Demolition Tech Crassone Concludes Cooperation Agreement with Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture on Promoting Vacant House Measures

Crassone Co., Ltd. (Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, CEO: Teppei Kawaguchi, hereinafter referred to as 'the Company'), which operates the demolition work DX platform 'Crassone,' has concluded an 'Agreement on the Promotion of Himeji City's Vacant House Countermeasures' with Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture (hereinafter referred to as 'Himeji City'). In response to the vacant house problem, which has recently become a social issue nationwide, the aim is to create a safe and secure city by promoting the demolition of vacant houses in Himeji City. With this agreement, the Company's track record of collaborating with local governments has reached 196 municipalities (including organizations managed by the administration), with 17 municipalities in Hyogo Prefecture, and the population coverage rate in Hyogo Prefecture has reached approximately 67% (※1).

Background of the Agreement

In recent years, the increase in vacant houses has become a social issue. According to the '2023 Housing and Land Survey' (※2) announced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the number of vacant houses nationwide has reached 9 million, and the vacancy rate is 13.8%, the highest level ever. In Hyogo Prefecture, the number of vacant houses is 386,900, and the ratio of vacant houses to the total number of households has increased by 0.4 percentage points compared to the previous survey, reaching 13.8%.

In Himeji City, along with population decline and an aging society, the vacant house rate exceeds the national average, making vacant house countermeasures a critical local issue. To address this, the 'Himeji City Vacant House Countermeasures Plan' was formulated in fiscal year 2022, with the basic principles of proper management through citizen collaboration, promotion of utilization, and suppression of the occurrence of specific vacant houses. Measures such as educational activities for owners, promotion of early utilization, and guidance on impacts on the living environment are being advanced. However, dealing with vacant houses that have various circumstances, such as complex inheritance issues and aging owners, required detailed support utilizing specialized knowledge and experience in comprehensive vacant house measures, including demolition, in addition to administrative efforts.

In the demolition work sector, the Company operates 'Crassone,' a service that matches over 2,300 specialized construction companies nationwide with property owners, with a cumulative record of over 160,000 users (※3). Additionally, its public-private partnership project for vacant house countermeasures, utilizing the 'Demolition Cost Simulator' and 'Home End-of-Life Navigator,' has been adopted for three consecutive years from fiscal year 2021 to 2023 by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's 'Vacant House Countermeasures Model Project Utilizing the Housing Market.' Currently, the Company is promoting public-private partnership vacant house countermeasures with 196 local governments nationwide (including Himeji City).

This time, a cooperation agreement was concluded between Himeji City and the Company, leveraging their respective resources and strengths, with the aim of resolving the vacant house problem within Himeji City, suppressing and resolving poorly managed conditions, and promoting the utilization of vacant houses. Through these initiatives, in addition to solving vacant house issues, IT technologies and data, including the 'Home End-of-Life Navigator' operated by the Company, will be utilized to improve the quality of resident services provided by local government officials and streamline operations, thereby contributing to the promotion of local government DX.

Main Initiatives Based on the Agreement

1. Introduction of 'Home End-of-Life Navigator' which provides estimated demolition costs and land sale appraisal prices.
   (URL: https://www.crassone.jp/simulator/navi/hyogo/himejishi)

2. A 'Contact Form for Problematic Vacant Houses' where citizens can report bothersome vacant houses in their neighborhood to the local government...