What I know is that for estate between 100-400 units, maintenance fees for a 3BR condo unit should be >$400 pm to $1000 pm. Anything less than $400 pm, the estate is probably poorly maintained or has no security guard or just 1 guard.
1 security guard per shift (2 shifts per day) already costs about >$3800 pm (used to be about $2500 pm).
1 Cleaner now costs >$2000 pm (used to be about $1200 pm).
Note that above are not their salaries, but what the vendor company quote us (their salaries are obviously lower since the company take a big cut).
Security guards and cleaners' salaries have all gone up by a lot because of Min wages implemented for them - now >=$1500 pm for security guards and >=$1000 pm for cleaners.
Brace for more increases to come, this time for landscaping workers (because they will soon have Min wage!) etc!
Also, water bills going to go up by 30%!
And coming next is carbon taxes, which will increase your estate's electricity bills by possibly +30% as well!
You should brace for maintenance fees to go up by another 15-30% in coming few years!
Stay in HDB.... conservancy fees guaranteed to stay below $400 pm. :-)
Good work in mapping out the costs breakdown. You serve in the condo MC?
Projects with extensive landscaping, concierge services, multiple private lifts (good luck when lift modernisation comes around after the development reaches 15-20 years), lots of swimming pools... the levy charges and maintenance fees will never come cheap. The best thing one can hope for is that there are tonnes of units within the development to share out the joy, and costs.
Cavenagh garden 3 bed rooms monthly 170 , Pacific Mansion monthly 228.
Haha or keep putting off the lifts replacement, and convert into a walk-up! A development with private lifts serving only two stacks, will seriously be looking at at least 10 lifts to modernise each time. *gasp*
Seriously I am not sure if a condo that is low rise (e.g. Up to 5 storeys) can even get the motion of modernising the lifts passed at the AGM/EGM. I reckon the first and second floor SPs will vote against the motion. The only people may vote for the modernisation will be the 4th and 5th floor dwellers. Seriously the whole thing may get stuck in limbo, and the development becomes a walk-up. No test case in Sgp so far, but I'd like to see how it pans out.
Haha same for those condos with lots of private longkangs, aka swimming pools, within each unit. Over time water seepage and spalling concrete will be inevitable. The water proofing itself will be another bomb...
Last edited by new2mondrian; 11-08-17 at 23:16.
I don't think those low rise (like up to 5 storeys) have private lifts?
Private lifts are relatively newer phenomenon (something like for the past 10+ years) when developers try to sell common areas to owners in the estate!
Anyway, if estates don't overhaul and upgrade their lifts past 20 years, they will start to see situations like what happened to those lifts in HDB flats (free fall, jerk up and down etc?). The only difference is that those HDB flats' lifts problems have to do with using cheapest vendors..............
Got lah. D'Ecosia by Hong Lai Huat Construction at East Coast, launched in 2001. 73 units, 5 storey development, and each unit with private lifts.
Recent low rise developments (e.g. the Glynebourne) with private lifts are dime a dozen. One lift serving 5 units, when modernisation comes, will really be good luck to the SPs.
Doubt the MC will want to do anything because there are usually 3 kind of MCs that will allow their estate to become run-down:
1) Try not to spend any money (at all costs, including letting the estate run-down) so that they don't have to pay so much maintenance funds.
2) Some MC members (usually is the Chairman but may include other members in collusion with the Chairman) want to benefit from the estate maintenance jobs (always giving to same old few companies they are related to). Pay a lot of money but very little real work done.
3) Aiming for enbloc, so purposely make the estate so run-down so that people will be convinced to sign up for enbloc.
Heard Cavengh Garden many aiming for enbloc?
Cavenagh garden very poorly maintained, dun know what's the plot ratio, might have height restrictions for new development ? Pacific Mansion slightly better.
Do you mind old condo? Transacted ph below this asking price:-
http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/listi...%7Ctl3%7C2%7C1
Or can you leave with large terraces but 2 bedrooms. Glentrees is a beautiful and quiet estate. My friend stays at one of the penthouse, visited it recently, left the place with a very good impression.
http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/listi...sale-glentrees
Tessarina is also a nice development. Not sure if this unit faces Bukit Timah Rd or not. If not, this is a good deal.
http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/listi...-the-tessarina
Good luck!
This estate has a basement carpark? If not wrong, it was so badly flooded years back and all cars damaged.
http://bukittimah.net/2011/06/tessar...waters-at-bay/
Side track from the thread...
on Maintenance charges..
I live in D10, FH,
land 8xx,000 sqft
4xx units
i pay less than $500 per mth on maintenance charges.
We have 3 entrances (3 sets of security guards)
our highest expenses are :
security guards
landscaping ( over 800,000 sqft land)
over the years , we have accumulated over $6mil in sinking funds...hence we can afford to still pay only $4xx per month for 3 bedroom units.
we have in house staffs... technicians and cleaners. They have been with us for many many years.
It is true that new condos are charging really high maintenance fees.
Like many said, it will go higher....
each gate has 2 guards, 3 gates, and 1 gate at club house ..
so day time 7
night 6 (club house close )
[QUOTE=proud owner;530130]Side track from the thread...
on Maintenance charges..
I live in D10, FH,
land 8xx,000 sqft
4xx units
i pay less than $500 per mth on maintenance charges.
We have 3 entrances (3 sets of security guards)
[QUOTE]
Excuse me, as I am still looking for condo (really tough to buy a good condo now), would you please let me know which estate you are living in? you can send private message to me.
I guess it is Spanish Village or tanglin park.
Sommerville Park .1.5-1.8M can not get la. those townhouse very nice.