It is said that "a daughter buys a neighbor" and "a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor", and everyone hopes that their neighbor is a good person to get along with. However, the neighbors who should have looked up and not looked down have not seen each other once a year. During the New Year's holidays, a few people will come over.
This kind of house is likely to be the legendary "columbarium". The neighbor inside, most likely, is not a "living person", but an urn. Compared with the first floor, top floor, channel steel floor, equipment floor and other houses, the "ash layer" is the biggest pit.
1. My neighbor is not a human being?
Netizen Mr. Zhao encountered this kind of thing, and it has been several years since he moved into a new house, but he has never seen his neighbors. One day when I was resting at home, I suddenly heard a movement in my neighbor's house. Out of curiosity, he quickly looked over the cat's eyes. It was found that nearly ten people were crowded in the corridor, and the door of the neighbor's house was also opened.
Mr. Zhao pretended to go out, and through the crack, he saw candlesticks and black boxes in his neighbor's house. When the men bent down and bowed, the black-and-white portraits on the table were revealed. Mr. Zhao was really panicked, and he felt a little scared in his heart.
This phenomenon is not uncommon, and it has occurred in many areas where people buy residential units to store their ashes. Even, there are more columbariums on some floors than self-housing, and this matter has also been on the "hot search".
2. What is a "columbarium"?
As the name suggests, "columbarium" refers to those houses that are not used to live in people, but are specially used to place urns. The floor where the equipment is present is called the "equipment floor", and the floor where there is a "columbarium" is also called the "columbarium floor".
Even, an entire floor was purchased to store the ashes. Lined up in the order of each clan, there are dozens or hundreds of urns in a house.
And they are neighbors, who does not seep panic?
3. Why is "columbarium" becoming more and more common?
With the development of urbanization, the population of large cities remains high. Not only are residential housing prices rising, but even the price of cemeteries and management fees are rising.
The cost of allowing a deceased loved one to be buried in peace is very high. The starting price of some cemeteries has reached 100,000+, and some of the taller versions have reached 300,000+.
The most important thing is that it only has 20 years of use, and it has to be renewed after expiration. In addition, a cemetery management fee is paid every year.
For ordinary people, not only have to bear a high mortgage, but also have to bear the "mortgage" of the house, which is simply overwhelming.
Instead of spending more than 100,000 or 200,000 yuan to buy a 20-year-old cemetery, it is better to go to a place with lower housing prices and buy a house directly to place an urn. Moreover, this is a real estate, and if the house appreciates in value, it will still make a profit. It not only solves the problem of placing ashes, but also a good investment.
In short, "the shortage of land resources and the high cost of traditional cemeteries are the main reasons for the increasing number of "columbariums".
4. How to tell if it is a "columbarium"?
"Columbarium" generally exists in communities with low housing prices and are far away from big cities, mainly to save money.
The environment of the "yin house" is generally relatively dark, and according to the traditional saying, it is not possible to see the light.
Therefore, the windows and balconies of the "columbarium" are generally sealed, and some of them are installed with white or black curtains.
Some people put white or green couplets on the doorway, then replace the door with an old-fashioned iron door and cover the keyhole of the lock with paper.
The "columbarium" is basically an empty house, and only on the days of worship such as the Qingming Festival, people will come to worship.
There is also a phenomenon that because no one lives in it, the "columbarium" often has non-payment of water, electricity and property fees, etc., and many payment slips will be posted at the door.
5. The negative impact of "columbarium".
It is indeed difficult to limit the actual use of the house, although the urn is quietly occupied and not easily discovered. But after a long time, it is inevitable that flaws will be revealed.
The "columbarium" has a great impact on the surrounding neighbors, and they panic all day long. Especially for the faint of heart, it is estimated that they will not be able to sleep well at night.
For the more superstitious people, they will feel that this is a very unlucky thing and will affect the fortune of their family.
In addition to this, in order not to let others find out about the fact of the "columbarium". During the New Year's holidays, paper burning is secretly carried out indoors, so there will be a lot of potential safety hazards.
6. Is the "columbarium" illegal and does it infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of neighbors?
Regarding the storage of urns, there are currently no laws and policies in place. Therefore, the phenomenon of commercial housing being used as a "columbarium" belongs to a gray area in law.
However, if the owner buys the house to house the ashes of relatives, it is not commonly understood to be inhabited. This changes the use of land and houses, and is a violation of the Interim Regulations on the Assignment and Transfer of Urban State-owned Land Use Rights.
In addition, the owner's use of the residential house to store ashes is suspected of violating the principle of public order and good customs in the Civil Code.
Neighbors can apply to the property management company for coordination, or directly sue the court to demand that the business owner return to the original state. In addition, the corresponding moral damage expenses will be compensated to the neighbors.
Summary at the end of the article
"Columbarium" is a kind of chaotic use of commercial housing, and it is disrespectful to both the living and the deceased. At the same time, it also exposes the disregard for ethics and humanistic care in some industries, under the trend of profit.