Differences Compared with Housing Dispute Committees

Even though the Housing Disputes Committees of bar associations were designated by the Minister as Designated Housing Dispute Treatment Institutions in 2000 based on the "Act for Promoting Quality Assurance in Public Works" (Quality Assurance Act), these Housing Dispute Committees handle disputes related to work contracts and buying and selling of contracts for evaluated houses that have received a Housing Evaluation Certificate based on the Quality Assurance Act (ready-built homes).

Consequently, as application to either of these institutions is possible regarding disputes concerning work contracts for evaluated houses, it is necessary to determine to which institution to apply according to the type of work contract. In general, it is believed that there are many cases in which the Housing Dispute Committees of various bar associations are utilized as committees for the resolution of disputes in dispute resolution clauses.

Table: Comparison of the Construction Work Dispute Committee and Housing Dispute Committees

Name	Construction Work Dispute Committee	Housing Dispute Committee (officially: Designated Housing Dispute Treatment Institution)
Base Law	Construction Industry Law.	Act for Promoting Quality Assurance in Public Works (Quality Assurance Act)
Place of Establishment	Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and prefectures.	Bar associations
Area of Responsibility	Disputes related to construction work contracts.	Disputes related to work contracts and buying and selling of contracts for evaluated houses according to the House Function Indication System based on the Quality Assurance Act.
Resolution Methods	Mediation, conciliation, and arbitration	Mediation, conciliation, and arbitration
Fees	Depending on the type of application and claimed amount	10,000 JPY
Remarks	Handles all types of construction work, such as public work and facilities. Does not handle disputes concerning buying and selling of contracts.	Does not handle disputes between master contractors or subcontractors even if the disputes are related to work contracts for evaluated houses.