The restriction on floor heating area in officetels will be lifted, and it will be easier to change the usage of living accommodation facilities to officetels.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced today (25th) that it has prepared a revised version of the ‘Officetel Construction Standards’ and will announce the administrative notice from tomorrow (26th) until the 16th of next month.
■ Removal of Officetel Floor Heating Area Limit
Until now, it was not possible to install floor heating in officetels exceeding a dedicated area of 120㎡, but with this revision, it will be possible to install floor heating without area limitations.
The ministry explained that this is a measure to expand the supply of buildings for dual purposes in response to discussions by the Regulatory Reform Committee, changes in social and economic conditions, and growing demand.
■ Support for Changing Living Accommodation Facilities to Officetel… Exemption from Separate Entry and Gross Floor Area Calculation
Additionally, as a follow-up to the ‘Support Plan for Legal Use of Living Accommodation Facilities’ announced last month, some regulations applied when changing the usage of living accommodation facilities with a pre-existing building permit to officetels will be exempted.
First, when voluntarily converting part of a living accommodation building into an officetel by the owners, a separate officetel entry does not need to be installed.
Also, previously, when converting a living accommodation facility to an officetel, the area calculation method had to be changed from the central line to the gross floor area standard. However, with this revision, the existing central line area calculation method will be maintained.
The central line measurement calculates the area based on the center (middle) of the wall thickness, while the gross floor area measurement calculates the area by measuring the distance from the inner end of the wall to the opposite wall’s inner end.
This aims to reduce additional burdens in the process of changing usage and to enhance owners’ convenience.
However, during the contract process, details about the non-installation of separate entries and the application of gross floor area measurements will be required to be clearly indicated in the building register so that real estate agents and the contracting parties are aware.