Apartment inspection and building safety diagnosis in South Korea

For every defect found during a pre-move-in inspection, the HomeCheck report attaches similar Korean court precedents and dispute-mediation cases handled by Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). This gives buyers a documented basis when they negotiate the scope of repairs with the construction company.

Example from the report: a floor-tile grout defect recorded in an outdoor-unit room is linked to a Seoul Central District Court judgment (case 2023Gahap92532) in which the court recognized a large number of defects, including defective floor-tile grout, and ordered the constructors to pay damages to the residents.

HomeCheck is registered as a safety-examination institution with public bodies and local governments across Gyeonggi Province and beyond, and has carried out safety diagnoses and inspections commissioned by local governments and public institutions. Periodic safety inspections, detailed safety inspections and in-depth safety diagnoses are performed nationwide.

Prospective residents of a new apartment should always carry out a pre-move-in inspection to find defects that could surface after move-in. You can inspect on your own or hire an inspection company to do it on your behalf. There is now a great deal of information about pre-move-in inspections on YouTube and blogs, and many people use it to inspect themselves.

A self-inspection costs nothing, which makes it economical. However, what can be checked by eye is limited to simple cosmetic defects such as soiled wallpaper or dents in the flooring.

Using an inspection company, on the other hand, costs about KRW 10,000 per pyeong (3.3 m²). To be inspected at the time you want, we recommend booking early, as slots are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. With an inspection company, defects that cannot be seen by eye, such as missing insulation, blocked underfloor heating pipes and floors that are out of level, are measured with dedicated instruments and confirmed as objective figures. Below we compare the practical differences and the cost-effectiveness of self-inspection and using an inspection company.

The biggest advantage of a self-inspection is that you can look at your own home closely with your own eyes. You can take as much time as you need to go through the home you will live in. In the process you can check defects such as the finish quality, scratches on wallpaper and flooring, the inside of cabinets and the areas around windows yourself. Doing your own inspection also helps you understand the layout and condition of the home, and you grow attached to it.

Another important advantage is that a self-inspection involves no extra cost, so the savings are considerable. Using an inspection company costs money, whereas inspecting yourself lets you put more of your budget toward moving costs and buying appliances and furniture.

You can also arrange the inspection schedule freely. With an inspection company, you may not be able to book the date and time you want, and you may have to rearrange your own schedule to fit an available slot. With a self-inspection you can visit whenever it suits you and take your time. As a prospective resident, you can also visit several times to check again.

Using a pre-move-in inspection service costs about KRW 10,000 per pyeong (3.3 m²). The larger the exclusive area, the higher the cost. With moving costs and purchases of appliances and furniture piling up before move-in, this fee can feel like a burden. Well-known companies also fill up quickly before the designated move-in period, which can make scheduling inconvenient.

Even so, most prospective residents use an inspection company because professionals find and record defects that ordinary people would miss. A unit that looks fine to the eye may still have defects such as omitted or incorrectly executed work. Missing insulation, blocked underfloor heating pipes and slight deviations from level and plumb are hard to find without experience and instruments. The professionals of an inspection company use precision instruments to inspect more thoroughly than a layperson can, and organize the findings into objective data delivered as a report that can be used to request repairs from the construction company.

A pre-move-in inspection of a new apartment is a process for finding not only visible scratches but also the defects and functional problems that affect daily life after move-in. The entrance, living room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and balconies each serve different purposes and are built in different ways, so the types of defects differ too. After move-in, furniture, appliances and remodeling make it hard to tell which problems were caused during construction. In that case it becomes difficult to prove a construction defect even if you ask the construction company, and the repair request may be rejected. That is why it is important to know which defects to check in each room.

HomeCheck holds data on the most common defects that must be checked in each room during a pre-move-in inspection of a new apartment. Below are the main defects and checkpoints that HomeCheck's construction professionals, who hold Korean national technical qualifications, always check in each room. You can use them as a reference for a self-inspection or as a standard for checking whether repairs were carried out properly after the inspection.

The accuracy of an apartment pre-move-in inspection depends on the qualifications and expertise of the technicians sent to the site, and that in turn determines how trustworthy an inspection company is. When non-professionals inspect, the result can be nothing more than a list of visible scratches. To find the defects that will actually affect daily life, the inspection must be carried out by professionals who understand the building's structure and construction process.

HomeCheck does not rely on outside subcontractors; it assigns a construction professional holding a Korean national technical qualification to every unit, securing objectivity and reliability. A pre-move-in inspection is more than confirming defects: it includes judging where and why a problem occurred and whether it stems from the construction stage, the materials or the finishing work. Only with this analysis can a persuasive repair request be made to the construction company.

In an apartment pre-move-in inspection, professional instruments are not an auxiliary tool; they are the main means of proving defects.

Insulation, heating pipes, level and plumb, and air quality may all seem fine to the senses, but once you start living in the home they show up as condensation, poor heating, tilting furniture and sick building syndrome. As noted above, if they are not checked before move-in, it becomes impossible to tell whether a defect was caused by construction or by how the home was used, and negotiating repairs becomes difficult. Instrument inspection confirms not only whether a defect exists but exactly where and how far it extends. Clear figures show which part needs repair to solve the problem. When you ask the construction company for repairs, this data is what keeps the request from being rejected and makes immediate repair much more likely.

Below is a summary of the professional instruments actually used on site during pre-move-in inspections and what each one does.

You need to confirm that the defects found in the pre-move-in inspection were actually resolved by the construction company's repair work. It is easy to assume that filed defects have been repaired, but in practice repairs may be inadequate because of material supply problems or the skill of the workers. Sometimes additional defects arise during repairs, or the repair was done with an unsuitable method and needs to be redone. So when the construction company says repairs are complete before move-in, always check the repairs again against the pre-move-in inspection report.

If repairs are carried out after move-in, with furniture and appliances in place, the dust and noise disrupt daily life. Scheduling with the construction company is also required, so a follow-up inspection while the home is still empty is essential.

If the follow-up inspection finds unrepaired items or unsuitable repairs, ask the construction company to repair them again and obtain a written reply on the completion date. This prevents disputes during the defect warranty period and determines the quality and safety of the apartment.

When choosing an inspection company, check first whether the inspection follows accurate and consistent standards, rather than how many defects it finds. HomeCheck is a new-apartment pre-move-in inspection company chosen so far by more than 120,000 households across South Korea. Building on experience running pre-move-in inspection services since 2017, it has developed systematic inspection standards as a registered institution specializing in safety examinations, not as a service that simply supplies labor. The vast body of defect data gathered through direct communication with customers on site is HomeCheck's core competitive strength and asset.

HomeCheck builds and operates its own pre-move-in inspection system and process.

The laws that apply to defect litigation and the way it is handled differ by building type. In collective buildings such as apartments and officetels, exclusive areas and common areas are distinguished, so the scope of compensation depends on where the defect is located. In a single-owner building such as a detached house or a multi-household house, the whole building is under one ownership, so liability for defects is decided under Korea's Civil Act and the terms of the contract.

Without understanding the characteristics and procedures of defect litigation for each building type, you may miss the time when repairs can be demanded or pursue the litigation in the wrong way. When preparing a defect investigation and litigation, always distinguish the legal structure and strategy by building type.

A single-owner building is owned entirely by one person and has no distinction between common areas and exclusive areas. Since there are no separate common areas, the whole building is the subject of the defect investigation.

When a defect occurs, the owner must negotiate with the construction company or request repairs directly. Liability for defects is decided not under the Act on Ownership and Management of Condominium Buildings or the Multi-Family Housing Management Act but under Korea's Civil Act and the individual contract. For each defect in the structure, finishes or equipment, liability is therefore judged by the nature of the defect, the terms of the contract and the quality normally expected.

In defect litigation, the standard for a "defect" is not a subjective judgment but the definition applied by the courts. Defects are assessed on the basis of objective standards and evidence. The court judges a defect by asking whether the building met the function and performance required at completion and whether it falls short of the promised quality. A simple photo or description is therefore not enough to claim a defect; you must prove with evidence which part of the design, construction or completion process was non-compliant. Below we look at how Korean courts define a defect and which defect standards are recognized in litigation.

From a legal point of view, a defect is a state in which a completed building lacks the durability, quality and safety it should normally have. A defect is found where the building lacked the required performance from the outset, or where it was built with products inferior to the materials specified in the sales contract and the specifications. In deciding whether a defect exists, the courts treat the as-built drawings as the most important standard and also check compliance with current building regulations and the national standard specifications.

When defects occur in a new building, the building owner or residents commission a defect investigation from a registered institution specializing in safety examinations. The investigation identifies work built differently from the design drawings, work that was omitted and work that was done incorrectly. Residents then request repairs from the construction company on the basis of the investigation report, and if the construction company does not respond, they ultimately have to deal with it through defect litigation.

Simple damage and scratches can be surveyed by the council of occupants' representatives or the building management office and filed for repair, but the biggest defects, namely altered work, omitted work and incorrectly executed work, must be diagnosed by professionals. Specialist defect investigation companies are registered institutions specializing in safety examinations with construction engineers on staff. Working from the as-built drawings, they identify the characteristics of each complex, determine where and what the defects are, how they need to be repaired and what a reasonable repair cost is, and set this out in a report.

Defect litigation is the process of establishing the construction company's legal liability on the basis of objective defect data. Ordinary residents lack the specialist knowledge to sue a construction company on their own, and the time and cost of litigation are hard for individuals to bear, so a law firm with extensive experience in defect litigation is usually appointed. The appointed law firm helps ensure that the damages calculated from the defect investigation data are recognized by the court, and coordinates with the construction company so that residents receive repairs or compensation reliably and quickly.

Selecting a law firm for apartment defect litigation: to obtain repairs in multi-family housing, a defect investigation company is first appointed to carry out the investigation. If no agreement is reached on the findings, a law firm is appointed and conducts the litigation on the basis of the investigation. In other words, the law firm is the party conducting the litigation, while a specialist defect investigation institution such as HomeCheck is the party conducting the investigation and supports the litigation technically.

In defect litigation, the court appoints a defect appraiser to decide on the defects in the building and on matters requiring technical judgment.

The defect appraisal is the process in which a third party determines whether defects exist, their extent, whether repairs are needed and what they cost. The way the appraiser conducts the appraisal usually determines the scope of defects recognized and changes the amount of damages. In other words, detailed evidence such as precise locations that prove the construction company's fault at the appraisal stage, together with professional handling, is the most important strategy for winning.

The defect appraisal is the procedure for technically determining whether a fault in a building or facility was built differently from the as-built drawings, or whether it is a defect caused by faulty construction after completion. As construction methods become more complex and defect rates rise, defect appraisals are increasingly common. Ideally the judge would verify the defects personally, but since judges lack construction expertise, the appraisal is a means of taking evidence by referring the matters that are hard to judge to an expert (the defect appraiser).

The defect appraisal is the single most important procedure in defect litigation. Because the court lacks specialist knowledge of building defects, it adopts the appraiser's report as the most objective evidence. In practice the amounts claimed and the scope of repairs in the judgment often follow the appraisal report directly, so the appraisal result effectively serves as the guideline for the judgment. The outcome of the litigation can therefore depend on how professionally the appraiser performs and whether the appraiser's career and experience are sufficient.

The defect appraiser is usually appointed by the court from among experts on the court's list of appraisers who hold qualifications such as registered architect, or Professional Engineer (Korea's national gisulsa qualification) in building construction or building structures.

The defect repair guarantee deposit is a legal safeguard under Korean law for cases in which the construction company cannot carry out defect repairs. To protect residents when the construction company evades its repair obligations or goes bankrupt and cannot repair, current law requires a set portion of the construction cost to be deposited in advance or covered by guarantee insurance. If the construction company goes bankrupt or refuses to repair, residents claim the guarantee deposit and carry out the repair work.

However, the guarantee deposit is set at around 3% of the total construction cost, so if many serious defects occur it may fall short of the repair cost actually needed. It can also be claimed only for defects that arise within the guarantee period, so it cannot be regarded as a solution for every defect dispute.

The deposit cannot be used for anything other than defect repairs. It must be spent only on repairing defects, not on management fees or other projects.

The guarantor does not simply pay out because residents ask for the deposit. It approves the claim and pays the repair costs only when there is a defect review decision or a court judgment, together with a defect investigation result notice under Korea's Multi-Family Housing Management Act and an itemized statement of repair costs.

Because only 3% of the total construction cost is deposited, the repair cost actually needed sometimes exceeds the amount paid out. When the repair cost is insufficient, it is better to obtain larger damages through defect litigation, but if the construction company has gone bankrupt, this deposit becomes the sole alternative.

The key issue in recent defect litigation goes beyond cracks and simple finishing faults: it is how well the difference between the design drawings and what was actually built can be proven. The reason is that the compensation for omitted or incorrectly executed work is larger than ordinary repair costs. If a material or method specified in the design documents or the contract was not applied on site, it is clear grounds for holding the construction company liable for breach of contract, so for successful defect litigation it is important to base the defect investigation on documents such as the as-built drawings and specifications.

Building safety management goes beyond preventing a building from aging: it is an administrative process that protects the lives of occupants by fulfilling legal obligations and makes the managing body's responsibility clear in the event of an accident. To this end, the Korean government manages inspections at three levels according to the size and condition of the building.

HomeCheck is a registered institution specializing in safety examinations for buildings and civil structures and a registered engineering business, carrying out periodic safety inspections, detailed safety inspections, in-depth safety diagnoses and seismic performance evaluations under Korea's Special Act on the Safety Control and Maintenance of Establishments.

Buildings in South Korea are managed mainly under two laws: the Special Act on the Safety Control and Maintenance of Establishments and the Building Management Act. Each has a different scope and purpose, so which law applies depends on the building's use and size. The Special Act on the Safety Control and Maintenance of Establishments exists for safety and accident prevention, while the Building Management Act governs illegal use and the state of maintenance.

Failing to carry out a safety examination within the prescribed period can result in administrative sanctions and fines. Whether inspections were carried out is the standard for management responsibility when an accident occurs, so the required inspections must be carried out according to the inspection cycle.

Safety examination and inspection methods differ with a building's use and structural form. Residential buildings focus on the safety of occupants and the quality of finishes, while commercial and industrial facilities focus on loads and maintenance. Applying the same inspection standard to every building risks missing structural hazards or functional defects. HomeCheck analyzes each building's legal use and actual operating environment and carries out detailed inspections and diagnoses optimized for each type.

A safety examination report is a document that analyzes all the data measured on site and sets out the building's assessed grade. It is not merely a record of current conditions; it also presents the causes of the defects and the plan for repair or maintenance.

Reports built on technical evidence: the report is prepared in accordance with the facility safety inspection guidelines issued by Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and the standard formats set out in the relevant laws. The building's assessed grade is quantified objectively. The findings are organized on the basis of figures and drawings, with no subjective judgment involved.

The capability to inspect and diagnose buildings is determined by whether the institution holds the required registrations and by the quality of the engineers it deploys. HomeCheck is a technical organization registered under Korean law as an institution specializing in safety examinations, and engineers holding Korean national technical qualifications diagnose each site in person. It provides diagnosis services proven through work with public institutions and major corporations.

A building's safety is not judged by whether cracks are visible. The structural safety confirmation document is a document that demonstrates the structure can withstand the various loads the building must bear. It makes it possible to confirm whether the building will hold up even under loads it was not expected to carry.

Over a building's life cycle, a structural safety confirmation document or structural safety assessment is required at various points and in various situations. So when is a structural safety assessment needed? A structural review is needed not only when a building is newly built but whenever the way it is used changes or the loads change. Below we explain in detail the situations that require a structural safety confirmation document or structural safety assessment.

Work or a change of use carried out without obtaining a structural safety confirmation document after a structural safety assessment can cause the building owner enormous financial and legal loss. If problems arise after the work is finished, the consequences range from administrative sanctions to restrictions on exercising property rights, which is why the structural safety assessment and confirmation document are essential.

The seismic design of a building is divided into the part concerning the structure and the part concerning nonstructural components. Structural seismic design aims to prevent the collapse of columns, slabs, beams and other structural members under external forces, while seismic design of nonstructural components means designing so that the items attached inside the building (nonstructural components) do not fall or break when the building is shaken by external forces.

Seismic design of nonstructural components is broadly divided into the architectural field and the mechanical and electrical field. Because the load characteristics and installation methods differ, they cannot be judged by the same standard. Architectural finishes pose a risk of falling, while mechanical and electrical equipment causes serious problems if it loses function. Since the scope of the design depends on the weight and location of each element, the classification of items must be clearly understood.

The safety of nonstructural components is not a matter of simple visual inspection; it is a structural engineering process of calculating the seismic force each element receives and proving numerically that the nonstructural items can withstand it. It is carried out to confirm whether equipment or finishes could come loose in an earthquake.

Because structural reviews and seismic design are directly tied to the safety of a building and its occupants, it is essential to choose an institution registered under Korean law rather than a mere consulting firm.

Seismic performance evaluation is the procedure for verifying through engineering analysis whether a building can remain safe in an earthquake. In South Korea it is carried out under the Earthquake and Volcano Disaster Countermeasures Act, the Special Act on the Safety Control and Maintenance of Establishments and the Building Management Act, with the aim of preventing collapse and protecting lives.

A general safety inspection checks the building's current physical defects: deterioration, cracks, corrosion and so on. A seismic performance evaluation assesses and analyzes whether the structure can withstand an earthquake when one occurs. A safety examination usually evaluates stability under static loads (dead load, live load), whereas a seismic performance evaluation analyzes the response to dynamic loads (seismic loads).

Buildings built before seismic design became mandatory in 1988 were designed without considering seismic loads and are classified as potentially at risk. Even if a building is not legally required to be evaluated, owners sometimes carry out a seismic performance evaluation or strengthening when administrative guidance recommends it.

The 1988 amendment of Korea's Building Act made seismic design mandatory for the first time, for buildings of six stories or more or with a gross floor area of 100,000 m² or more.

As earthquake risk increased, the scope was greatly expanded: to buildings of three stories or more in 2005, and from 2017 to all buildings of two stories or more or with a gross floor area of 200 m² or more.

Under the Basic Plan for Seismic Strengthening of Existing Facilities, the Korean government requires buildings owned by the national and local governments, schools, hospitals and similar facilities to undergo seismic performance evaluation in stages followed by seismic strengthening. For private buildings it is not mandatory, but voluntarily strengthening an existing building that was not designed for earthquakes brings benefits such as reductions in acquisition tax and property tax.

Structural safety must be confirmed when remodeling, extending or changing the use of a building, and if the seismic performance evaluation finds insufficient capacity, strengthening must come first.

If the cost is a concern, check the seismic strengthening support programs for private buildings run by each local government to see whether part of the cost of the evaluation or strengthening can be subsidized.

If the seismic performance evaluation falls short of the target, a strengthening design that takes the building's structural characteristics into account must follow. HomeCheck uses the structural analysis data to pinpoint only the weak areas where load concentrates and prepares the strengthening design for them. It also rules out over-design and designs strengthening solutions that maximize buildability and economy.

A seismic performance evaluation is a professional engineering service that goes beyond a simple survey to include analysis based on the survey data. HomeCheck works with structural Professional Engineers (Korea's national gisulsa qualification) to carry out prompt inspections and seismic performance evaluations that suit the client's purpose.

The apartment pre-move-in inspection is a step every buyer must go through before move-in, but it can be unfamiliar to anyone moving into a new apartment for the first time. In HomeCheck's consultations we receive many questions about when to inspect, what the difference in expertise is, and when defects are repaired.

Because the pre-move-in inspection is directly tied to defect repairs, the choice of inspection company alone can make a big difference to satisfaction after move-in. Knowing in advance about the inspection schedule and process, how to choose an inspection company and how repairs work will help you prepare for move-in.

These are the questions most frequently asked in practice by managing bodies and owners.

A structural safety confirmation document and a structural safety assessment are needed in many situations, such as major repairs, extensions and changes of use. We have gathered the questions asked by the many customers who request structural safety assessments and structural safety confirmation documents.

We have gathered the key questions building owners and managers ask most often on site.

Here we answer the questions clients most often ask while a seismic performance evaluation is under way.