Violation of Container Renovation Houses

The renovation of containers into houses is a violation, and any container renovated into a house without approval is considered an illegal building. Here is a detailed analysis:

Legal Aspect

According to Article 65 of the Urban and Rural Planning Law of the People's Republic of China, in rural and village planning areas, if construction is carried out without obtaining a rural construction planning permit in accordance with the law or without complying with the provisions of the rural construction planning permit, the township or town people's government shall order the cessation of construction and make corrections within a specified time limit; if no corrections are made after the time limit, the construction may be demolished. Renovating containers into houses to make them habitable, such as providing water and electricity supply, opening doors and windows, or installing air conditioners, is a construction activity without obtaining a planning permit in accordance with the law, which constitutes illegal construction.

Practical Cases

Many places have launched special rectification actions against illegal container housing. For example, in Danbei Town, Danyang City, some farmers have illegally renovated and rented out abandoned containers for people to live in. These containers are mostly built with flammable and combustible sandwich panels, with substandard fire resistance ratings. There are also widespread problems such as unauthorized electrical wiring, mixed use of high-power electrical appliances, and the use of bottled gas indoors, posing significant risks of electric shock and fire. Some containers also illegally occupy collective land and rural roads, blocking fire exits and being listed as key targets for self-inspection and rectification in the fire protection "100-day campaign". The Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Team of Changhai Road Subdistrict in Yangpu District found during patrols that someone had renovated a container into a house and placed it on the sidewalk for workers to live in without going through any procedures. The law enforcement officers ordered them to evacuate and restore the road to its original state.

Safety Hazards

Illegally renovated container houses have many safety hazards, such as fire hazards, as flammable sandwich panels can easily spread fire and produce toxic smoke when exposed to fire; electrical hazards, as unauthorized electrical wiring and mixed use of high-power electrical appliances can easily cause electric shock and fire; and occupation of public space, blocking fire exits and affecting emergency rescue.