[Must-read for Shuangbei Decoration] I was reported and fined NT$60,000 for failing to declare the decoration of the building? Popular science on application qualifications, agency fees and designer responsibilities for "Interior Decoration Construction License"

The wave of decoration complaints in Greater Taipei: Why is your decoration work forced to stop as soon as your neighbors complain?

When renovating old apartments, elevator mansions or community buildings in the greater Taipei area, many homeowners often encounter this nightmare: on the first day the decorating crew comes in to remove tiles and knock on the walls, and the next day the neighbors downstairs complain about the noise, and even directly call the 1999 hotline to report to the Taipei City Construction Management Office or New Taipei City Public Works Bureau. Within a few days, civil servants from the government's Building and Management Office, together with the management committee, will come to the door and ask for the "Building Interior Decoration Construction Permit" pointing at the gate. If the owner fails to show it, civil servants will put a red ticket on the spot and order the work to stop, and issue a fine of up to 60,000 yuan. Many homeowners feel aggrieved: I decorated the interior of the house I bought but did not demolish the exterior walls. Why do I need to declare it to the government? In fact, Taiwan has very strict safety regulations for the interior modification of multi-family residential buildings. If the designer does not proactively inform the homeowners to declare during the selection process, this is a major professional flaw.

Popular knowledge on regulations: What is an interior decoration construction permit? Under what circumstances must a declaration be made?

According to Article 77-2 of the "Construction Law" of the Republic of China and the "Regulations on the Management of Interior Decoration of Buildings", any indoor decoration that is must apply for an "Interior Decoration Construction Permit" from the local government before starting construction:
1. Definition of buildings for public use (residential):
- As long as your home is located in 6 All apartments or buildings above the ground floor, regardless of the level of decoration, are compulsory to declare.
- In principle, no declaration is required. If an apartment below 5 floors has "added a toilet or bathroom (such as changing to a suite)" or "built a wall to change the layout of the partitions (change of partition walls)", it must still be reported, otherwise it will be illegal and illegal decoration.
2. Compliance application procedures and application classifications:
1. Applicable to conventional renovations where there are no changes to fire protection refuge facilities, no changes to fire protection zoning, and the decoration area is less than 300 square meters below ten floors. The drawings can be designed by legal "interior decoration industry technicians" and submitted to the Architects Association or the Taipei Civil Technicians Association for review. A permit can be issued on the same day or within a few days, and completion acceptance can be processed after completion.
2. If structural safety changes are involved (such as the removal of partial load-bearing walls, the addition of shear walls), a "structural technician" or "civil technician" must be entrusted to perform structural calculation safety certification, and the architect will submit it to the Municipal Construction Management Office for review. The procedures are more cumbersome.

Statutory responsibilities of designers: Failure to apply is illegal borrowing

When selecting an interior designer, the homeowner must ask the other party: "Can you be the legal design and construction applicant for the "Interior Decoration Construction License"?"
- Many freelance designers or unlicensed personal studios cannot stamp or sign the application documents because they do not have a "Registration Certificate for Professional Design and Construction Technicians" issued by the Land and Resources Department. When they encounter a case that must be reported, they will hide it from the homeowner (betting on not being reported by neighbors), or they will spend money privately to "borrow a license" from other legal decoration businesses. This not only increases the agency fees, but also if structural damage occurs in the future, the lending company and the on-site construction personnel will pass the blame to each other, and the homeowner will be trapped in a legal dispute with no way to seek compensation.

Shuangbei decoration construction license application fees and agency prices

To apply for a compliant decoration construction license in Taipei and New Taipei Region, the agency and visa fees are as follows:
* Shuangbei architects or legal decoration industry agency fees are approximately NT$ 40,000 to NT$ 80,000, depending on the number of square meters of decoration and the association review fee.
* Due to the structural safety calculations and government review involved, the cost usually falls above NT$ 100,000 to NT$ 200,000.
* House owners and construction contractors will be fined NT$ 60,000 to NT$ 300,000 and are required to complete the procedures within a time limit. If they exceed the deadline, they will be fined continuously and the work will be stopped directly.

Commercial acquisitions and businessmen’s long-term asset thinking: Renovation permits are a commercial firewall to avoid policy fines and ensure turnaround periods

For real estate businessmen who specialize in acquiring second-hand apartments in Shuangbei and re-planning them into high-end rental suites or boutique flip resales, Businessmen's renovation projects rely heavily on "time efficiency". Once the neighbors report and stop work because they commissioned an unlicensed designer and failed to apply for a decoration permit in accordance with the law during the partition demolition stage, the construction period may be suspended for 1 to 3 months while waiting for reissue procedures. In the Shuangbei real estate market with high capital costs, this means monthly financing interest and rental losses during the vacancy period of up to hundreds of thousands, directly damaging the overall annualized rate of return (IRR). When signing a contract with a designer, the businessman should insist that the designer be legally registered as a technician with the Department of Land and Resources, and state in the contract that "a Shuangbei interior decoration construction permit must be obtained before starting work." The administrative declaration responsibility and penalty for delaying the construction period should be transferred to the design company. This is the professional risk control wisdom of mature real estate businessmen to ensure the return on asset investment.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs' latest "Regulations on Consumer Electrical Equipment Installation" and the key points of electricity safety in old houses

Due to the popularity of high-power household appliances (such as air fryers, microwave ovens, dishwashers, instantaneous electric water heaters, and IH furnaces) in recent years, the Energy Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs has revised the "Regulations on Consumer Electrical Equipment Installation" many times to strictly require the diversion and protection mechanisms of residential electricity circuits. Statistics show that more than 30% of building fires in Taiwan are caused by electrical factors, among which "old wire insulation deteriorates and short circuits", "socket contacts are oxidized and loose, poor contact" and "non-fuse switch (NFB) overloaded and failed to trip" are the three main fatal causes.

Old apartments in Shuangbei that are more than 30 years old have a total original designed power capacity of only 30A to 40A, and several rooms often share the same 1.6mm or 2.0mm circuit. In the modern standard safety configuration, kitchen electrical cabinets, bathroom equipment, and air-conditioning and heating machines must all be equipped with 5.5mm² dedicated circuits (single circuit and single socket). It is recommended that the main switch box be upgraded to a busbar (Busbar) integrated distribution board, and the total amperage is increased to 75A or 100A (a qualified electrical appliance contractor needs to be entrusted to Taipower to review the additional power capacity).

Residential electricity self-test and regular inspection checklist

• Appearance and temperature of the socket: Touch the outer cover of the commonly used socket lightly with the back of your hand. If it feels lukewarm or if you find that the plastic socket is yellowed and charred, or the plug is loose and shaking after being plugged in, it means that the internal copper plate clamping force is exhausted or the contact resistance is too high, and you should immediately cut off the power and replace it.
• Regular testing of leakage circuit breakers (ELCB): For leakage circuit breakers in humid places such as balconies, bathrooms, and kitchen sinks, regulations require that the "TEST button" on the switch be pressed once every 1 to 3 months to confirm that it can automatically trip and cut off the power supply instantly.
• Serial connection and overloading of extension cords are strictly prohibited: Extension cords should be purchased with 2.0mm thick wire diameter products that have CNS certification and automatic overload power-off protection. Do not share the same extension cord with high energy-consuming appliances to ensure zero hidden danger to life and property at home.