The Housing and Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG) is recruiting residents for 900 public rental housing units, the largest number ever offered. This initiative involves purchasing homes to cover rental deposits and providing them as public rental housing for households without homes.
HUG announced on September 28 that it will begin the 12th recruitment for public rental housing on September 30. This recruitment will offer a total of 900 units, marking the largest scale in its history.
The units will be available in urban areas of the Seoul metropolitan region, including Incheon and Bucheon, as well as in Busan. HUG has conducted recruitment for a total of 1,800 units this year, with the previous recruitment in July seeing an average competition rate of 165 to 1.
To stabilize the rental market and alleviate the housing cost burden for low-income families, HUG has significantly increased the number of units available in this 12th recruitment. Including the planned recruitment by the end of the year, HUG aims to supply a total of 3,600 public rental housing units in 2026, double the 1,800 units provided last year.
Public rental housing involves HUG purchasing homes to cover rental deposits, which are then provided to households without homes. Since HUG acts as the landlord, tenants can live without concerns about the return of their deposits. The rental deposits are set at about 90% of the local market rate, allowing for stable residence for up to eight years.
Eligibility for application is open to any household member without a home, regardless of age, income, or assets. Interested applicants can apply online through the HUG Safe Rental Portal from September 30 to October 12.
HUG plans to announce the final winners on December 30 after verifying eligibility criteria, including homelessness status. More details can be found on the HUG Safe Rental Portal and the official HUG blog starting from the recruitment announcement date.
As concerns about rental fraud and non-return of deposits continue, the public rental housing initiative is expected to be a viable solution to reduce housing insecurity for tenants without homes.
HUG President Choi In-ho stated, “We will continue to supply public rental housing without interruption to ensure that young people and low-income families can live with peace of mind. We ask for your interest in this 12th recruitment for public rental housing.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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