http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/...kouts-20130920

Leaky pipes, flooding and blackouts...

Irate residents at Paya Lebar condo say developer is slow to fix problems

Published on Sep 20, 2013

By Cheryl Ong


THE Italian phrase "la dolce vita" means the good life. But for some home owners at the La Dolce Vita condominium in Upper Paya Lebar Road, life is far from rosy.

They are up in arms against developer Land Resources Group (LRG) over alleged building defects. They claim LRG has been slow to address their concerns, despite many attempts to draw its attention to problems at the condo.

In recent weeks, similar complaints have emerged from owners at Ho Bee Investment's The Coast at Sentosa Cove and City Developments' The Sail.

Since obtaining its Temporary Occupation Permit in August last year, the freehold condo has had two power blackouts lasting at least two hours each. Residents say the lift lobby gets flooded on rainy days, causing water ponding in the lift wells of the 41-unit development.

Some have other complaints.

"The drainage pipe in my kitchen sink has been leaking and has given way more than once in less than a year," said a resident, who wished to be identified only as Mrs Chng.

Residents say that since the start of the year, several letters have been sent to LRG asking for the defects to be fixed, but they claim the developer has been slow to respond.

Typically, new owners have about a year to draw construction defects to a developer's attention, before the condo gets its Certificate of Statutory Completion (CSC). La Dolce Vita is expected to obtain its CSC in November.

"We are very angry and frustrated with the attitude of LRG. We have given them notification of the defects, even through registered post. Still, things are not moving," resident Low Hian Tiong, 64, said.

In an interview with The Straits Times earlier this week, LRG managing director Steven Soh said the firm has alerted the main contractor to the concerns.

"As far as I know, 90 per cent of the defects they complained of have been rectified," he said.

"We can understand if buyers are unhappy over defects. But building houses is not like manufacturing. Sometimes it's unavoidable to have defects. You can't have perfect finishing."

Residents have asked to meet the developer, but Mr Soh said this is unnecessary as the main contractor has already been told to address the problems.

He said checks on the blackouts have been scheduled for next Thursday, and "minor" defects such as leaky kitchen sink pipes can be easily fixed. All outstanding defects will be rectified by the end of the month, he said.

Residents claim the project has not been built to the specifications stated in their sales and purchase agreements. For instance, they say a pool deck has yet to be built at the swimming pool, but Mr Soh pointed out that a pavilion had been erected.

About 10 units are unsold at the condo. A 1,453 sq ft unit fetched $1.76 million in April last year.

Building experts say some defects might be aesthetic-related while others could be due to the use of deficient materials. Residents should engage an independent party to identify the cause of the problems before concluding they are building defects.

"Even if the developer engages a consultant to determine the cause of the alleged defects, residents can still engage their own... as they have an interest in the property," said Building Appraisal managing director Chin Cheong.

LRG is also the developer of Water Villas, a project with 14 freehold semi-detached houses and one bungalow, in Kovan.

[email protected]