255 inter-floor noise complaints filed over past 3 years

SH works to resolve disputes through dedicated noise committee

A resident suffering from inter-floor noise. [ChatGPT]
A resident suffering from inter-floor noise. [ChatGPT]

Resident A, a tenant in a public rental housing complex, sought counseling and mediation from the local management center over persistent inter-floor noise, but the situation did not improve. The Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation confirmed the damage through noise incident logs and police call records, and attempted mediation and relationship-building with the neighboring unit — but when the conflict remained unresolved, it arranged for A to move to a different unit in the complex.

Complaints filed with the Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation over inter-floor noise have been rising over the past three years. SH established a formal inter-floor noise conflict response procedure last October, and in roughly the year since, 22 households affected by inter-floor noise have been relocated to different units.

According to SH, a total of 255 inter-floor noise complaints were received over the past three years — through September of this year. Online complaints numbered 62 in 2024, surged to 113 last year, and have already reached 80 in the first nine months of this year.

The headquarters of the Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation. [Provided by SH]
The headquarters of the Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation. [Provided by SH]

SH handles inter-floor noise complaints through a four-stage response process.

The first stage is an initial response, in which SH asks the unit generating the noise to stop and may conduct an on-site investigation to verify the facts. The second stage is internal mediation through the Inter-floor Noise Management Committee, which interviews the parties involved, recommends soundproofing measures based on the results, and proposes noise-reduction solutions. The committee is made up of members of the tenant representative council and the building election management committee, along with the building manager.

The third stage is external counseling and mediation: the affected resident applies for consultation at the Inter-floor Noise Neighbor Center operated by the Korea Environment Corporation, which then conducts in-person visits to both units. If the conflict persists, noise levels are measured. The fourth stage involves external dispute resolution, in which SH works with the Multi-unit Housing Management Dispute Mediation Committee and the Environmental Dispute Mediation Committee to find a solution.

However, SH's Inter-floor Noise Management Committee has been established in only 149 of the 235 complexes — 63.4 percent, as of June — that are required to have one (those with 700 or more units). Among complexes with fewer than 700 units, the committee has been set up in only 125 of 587 complexes, a formation rate of just 21.2 percent. Certain rental housing types — including Dure Housing, Onsu Row Housing and public studio-hotel complexes — have no noise committee at all. Where no committee exists, complaints are handled by skipping the second stage and proceeding from the first stage directly to the third and fourth.

SH has also been working to ease residents' discomfort through other means, including a conflict mediator program that brings in outside mediation specialists, and a policy introduced last August establishing grounds to refuse lease renewals for tenants who seriously disrupt communal living.

"SH has revised its residential relocation criteria so that residents experiencing severe inter-floor noise conflicts can be moved to another unit through a formal review process," an SH official said. "We will also continue our outreach efforts, including producing and distributing lifestyle etiquette guides."


hope@heraldcorp.com