SH overhauls purchase-rental housing process with three-stage screening system

The Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation has fully overhauled its purchase-rental housing procedures, aiming to improve transparency and fairness in acquisition reviews while strengthening support for project operators and demand-driven housing supply.

SH announced Monday that it has completed a system overhaul to improve transparency and fairness in its purchase-rental housing acquisition process. The revised system took effect with the "2026 First Round New Construction Agreement Purchase-Rental Housing Acquisition Notice," published May 15.

The overhaul centers on three areas: strengthening transparency and fairness in the acquisition process, creating stable project conditions, and building a foundation for demand-driven housing supply.

SH restructured its review framework to establish clearer, stage-by-stage evaluation criteria. It abolished the existing qualitative comprehensive review and introduced a "three-stage cutoff screening" system that assesses eligibility at each stage. The three-stage eligibility evaluation rubric has also been made public.

The independence of acquisition deliberations will also be reinforced. All evaluation committee members will be drawn from outside the corporation, and the pool of deliberation committee members has been expanded. Sellers will select committee members directly by lottery, and SH's integrity ombudsman will attend deliberations to ensure objectivity.

SH has also put in place measures to support project operators. Starting in the fourth quarter of this year, the corporation plans to introduce the HUG urban housing special guarantee loan system. Pre-consultation coverage will be expanded from architecture to include electrical and mechanical work. Regular forums with project stakeholders are also planned to improve communication.

SH is broadening the foundation for demand-driven supply as well. New evaluation rubrics will reflect the characteristics of each housing type, the housing supply status of each autonomous district, and local demand — assessing location and lifestyle convenience. Licensed architects serving as outside experts will evaluate architectural plans, and SH will develop standard floor plans for non-apartment purchase-rental housing to improve overall housing quality.

On May 29, SH held a project briefing at its main auditorium to explain the revised purchase-rental housing system and the new notice to operators, designers, contractors and other stakeholders.

SH President Hwang Sang-ha said he hoped the overhaul would make the purchase-rental housing program fairer and more active. "We will continue to refine related systems so that high-quality public housing can be supplied to Seoul residents quickly and reliably," he said.

Meanwhile, SH recently established a dedicated Urban Public Complex Projects Division to oversee urban public housing complex development, stepping up efforts to accelerate housing supply. The new division will serve as a control tower managing the entire project process from the candidate site identification stage onward.