More than half of houses in Taiwan labeled old

台灣一半以上房屋被貼上「舊」標籤

More than half of houses in Taiwan labeled old
Housing units over 30 years old account for more than half of total structures


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The average age of houses in Taiwan is 32 years, and housing units over 30 years old account for more than half of total structures, according to a government audit released on Monday (June 29).

According to an annual audit report, at the end of 2023, the average age of residential houses in Taiwan was 32 years old, per CNA. In addition, 4.83 million units were over 30 years old, exceeding half the total number of structures at 9.19 million.

The number of old houses increased by more than 470,000 in three years, indicating that aging structures are becoming a larger problem. In addition, the Ministry of the Interior has processed an expansion of rent subsidies worth NT$30 billion, and the amount of overpayments that have yet to be recovered is as high as NT$100 million, reports said.

By the end of 2023, counties and cities across Taiwan accepted 1,703 urban renewal cases, and 1,130 projects had been approved for implementation, with 627 in Taipei, 214 in New Taipei, and 110 in Taichung.

In addition, 4,076 cases of dilapidated units were accepted, with 3,414 reconstruction plans approved. Taipei had 904 cases, while 663 were in Taichung and 531 were in New Taipei.

In addition, the government's social housing project is expected to reach its completion target of 120,000 households by the end of 2024, with approximately 40,000 households to be occupied. However, the strong demand for social housing means that the average winning rate is low, so supply must also increase, reports pointed out.