Yunlin County promotes a life extension subsidy program for old houses, with a maximum subsidy of 9.6 million yuan

To improve the performance of old houses over 30 years old, the central government has launched a life extension subsidy program for old houses, with 65% of the repair costs subsidized by the government. (Photo by reporter Huang Shuli)

The Ministry of the Interior plans to invest 5 billion yuan to promote the life extension subsidy program for old houses. For apartments and houses that are more than 30 years old, the government will subsidize up to 65% of the repair costs, with a maximum subsidy of 9.6 million yuan. The Yunlin County Government has started relevant work and will accept applications from the public as soon as July.

In view of the fact that more than half of the domestic buildings over 30 years old have problems such as insufficient space function, insufficient barrier-free facilities, aging pipelines and inconvenience for the elderly, as well as various challenges such as a super-aged society, extreme climate, earthquake risks and national changes, the Ministry of the Interior has launched an old house life extension subsidy program to improve the functions of existing buildings and enhance the living environment.

The Construction Department of Yunlin County Government stated that the subsidy targets legal buildings with a house age of more than 30 years, including collective housing with 4 to 6 floors, and open-air residences with floors below 6 floors. Subsidy projects include the renewal of public area pipelines outside the building, repair of facade and exterior wall tiles, roof waterproofing, new lifting equipment and barrier-free facilities. The government subsidizes 65% of the repair costs and the residents bear 35%. The maximum subsidy for each apartment is 9.6 million yuan.

In terms of indoor space optimization, there are updated handrails, improvement of height differences, anti-slip and anti-fall facilities on the ground, etc. Each household can receive a maximum subsidy of 200,000 yuan. If there are elderly and vulnerable people, this can be increased to 300,000 yuan per household.

The Construction Department pointed out that there are 240,000 residential buildings in Yunlin County, 63% of which have an average age of 40 years, about 151,200 buildings, and 50 apartments below the sixth floor that are more than 30 years old. The central government has approved a subsidy of 40.25 million yuan to Yunlin this year and a subsidy of 120 million yuan next year.

The Construction Department said that the county government has recently received many calls inquiring about the life extension subsidy program for old houses. However, the public is reminded that before applying for subsidies, they must first confirm that the structural performance of the building is safe. Subsidies are also available for this part. The maximum subsidy is 15,000 yuan for preliminary evaluation and 400,000 yuan for each building for detailed evaluation. The county government is expected to accept applications as early as July.