Tag: Singaporeans

3000+ Punggol Residents Fed-Up With Their BTO Flats

In Parliament yesterday (13 Jul), Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee, who is the son of former PAP cabinet minister Lee Yock Suan, told the House that the quality of BTO flats undertaken by HDB has actually improved.

He cited the CONQUAS score which measures the quality of buildings, showing that the quality of BTO flats has improved 13% from a score of 79 in 2003 to 89 in 2014.

The quality of the flats has not been compromised despite a ramping up of BTO projects over the last 4 years, Mr Lee claimed. “It (quality) continues to rise and is comparable to that in private developments,” he said.

He said that the majority of complaints with regard to the defects in new BTO flats are about “surface imperfections” such as hairline cracks on walls, scratches on timber floor, or uneven tile joints.

“Such imperfections are mostly within acceptable industry norms and these are also common in private developments. They can and should be rectified quickly by the contractors, and do not affect the structural integrity or safety of the building.”

Mr Lee argued that sometimes, it’s due to “differences in the understanding of what constitutes a defect”.

“For example, some owners have given feedback on colour inconsistencies for floors with timber finishes. As timber is a natural product, it is not possible to achieve a perfectly homogenous look,” he said.

Mr Lee assured the House that HDB has “zero tolerance” for defects which may compromise structural or safety standards.

“Flooding” at Punggol Waterway Terraces BTO flats

Just when Mr Lee tried to assure the House that BTO flats from HDB are of “high quality”, residents at the new Punggol Waterway Terraces BTO flats posted comments today (14 Jul) on their resident Facebook group, Punggol Waterway Terraces I [Link], complaining about rain water seeping into their flats from last night’s heavy downpour. Not only that, lift alarm was triggered waking everyone up.

Resident, Johnny Chiang of Blk 308A wrote the following letter to their PAP MP Janil Puthucheary highlighting the problems the residents are facing with their BTO flats:

Sir, I trust that everything is good and well on your side. It is with a heavy heart I Pen this issue on behalf of 3000+ residents because very obviously – Everything is NOT going well for the residents of Waterway Terraces 1.

Apart from the previous issues including the 4 pipes placed awkwardly etc which we did not get much resolution from.

Last night’s heavy downpour had caused several issues for many of us.

At approx 2 am rain started pouring in and it seeped into the homes of many of our residents.

This was accompanied by the ringing of lift alarm which woke most residents up. The Fire brigade were activated by our residents because we had to ensure if it was a no duff situation then help was rendered.

Yes I agree that when mother nature decides to make her point, there isnt much anybody can do. But it also sets many of us wondering why many of our homes came with so much flaws.

BSC has not been the best source of resolutions.

I tag you here on social media on considerations for your administrators, because if we were to all write in, you would receive tons of the same email.

For one, I do not believe in 200 emails to make a point across and sincerely seek your understanding on our intentions and voices together with much frustrations.

I now invite all the affected residents to post their images and videos of the happenings last night and request that your good self, Our Honourable MP respond with your opinions.

Yours sincerely

Johnny Chiang
On behalf of my neighbours of blk 308A
And residents affected by the issues

Other residents also joined in the discussion in their Facebook group:

Fabian Lau: Alarm nt happen once already..twice since move in..first one is alarm twice..2am and 3am..last night just lighting and tio alarm..what alarm is that,if 100% move in i dont know what resident will say..this alarm really got problem and linked with wwt2…as for quality wise..the balcony door lock is not good will open itself when u lock other side ever though u lock both side..but i just close one eye..bsc is useless and just bear with it ..i guess all window is not heavy rain proof..just that few unit last night due to wind direction kanna..if next time wind direction change another side..new set of resident complain the window problem..water sit in etc …

Jason Li: Home means the last stronghold for us. No matter how it looks, protecting us from wind and rain is the most basic functionality

Jo Lene: Johnny Chiang thanks for voicing out for us. I have not move into my unit yet but I’m starting to worry about the “not rain proof” Windows n balcony doors… I saw videos n photos of the rain this morning, it was really scary that the rain can just sip in like that…

Zeoane Goh: house living room n service bay slightly flooded. Cleaned up till 230am! :0 Rain was super big and big wind. Water seeped into living room thru the roller door at balcony.

Xue Fang: Our living room, common rooms and master bed room were all affected as well…. can you imagine waking up with rain droplets on your face? Seriously, what premium price we paid to deserve this? Fire alarm goes off in the middle of the night and lasted for a while while we clean up the mess…. what a nightmare!

Eric Loh: Pissed off with the lvl of work and still dare to say in news everything is up to standard in news. What the hell is hdb doing. I doing to support my buddy Johnny Chiang but honestly i don’t think janil puthhcheary will bother. I have come to a point which i have given up hope on all this people which so call said they will “help us”. Dont find reasons for ur mistake, find a solution please. No one in wwt1 which paid 300 over thousand excluding intereste will be happy about it.

Candee Tan: Have anyone consider taking this to the media??

Benny Ong: If we go on holidays, and another storm comes along while we’re away with electrical appliances on the floor, the house is at Super high risk of catching fire!

Jenny Yang: OMG, I just happily got my keys last week, but now I am so disapointed. Stupid project, should ask them to compensate us for instaling windows at our balcony. Hi Johnny, appreciate your precious voices, hope they will do something about it. Thank you so much.

Li Elle: water bubbling at the rails of 2 common bedrooms connected balcony, sip into our timber wood slightly too.

At 13:52pm today (14 Jul), MP Puthucheary finally responded. He said he had contacted HDB and the town council:

This is not the first time news of defects in Punggol Waterway Terraces surface. Last month, sociopolitical site The Online Citizen reported [Link] a BTO flat owner of Punggol Waterway Terraces, Adrian Chong, complained that the contractors who were supposed to fix the reported defects in his flat, ended up creating even more defects.

Mr Chong noted that his parquet flooring got worse after the contractors tried to rectify some defects. A defective pipe was left unchanged. New defects kept appearing each day as the contractors tried to resolve old problems.

“There are some defects which pictures won’t be able to tell much, like loosening of the rubber tracks for the sliding doors at the balcony and service yards.” said Mr Chong.

“Considering the amount we paid for the flat, we did not expect to see such bad defects or bad workmanship. Water pressure of the tap, shower head and toilet flushing were also weak. Timber skirting around the house were also painted with white paint making it looked so cheapskate,” lamented Mr Chong on the quality of the furnishings.

The defects were submitted to the building service centre set up by the building contractor, and Mr Chong was given an appointment to have a joint inspection with the supervisor to highlight and go through the defects.

However, Mr Chong faced difficulties in getting the contractors to do a decent job without incurring new defects as they tried to rectify existing ones.

“As working personnel, we do not have the luxury of time to keep going down to the unit to rectify the defects and monitor them. They (the contractors) delayed our renovation plans as we cannot start our renovation without having them to rectify the existing defects first.”

He added that as a flat owner, the minimum expectations are to provide his family a unit that is free from defects and good enough to live in comfortably.

This is especially so considering the fact that at Punggol Waterway Terraces, a 3-room flat ranges from $186,000 to $237,000 while a 5-room flat costs between $374,000 and $458,000.

Other netizens wonder why older HDB flats did not seem to have so many problems.

In any case, it’s not known what MP Puthucheary, HDB or the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council will do about the flooding issue. Pass the buck down to the foreign workers to fix?

Source: www.tremeritus.com

July 15, 2015
Kenapa Bazaar Raya Geylang Ada Lelong Hungry Ghost Festival?

Aku bukan perkauman tapi aku mohonlah pada pihak-pihak yang berwenang agar dielakkan memberi laluan pada acara keagamaan lain diadakan di bazaar ramadan pada tahun-tahun mendatang.

Iyelah mereka tu pun jualan juga tapi barangan yang dijual tu macam tak kena dengan konsep bazaar ramadan diadakan lah.

Lelongan yang diadakan unytuk menyambut Bulan Hantu takda kena-mengena dengan menyambut Syawal yang bakal menjelang kan ?

Mohon ditimbangkan ye…

Source: Idham Ahmad

July 14, 2015
Lelaki Yang Cuba Bawa Masuk Kuih Menerusi Tuas Menghadapi 3 Lagi Tuduhan

Lelaki yang memandu melepasi Pusat Pemeriksaan Tuas tanpa mengikut arahan untuk pemeriksaan lanjut, menghadapi tiga lagi tuduhan di mahkamah.

Mohamed Dawood R M Abdul Sukkur, 47 tahun, dikenakan dua tuduhan tidak mempunyai lesen untuk membawa masuk barangan makanan dalam kereta BMW hitam miliknya, oleh Penguasa Makanan Pertanian dan Ternakan (AVA).

Dawood dituduh mengimport 145 kotak kuih-muih dan pastri kira-kira 200 kilogram dan empat botol minuman jagung sekitar 1 kilogram dari Malaysia.

Dia juga dituduh mengimport 105 paket kepingan daging burger Ramly seberat 37.8 kilogram.

Polis mengenakan satu lagi tuduhan ke atas Dawood, iaitu membuang kepingan-kepingan daging burger itu ke dalam longkang di Ekspreswe Rentas Pulau (PIE) menuju ke Lapangan Terbang Changi, untuk menghapuskan bukti dia melanggar undang-undang.

Tertuduh kini menghadapi empat tuduhan kesemuanya.

Jika sabit kesalahan, Dawood boleh dipenjara hingga dua tahun, didenda hingga $50,000 atau kedua-duanya sekali kerana mengimport produk daging tanpa lesen.

Atas kesalahan membawa masuk kuih tanpa lesen pula, Dawood boleh didenda hingga $1,000. Dan jika didapati bersalah membuang kepingan-kepingan burger itu dan menghapuskan bukti, Dawood boleh dipenjara hingga tujuh tahun, didenda atau kedua-duanya sekali.

Kesnya akan didengar lagi pada 5 Ogos, 10.00 pagi, sementara menunggu tuduhan-tuduhan lain oleh Kastam Singapura.

DIDAKWA PANDU KERETA PADA KELAJUAN 142 KM SEJAM

Dawood sebelum ini dikenakan tuduhan bertindak melulu, yang boleh membahayakan nyawa manusia atau keselamatan diri orang lain.

Ini setelah dia didakwa memandu sebuah kereta BMW hitam pada kelajuan 142 kilometer sejam dalam kawasan pusat pemeriksaan keselamatan, yang terbatas dengan had kelajuan 15 kilometer sejam.

Jika sabit kesalahan, Dawood boleh dihukum penjara sehingga enam bulan, denda $2,500, atau kedua-duanya sekali.

Pada 23 Jun, Dawood memandu kereta siri tujuh BMW melepasi pusat pemeriksaan dari Malaysia ke Singapura apabila pegawai imigresen mengarahkan dia ke kawasan pemeriksaan yang ditetapkan, untuk pemeriksaan lanjut.

Dia sebelum ini sudahpun keluar dari imigresen dan memandu ke saluran merah kastam untuk mengisytiharkan produk makanan yang dibawa masuk dari Malaysia.

Semasa pemeriksaan, para pegawai mendapati beberapa percanggahan dalam jumlah makanan yang diisytiharkan. Tetapi dia tidak berhenti di kawasan pemeriksaan untuk pemeriksaan lanjut, sebaliknya memandu lalu.

Polis menjumpai keretanya di Pioneer Road North selepas pukul 2.00 petang dan Dawood kemudiannya ditangkap.

Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

July 14, 2015
HDB Urged To Do More Following Defects In DBSS And BTO Projects

The role of the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in resolving disputes on defects in Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) projects came under scrutiny in Parliament today (July 13), with Members of Parliament (MP) seeking clarification on the powers the HDB could exercise, and questioning if the authority could do more.

This comes after some DBSS projects, which are built by private developers and marketed at premium prices for better design and finishes, recently made headlines following complaints from residents about the state of their homes, such as Trivelis in Clementi, Centrale 8 in Tampines and Pasir Ris One.

In response to questions about the number of complaints about both DBSS and Build-to-Order (BTO) flats, Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said that an average of one-third of all new residents approach the Building Service Centre (BSC) for assistance with defects in BTO flats after collecting their keys.

The vast majority of defects reported are surface imperfections such as hairline cracks on walls, scratches on timber floors or uneven tile joints, he said.

However, similar statistics for DBSS projects were unavailable, as residents facing issues with defects report them to the BSC managed by private developers during the Defects Liability Period (DLP).

Mr Lee pointed out that the ramping up of supply of BTO flats has not compromised quality, given that the number of defects reported has not changed significantly. An independent assessment of building quality by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), known as the Construction Quality Assessment System score, has shown that BTO flat quality has improved, with scores rising from 79 in 2003 to 89 last year.

For DBSS projects, Mr Lee said the HDB sets broad parameters such as buyer’s eligibility, the mix of flat sizes and facilities, but gives developers flexibility to design, price and construct the flats within requirements set by relevant authorities such as the BCA and the Urban Redevelopment Authority. But the HDB, he added, has “zero tolerance” for defects that compromise structural or safety standards.

Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong questioned if the DBSS failed its intent to meet housing aspirations of higher-income flat buyers, while Jurong GRC MP David Ong asked about the ministry’s direction with premium flats in future, given the prices narrowing between BTO and DBSS flats.

In response, Mr Lee said there was no need to rush a decision about scrapping the DBSS, which has been suspended since 2011. “We should take time to review this and consider this, as market conditions could be different. There may well be reasons to bring back the DBSS in some form.

“Not to trivialise the defects and concerns that first-time home buyers in particular feels … but I think you shouldn’t … use these current few points that have been in the public eye to condemn the entire scheme as a failure. Many people have indeed lived and made homes in these projects.”

Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang GRC) suggested extending the DLP to give residents more time to engage developers or contractors to rectify defects.

He also proposed postponing mortgage payments for homeowners in disputes, citing a similar approach in Australia where payments are withheld until defects are resolved.

Mr Lee reiterated that the sales and purchase agreements provides for the rectification of defects within a year under the DLP. Buyers can also undertake works and file claims with the developers. He stressed that it is not true that “the HDB entirely takes no responsibility” when it comes to differences over DBSS projects.

For instance, the HDB had followed up on concerns from residents living in the Trivelis project with the developer and the advisers to reach a resolution. The developer has made an offer to residents, Mr Lee noted.

Source: www.todayonline.com

July 14, 2015
Keep Calm And Carry On Driving

News of growing certificate of entitlement (COE) supplies should not come as much of a surprise now.

The quota for COEs to own vehicles is determined every three months and has been expanding for around two years. It is expected to keep on growing for at least two more years.

This is because the bumper crop of cars sold a decade ago are coming of age, and are being deregistered. Fresh COE supplies are determined largely by deregistration numbers.

The real poser is whether COE premiums will fall in tandem.

Naysayers may point to how persistently high prices have been in the first half of this year as an indication that “premiums will never fall”. Despite the growth in number of COEs, the amount people paid for them have been hovering between $65,000 and $75,000 – largely unchanged from the previous half-year results.

Well, premiums should have fallen. They were kept buoyant largely by fear. Firstly, fear that a revised carbon tax scheme would push up prices. Secondly, fear that the Government would implement a zero-growth policy for cars soon.

Those fears proved unfounded. Car prices have remained largely unchanged since the new tax scheme kicked in on July 1. As for zero growth, it is unlikely to happen in the near term.

Even if zero growth were to happen, the impact would be minimal because the current allowable growth rate is already near zero, at 0.25 per cent.

So, will COE premiums fall?

You bet they will. In fact, they have already fallen substantially – from over $90,000 just over two years ago to around $60,000 at the last tender.

Will they fall farther? In all likelihood, yes. That is, if consumers do not give in to irrational behaviour.

Irrational behaviour would be rushing to buy a car at today’s prices despite the fact that there will be more COEs in the pipeline.

And there will be more COEs. The quota for this calendar year is likely to be around 70,000 – close to double last year’s. Next year, it should rise to 100,000.

So, why rush? It is one thing if your existing car’s COE is near its expiry date, but quite another to storm the showroom as if it were your last chance to buy a car.

And if you are shopping for a new car, strike a forward price – that is, what the price is likely to be three to six months down the road. Some motor traders are already expecting COE prices to fall by 10 per cent in the next three months – that translates to a $6,000 reduction. So that would be a good discount to start with if you are car-shopping now. Whatever you do, do not go for “Guaranteed COE” deals – you just end up paying more. Worse, you are subsidising the non-guaranteed bids.

Authorised agents should wise up to the fact that competition is getting hotter, with a number of parallel importers having gained a level of respectability and consumer trust (quite a few are CaseTrust-accredited now).

If authorised dealers think that by adopting a high-margin strategy and thus a “high COE strategy”, they can keep out parallel importers (which typically have lower margins and bidding power), they are mistaken. They will, in fact, chase more customers into the arms of parallel importers.

While demand for cars may have risen with Singapore’s growing population and rising income, actual liquidity may at the same time have been dampened by high mortgages and overall inflation.

Also, the current global economic uncertainty has not been fully factored in. How big a fallout will the Greece crisis be? Or closer to home, China’s cooling economy?

These factors will no doubt influence COE prices. But as history has shown, the biggest influence has always been the size of a quota.

And the quota is getting bigger.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

July 14, 2015