mobile defect reporting system, and its "Digital Manual for Completion Quality."

To ensure that construction companies and construction supervisors take responsibility for their work, LH has strengthened institutional measures, including incorporating defect repair rates and processing times into evaluations.

LH is imposing sanctions to ensure companies take responsibility for quality management from the construction stage onward. These include issuing a "Quality Deficiency Notice" to companies that fall below the required score or perform poorly in addressing defects, and deducting points from their scores in future bidding evaluations.

An LH official said, "Despite the significant reduction in major defects directly related 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 ways that meet residents' expectations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.