The guidance issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development and other five departments on April 22 made it clear that the management of rural housing construction should be strengthened, the safety management of existing rural housing should be strengthened, and the long-term safety management mechanism of new rural housing should be improved.

Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development, the Ministry of Emergency Management, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the General Administration of Market Supervision jointly issued the Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Management of Rural Housing Construction. The guidance is clear. By 2025, we will achieve closed-loop supervision of the whole process of rural housing quality and safety, effectively control the safety risks of rural housing, and generally improve the quality and safety of rural housing; By 2035, a comprehensive management system and technical standard system for rural housing construction will be established, and the quality of rural housing construction will be greatly improved.

The relevant person in charge of the Village and Town Construction Department of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development said that there are a large number of rural houses in China. For a long time, farmers have built, used and managed their own houses. With the economic and social development and the continuous improvement of farmers' living standards, the area of new rural houses is becoming larger and larger, the number of floors is getting higher and higher, and more and more are used for business. With the growth of housing age, a large number of existing rural houses have gradually highlighted the potential safety hazards.

The guidance is clear, strengthen the safety management of existing rural housing, regularly carry out the investigation and rectification of potential safety hazards of rural housing, adhere to the principle of "who owns who is responsible, who uses who is responsible", and clarify the main responsibilities of property owners and users for housing safety. Establish a regular inspection mechanism for rural housing safety, combine farmer self inspection, town and village inspection, county inspection, law enforcement inspection and mass supervision, and timely identify and take effective measures to eliminate potential safety hazards.

The guidance clearly stated that the management of rural housing used for business should be strictly enforced, and the rural housing used for business activities should meet the relevant safety requirements. The property owner and user should strictly implement the relevant provisions on the safety management of self built commercial housing, and ensure that the housing has the conditions for safe use before carrying out business activities. The reconstruction and expansion of rural houses shall be carried out, and relevant approval procedures such as land use, planning and construction shall be handled according to law. The design and construction shall be carried out in strict accordance with relevant engineering construction standards.

The guidance proposed that we should speed up and improve the long-term mechanism of safety management of new rural housing, and put the quality and safety supervision of rural housing through the whole process of rural housing construction. In accordance with the principle of "who approves, who supervises, who is in charge, who supervises", the administrative approval and safety supervision will be effectively linked. Reasonably arrange the land for rural housing construction, practically ensure the safety of rural housing site selection, strictly standardize the design and construction, and the design and construction of new rural housing should meet the requirements of the current national seismic fortification and other relevant quality and safety standards.

full text

Guidance of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development and other five departments on strengthening the management of rural housing construction

People's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:

In order to implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, promote the overall revitalization of the countryside, improve the level of rural construction, focus on strengthening the quality and safety management of rural housing (hereinafter referred to as rural housing), effectively guarantee the safety of farmers' lives and property, and promote the establishment of a long-term mechanism for rural housing construction management, the following opinions are proposed with the consent of the State Council.

1、 General requirements

Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will fully implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, adhere to the people-centered development thought, coordinate development and safety, strengthen the system concept and bottom line thinking, establish and improve the management system of rural housing construction, ensure the quality and safety of rural housing, improve the living quality of farmers, and build a livable, employable and beautiful countryside, Constantly meet the needs of farmers for a better life.

——Stick to the bottom line, safety first. Adhere to the principle of putting people first and life first, effectively ensure the safety of rural housing site selection, design, construction and use, run the quality and safety supervision of rural housing through all aspects of rural housing construction management and use, strengthen risk control, and resolutely prevent rural housing safety accidents.

——Combination of far and near, cure both symptoms and root causes. Regularly carry out troubleshooting and rectification of existing rural housing safety hazards, and timely eliminate the stock of safety hazards; We will strengthen the management of new rural housing construction and strictly control incremental security risks.

——Strengthen coordination and implement policies systematically. Implement the responsibility of territorial management, strengthen the overall coordination of departments, effectively link administrative approval and safety supervision in accordance with the principle of "who approves, who supervises, who is in charge, who supervises", and establish a management system for the whole process of rural housing land use, planning, construction, and use.

——The villagers are the main body and participate in many ways. Strengthen the safety awareness of villagers as the subject responsible for the use of rural housing construction, give full play to the role of villagers' autonomous organizations, incorporate rural housing construction codes of conduct into village rules and regulations, encourage and guide the participation of social forces, and form a multi governance force.

By 2025, basically establish a rural housing construction management system and mechanism that adapt to rural characteristics, achieve closed-loop supervision of the whole process of rural housing quality and safety, standardize and order rural housing construction behavior, effectively control rural housing safety risks, and generally improve the quality and safety level of rural housing. By 2035, a comprehensive management system and technical standard system for rural housing construction will be established, the quality and safety of rural housing will be effectively guaranteed, the supporting facilities will be basically improved, and the quality of rural housing construction will be significantly improved.

2、 Further strengthen the safety management of existing rural housing

（1） Regularly carry out investigation and rectification of hidden dangers in rural housing safety. Focus on key rural houses used for operation, 3 floors and above, densely populated, illegal reconstruction and expansion, establish and improve the work account, continue to track, and effectively control. In combination with the renovation of old villages, the construction of new villages, the renovation of dilapidated rural buildings, the engineering treatment of floods and geological disasters, and the relocation of risk aversion, the policy is implemented by category and the system is renovated. For houses with potential safety hazards identified, all localities should urge property owners and users to promptly rectify and eliminate potential safety hazards. Relevant departments should implement the safety supervision responsibilities within the scope of industry supervision according to their responsibilities, cooperate in the safety management of rural housing according to laws and regulations, and form a joint force of supervision.

（2） Strictly manage the safety of rural housing used for operation. Rural housing used for business activities should meet the relevant safety requirements. The property owner and user should strictly implement the relevant provisions on the safety management of self built commercial housing, and ensure that the housing has the conditions for safe use before carrying out business activities. The people's government at the county level and its relevant departments should strengthen the examination, approval and supervision of rural housing used for business activities. Relevant departments at the county level and township people's governments should strengthen information dissemination and department coordination, carry out joint spot checks on rural houses used for operation, and immediately take control measures such as stopping use, temporary closure and personnel evacuation for those with serious potential safety hazards and endangering public safety. The property owner and user shall take effective measures to completely eliminate potential safety hazards before resuming use.

（3） Strictly manage reconstruction, expansion and change of use. For the reconstruction and expansion of rural houses, relevant approval procedures such as land use, planning and construction shall be handled according to law, and the design and construction shall be carried out in strict accordance with relevant engineering construction standards. It is strictly prohibited to change the main body and load-bearing structure of the house for decoration. Where a rural residence is used as a place for business operation, public services or crowded people, relevant approval procedures shall be gone through according to law.

（4） We will accelerate the establishment of a regular inspection mechanism for rural housing safety. All localities should make full use of the results of the investigation and rectification of hidden dangers in rural housing safety, the special rectification of self built housing safety, and the investigation of housing construction in the national comprehensive risk survey of natural disasters to establish a regular inspection mechanism for hidden dangers in rural housing safety. Combine farmer household self inspection, town/village investigation, county patrol, law enforcement inspection and mass supervision to timely find and take effective measures to eliminate potential safety hazards.

（5） Gradually establish a regular physical examination system for rural housing safety. In accordance with the requirements of "who owns who is responsible, who uses who is responsible", strictly implement the safety subject responsibility of the property owner and user. Local people's governments at all levels and their relevant departments should further improve and improve policies and measures, guide the property owner and user to carry out regular housing safety inspection, and hire professional institutions to conduct safety appraisal for rural houses that have exceeded a certain service life.

（6） We will continue to upgrade dilapidated rural buildings and make earthquake resistant improvements. We will effectively link the consolidation and expansion of poverty alleviation achievements with rural revitalization, and establish a long-term mechanism for dynamic monitoring and security of housing security for low-income groups in rural areas. The dangerous houses of key objects that meet the conditions shall be included in the policy guarantee scope in a timely manner, and shall be guaranteed to the best extent. The rural houses to be reconstructed shall meet the local seismic fortification requirements simultaneously. Encourage and guide farmers in earthquake prone areas to implement earthquake resistant reconstruction of rural houses, and the people's governments at and above the county level will provide necessary policy support.

3、 Accelerate and improve the long-term mechanism of safety management of new rural housing

（7） Reasonably arrange land for rural housing construction. All localities should guarantee the reasonable land demand of villagers for building houses. Rural housing construction should conform to village planning, adhere to the principle of economical and intensive land use, and do not occupy or occupy less arable land. Under the premise of respecting the wishes of the villagers, we are encouraged to combine the construction of new villages and the renovation of old villages, and build rural houses safely according to local conditions. It is strictly prohibited to live in large communities together with villages against the wishes of farmers.

（8） Ensure the safety of rural housing site selection. When preparing village plans and arranging land for rural housing construction, we should try to avoid such dangerous sections as earthquake fault zones, areas with high risk of geological disasters and hidden danger points, underground mined out areas, flood areas and so on. Strictly control slope cutting and building. If it is really necessary to use unfavorable sections, the relevant departments at the county level shall guide the construction party to take safe and effective measures to deal with the project.

（9） Strictly standardize the design and construction of rural houses. The standard design atlas can be selected for rural low rise residential buildings, and rural construction craftsmen can be entrusted for construction. Other rural residences and rural public buildings shall be designed or selected by a unit with corresponding qualifications according to law, and the construction shall be carried out by a unit with corresponding qualifications. The design and construction of rural houses shall meet the requirements of the current national seismic fortification and other relevant quality and safety standards.

（10） Overall implementation of administrative approval. Township people's governments should make overall plans to establish a system of joint examination and joint office, and carry out administrative examination and approval of rural housing land use, planning and construction according to law and regulations. Optimize the approval process, implement "one window" to provide convenient and efficient services for farmers. The relevant departments at the county level should earnestly perform their duties of examination and approval, and strengthen the guidance of technical review in the examination and approval of villages and towns.

（11） Effectively implement supervision responsibilities. The relevant departments at the county level and the people's governments at the township level should strengthen the supervision of the items examined and approved during and after the event, and establish a supervision mechanism that combines pre approval review, on-site inspection and completion acceptance. Where conditions permit, the government can strengthen the management and service of rural housing construction by purchasing qualified third-party services.

（12） We will strengthen grassroots forces. The people's government at the county level should organize relevant departments and township people's governments to coordinate resources, strengthen the supervision of rural housing quality and safety, provide technical guidance and services for rural housing construction, realize the management of the whole process of rural housing land use, planning, construction and use, promote the sinking of law enforcement forces, and coordinate the supervision and investigation of illegal land occupation, illegal construction, illegal use and other acts.

（13） Strengthen financial support. All localities should incorporate the funds related to rural housing construction management into the government budget at the same level according to the actual needs, make good use of the existing financial funds and policy channels, support the quality, safety and quality improvement of rural housing according to regulations, and support the rectification of hidden dangers in rural housing safety, seismic reinforcement, energy-saving transformation and construction of supporting facilities by means of rewards instead of subsidies, first improvement and then compensation.

4、 Strengthen technical guidance and institutional innovation

（14） Improve the design level of rural housing. Each region should take the county as the unit, promote various new construction methods according to local conditions, prepare a standard design atlas of rural housing with regional and local characteristics, and provide villagers with free selection and technical consulting services. The set of standard design drawings shall include architectural scheme design, construction drawing design and detailed drawings of important nodes. Areas where conditions permit can encourage and guide architectural design units and professionals to provide rural housing design services by means of government purchase of services, so as to meet the personalized building needs of villagers.

（15） Improve the quality of rural housing construction. All localities should improve local standards and technical guidelines for rural housing construction, actively promote the construction of modern and livable rural housing with "modern functions, safe structure, cost economy, green environmental protection, and coordinated style", promote the wide application of new structures, new materials, new processes, and green low-carbon technologies according to local conditions, and accelerate the construction of supporting facilities such as toilet improvement and water, electricity, roads, and telecommunications in rural areas, Continuously improve the use function of rural houses to meet the needs of modern production and life of villagers.

（16） Cultivate a team of craftsmen for rural construction. All localities should strengthen the training of rural construction craftsmen, improve their professional skills and comprehensive quality, establish a list of rural construction craftsmen, and implement their responsibility for construction quality and safety. With rural construction craftsmen as the main body, cultivate a small, professional and standardized rural construction service team to undertake the construction of rural housing and small engineering projects.

（17） Improve the informatization level of rural housing construction management. The competent departments of housing and urban and rural construction at all levels should coordinate with relevant departments to establish an information platform for comprehensive management of rural housing, build a database of rural housing throughout its life cycle, including spatial geographic information, administrative approval, design and construction, and housing safety, strengthen the linkage between systems at all levels and information sharing among departments, and break through data barriers, We will strive to improve the digital and intelligent level of rural housing quality and safety supervision, and promote the realization of "one network for all" in rural housing construction management.

（18） Explore the establishment of rural housing insurance system. Encourage local governments and financial institutions to actively carry out rural housing insurance pilot projects, focus on promoting the rural housing catastrophe insurance system in earthquake prone areas, areas with a high risk of geological disasters, and areas prone to heavy floods, encourage rural housing property owners to buy public liability insurance and other types of insurance, and encourage villagers to buy housing property insurance.

5、 Strengthen work guarantee

All localities should speed up the establishment and improvement of the working mechanism in which the province takes the overall responsibility and the cities, counties and towns focus on the implementation, promote the formulation of local regulations, local government rules and normative documents on rural housing construction management according to local conditions, widely publicize the laws, regulations, policies and measures related to rural housing construction management, and constantly enhance the legal awareness, responsibility awareness and safety awareness of relevant subjects such as property owners and users. Local people's governments at all levels should strengthen overall coordination, strengthen the coordination of departments, establish and improve the long-term mechanism of rural housing construction management according to local conditions, take the improvement of rural housing quality and safety as an important indicator of rural construction evaluation, and improve the mechanism of problem detection, feedback rectification and tracking supervision. The housing and urban construction, emergency management, natural resources, agriculture and rural areas, market supervision and other departments of the State Council should establish a comprehensive supervision mechanism for the quality and safety of rural housing according to the division of responsibilities, strengthen the supervision and guidance of local rural housing construction management, and timely report major issues.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development

Emergency Management Department

Ministry of Natural Resources

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

General Administration of Market Supervision

April 12, 2024