Apartment defect rulings up 2.4-fold in 3 years despite advances in construction technology

Even as apartment construction technology has improved over the years, the number of officially confirmed defect rulings has actually risen sharply — up 2.4-fold in just three years, driven by residents filing for defect reviews over issues such as cracks and water leaks.

The surge in rulings has in turn fueled a growing number of disputes between residents and construction companies over the scope and method of repairs.

According to data obtained by Democratic Party lawmaker Yeom Tae-young of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Defect Review and Dispute Mediation Committee confirmed a total of 1,952 apartment defects between 2022 and June of this year.

The annual figures climbed steadily — from 285 cases in 2022 to 336 in 2023, 528 in 2024 and 680 in 2025. Last year's total was 2.4 times the 2022 figure. In the first half of this year alone, 123 cases were confirmed as defects.

Over the same period, defect rulings covered 364 cases in row houses, 324 in multi-family homes and 308 in urban-type residential units. Mixed-use residential buildings, public rental housing and other collective structures accounted for 1,207 cases. Including apartments, the total number of defect rulings across all housing types reached 4,155.

The rise in confirmed defects appears to be partly driven by a parallel increase in defect review applications.

Applications for apartment defect reviews grew from 1,144 in 2022 to 1,325 in 2023, 2,811 in 2024 and 3,442 in 2025. Through June of this year, 3,667 applications had already been submitted.

Disputes over repairs following defect rulings have also continued to mount.

Of the 1,952 apartment defect cases confirmed over the past five years, developers registered completed repairs in 958 cases. Another 482 were logged as incomplete — including 59 cases where residents refused the repairs, 40 cases under litigation and 182 cases where repair terms were still being negotiated.

The construction industry says disputes are dragging on in many cases because residents demand repairs that go beyond the scope of what was officially ruled a defect.

In one example cited by a construction company identified only as Company A, a resident demanded full removal and reinstallation of window frames in a case where partial repairs — such as replacing window hardware — would have been sufficient to restore functionality. The company also said that in some cases, damage to finishing materials such as tiles and wallpaper that had deteriorated well after move-in was ruled a defect without adequate consideration of material characteristics or usage conditions.

A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official said the defect review system is designed to determine whether a defect exists and mediate disputes before disagreements between residents and builders escalate to litigation. "Developers may sometimes feel that defect rulings or repair demands are excessive, but there are also cases where developers fail to carry out repairs properly — so the system plays a role in mediating both sides," the official said.

Under the current Multi-Family Housing Management Act, once the committee issues a final defect ruling, the developer must complete repairs within 60 days and register the results in the defect management information system.

"As defect disputes increase, we need to build a tighter framework that protects residents' legitimate rights while ensuring that the defect ruling and repair process proceeds swiftly and reasonably," Yeom said.