Apr 1, 2010
MUSTAFA IN TROUBLE
Store to relook overcrowding issue
By Lester Kok
MUSTAFA Centre management will relook the overcrowding problem in its popular Little India shopping centre, after attempts to curb it have failed.
The building's maintenance and safety manager, Mr Shamim Ahmad, said the overcrowding issue is mainly due to customers coming from the upper floors and the basement to the first floor to exit.
Existing attempts to control the crowd include reducing the number of escalators that bring customers to the first floor and having a camera system to track the number of patrons.
But neither proved effective.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) applied on Tuesday for a court order to suspend the business operations on the centre's first floor due to concerns of over-crowding.
A pre-trial conference for the application will be held next Wednesday. The mall will remain open for business in the meantime.
Mr Ahmad said controlling access to the 24-hour shopping centre is difficult because of the large number of tourists and foreign workers who come on weekends.
'It's not like a cinema, this is a shopping centre,' he added. 'We are trying hard to come up with some solution.'
Checks by the SCDF in December last year revealed that the number of people on the first floor sometimes exceeded the 431-patron limit by almost 50 per cent.
On Jan 19, the retailer was fined $17,000 for two fire-safety violations, including overcrowding.
In the past five years, it has chalked up over 45 fire-safety breaches, which resulted in warnings and fines totalling almost $50,000.
Shopper Doris Yeo, 62, a retiree said that the mall's walkways tended to be congested as they were blocked with goods.
'When nothing happens, this place looks okay on the outside. But because of its layout, it could become a big problem if a fire were to break out,' she said.
Monday, April 5, 2010
ST : $10k fine for using warehouse for retail
Apr 1, 2010
MUSTAFA IN TROUBLE
$10k fine for using warehouse for retail
It illegally used first two floors of Kallang Pudding building as department store, supermarket
By Leow Si Wan
POPULAR retailer Mustafa was fined $10,000 yesterday, after it pleaded guilty to illegally using its six-storey warehouse building in Kallang Pudding Road for retail sales.
The fine caps a saga which began last November, when the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) served a writ of summons on Mustafa for converting the first two levels of its warehouse into a department store and a supermarket.
These retail spaces have since been shut down.
In a statement yesterday, the URA said Mustafa had committed an offence under the Planning Act, which is punishable by a fine of up to $200,000.
A spokesman for the authority said: 'Warehouses are approved primarily for the storage of goods and as a central distribution centre. They should not be used for... the retailing of merchandise, which is considered a commercial use.'
The URA added, however, that 'some flexibility' would be exercised for occasional warehouse sales conducted to clear stock.
Mustafa had, with the approval of the URA in 2001, developed the Kallang Pudding warehouse on a 58,400 sq ft freehold site it owned.
Save for the occasional sale, the warehouse was closed to the public until about October last year, when the shutters went up to reveal a department store on the ground floor and a supermarket on the second.
Competitors were upset that Mustafa was getting away with operating a retail store while paying low warehouse rents.
Asked yesterday why it took more than four months and repeated adjournments for Mustafa to plead guilty, its lawyer, Mr Bala Chandran, said several representations were made because this was the retailer's first such offence.
He added the warehouse had stopped sales soon after the authorities stepped in.
Mustafa's managing director, Mr Mustaq Ahmad, declined comment when contacted yesterday.
The retailer has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons recently. Yesterday's fine, for example, comes a day after the court heard an application by the Singapore Civil Defence Force for Mustafa Centre in Little India to temporarily stop business on the first floor.
The move came amid concerns about over-crowding at the shopping centre.
Warehouse operators and retail experts interviewed said Mustafa's conviction served as a 'clear signal' that warehouses should not be used for retail purposes.
Ms Frances Chow, a supervisor at wine distributor Excaliber in Aljunied, said warehouse operators who have carried out similar sales in the past now know 'where the lines are drawn'.
Added Singapore Polytechnic senior retail and marketing lecturer Sarah Lim: 'This will help prevent cases where warehouses are used for retail - which is unfair competition because warehouse rents are much lower.'
siwan@sph.com.sg
MUSTAFA IN TROUBLE
$10k fine for using warehouse for retail
It illegally used first two floors of Kallang Pudding building as department store, supermarket
By Leow Si Wan
POPULAR retailer Mustafa was fined $10,000 yesterday, after it pleaded guilty to illegally using its six-storey warehouse building in Kallang Pudding Road for retail sales.
The fine caps a saga which began last November, when the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) served a writ of summons on Mustafa for converting the first two levels of its warehouse into a department store and a supermarket.
These retail spaces have since been shut down.
In a statement yesterday, the URA said Mustafa had committed an offence under the Planning Act, which is punishable by a fine of up to $200,000.
A spokesman for the authority said: 'Warehouses are approved primarily for the storage of goods and as a central distribution centre. They should not be used for... the retailing of merchandise, which is considered a commercial use.'
The URA added, however, that 'some flexibility' would be exercised for occasional warehouse sales conducted to clear stock.
Mustafa had, with the approval of the URA in 2001, developed the Kallang Pudding warehouse on a 58,400 sq ft freehold site it owned.
Save for the occasional sale, the warehouse was closed to the public until about October last year, when the shutters went up to reveal a department store on the ground floor and a supermarket on the second.
Competitors were upset that Mustafa was getting away with operating a retail store while paying low warehouse rents.
Asked yesterday why it took more than four months and repeated adjournments for Mustafa to plead guilty, its lawyer, Mr Bala Chandran, said several representations were made because this was the retailer's first such offence.
He added the warehouse had stopped sales soon after the authorities stepped in.
Mustafa's managing director, Mr Mustaq Ahmad, declined comment when contacted yesterday.
The retailer has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons recently. Yesterday's fine, for example, comes a day after the court heard an application by the Singapore Civil Defence Force for Mustafa Centre in Little India to temporarily stop business on the first floor.
The move came amid concerns about over-crowding at the shopping centre.
Warehouse operators and retail experts interviewed said Mustafa's conviction served as a 'clear signal' that warehouses should not be used for retail purposes.
Ms Frances Chow, a supervisor at wine distributor Excaliber in Aljunied, said warehouse operators who have carried out similar sales in the past now know 'where the lines are drawn'.
Added Singapore Polytechnic senior retail and marketing lecturer Sarah Lim: 'This will help prevent cases where warehouses are used for retail - which is unfair competition because warehouse rents are much lower.'
siwan@sph.com.sg
ST : Sheng Siong won't scrap rental hike
Apr 1, 2010
Sheng Siong won't scrap rental hike
It rejects appeal by stallholders at Serangoon market
By Jessica Lim & Cai Haoxiang
AN APPEAL to supermarket chain Sheng Siong to reconsider raising rent from today has been rejected.
In response to a letter from stallholders from the Serangoon Avenue 3 wet market last week, Sheng Siong's management said the rental hike was 'a decision made by our board of directors, after considering all factors, such as long-term and short-term costs and sustainability of the business model'.
It added that the outcome is inevitable and sought the understanding of stallholders.
The 30 per cent rental hike comes after the chain's controversial purchase of the wet market and four others - in Bukit Batok West Avenue 8, Fajar Road in Bukit Panjang, and two in Choa Chu Kang - from private company Heeton Holdings in December last year.
Previously, the supermarket chain's managing director Lim Hock Chee said the chain had no choice but to increase rentals because it had to pay bank interest fees, tax and maintenance fees after buying the five wet markets for about $25 million.
Stallholders from the Serangoon market had met Marine Parade GRC MP Seah Kian Peng last week to discuss the issue. The MP, who oversees the Serangoon area, wrote a letter to Sheng Siong on their behalf, asking it to reconsider the rent increase and the duration of the contracts, which were cut from two years to one year.
Butcher Richard Goh, 50, who was one of the stallholders who approached Mr Seah for help, said he has given up fighting the decision.
'We tried our best and there is nothing left to say. Now we just have to try to survive,' said Mr Goh, who has been running his stall at the market for 15 years and currently pays $2,200 in monthly rent. He will now have to fork out $2,860 in rent.
Another stallholder, who did not want to be named, returned one of his units and laid off two of his workers yesterday.
When contacted by The Straits Times, Mr Seah said he expects stallholders to approach him again for assistance.
On Sheng Siong's decision, he said it explained the reason for the rental hike but not the shortened contracts.
'From a business point of view, you want a lease of a reasonable tenure, and a one-year lease is rather short,' he said.
Sheng Siong won't scrap rental hike
It rejects appeal by stallholders at Serangoon market
By Jessica Lim & Cai Haoxiang
AN APPEAL to supermarket chain Sheng Siong to reconsider raising rent from today has been rejected.
In response to a letter from stallholders from the Serangoon Avenue 3 wet market last week, Sheng Siong's management said the rental hike was 'a decision made by our board of directors, after considering all factors, such as long-term and short-term costs and sustainability of the business model'.
It added that the outcome is inevitable and sought the understanding of stallholders.
The 30 per cent rental hike comes after the chain's controversial purchase of the wet market and four others - in Bukit Batok West Avenue 8, Fajar Road in Bukit Panjang, and two in Choa Chu Kang - from private company Heeton Holdings in December last year.
Previously, the supermarket chain's managing director Lim Hock Chee said the chain had no choice but to increase rentals because it had to pay bank interest fees, tax and maintenance fees after buying the five wet markets for about $25 million.
Stallholders from the Serangoon market had met Marine Parade GRC MP Seah Kian Peng last week to discuss the issue. The MP, who oversees the Serangoon area, wrote a letter to Sheng Siong on their behalf, asking it to reconsider the rent increase and the duration of the contracts, which were cut from two years to one year.
Butcher Richard Goh, 50, who was one of the stallholders who approached Mr Seah for help, said he has given up fighting the decision.
'We tried our best and there is nothing left to say. Now we just have to try to survive,' said Mr Goh, who has been running his stall at the market for 15 years and currently pays $2,200 in monthly rent. He will now have to fork out $2,860 in rent.
Another stallholder, who did not want to be named, returned one of his units and laid off two of his workers yesterday.
When contacted by The Straits Times, Mr Seah said he expects stallholders to approach him again for assistance.
On Sheng Siong's decision, he said it explained the reason for the rental hike but not the shortened contracts.
'From a business point of view, you want a lease of a reasonable tenure, and a one-year lease is rather short,' he said.
ST : Down and dirty in Defu
Apr 1, 2010
Down and dirty in Defu
Estate home to worst industrial polluters; tenants fret about uncertainty over leases
By Amresh Gunasingham
DEFU Lane has the dubious honour of being home to companies which are among the worst industrial polluters.
The industrial estate, which has for more than 30 years housed a hotchpotch of car workshops, scrap metal recyclers and construction firms, is where short cuts are being taken in waste disposal.
For dumping silt and oil into drains, 15 firms there have been fined $2,000 each since January 2008; 110 warning letters have been sent out.
The worrying thing is that the water in Defu's drains flows into the Marina Reservoir, which national water agency PUB estimates will come to provide for up to 10 per cent of Singapore's water needs; some of these drains will also eventually discharge their contents into the upcoming Serangoon and Punggol reservoirs.
Although the actual number of firms hauled up for pollution may be higher in other larger industrial estates, the figures are proportionately higher in Defu, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in response to queries from The Straits Times.
The Environmental Protection & Management Act has set the upper limit of fines for companies prosecuted in court at $20,000 for first offenders and $50,000 for repeat offenders.
The pollution issue in Defu is a long- standing one, borne partly out of a lack of proper infrastructure, such as, for example, better roads instead of its bumpy dirt tracks, and proper waste storage tanks.
Anti-pollution guidelines set by the PUB require companies to use proper containers to store liquid and oily waste and to hire licensed contractors to dispose of this waste instead of throwing it into drains. But some companies are not following the guidelines.
With the Marina Reservoir already having been open for two years, the need to clean up Defu, which is part of its 10,000ha urbanised catchment area, has gathered pace.
The NEA, together with PUB and the Housing Board (HDB), has stepped up checks on industrial and commercial hubs in the catchment area, including Ang Mo Kio, Queenstown and Eunos.
Two years ago, the HDB unveiled plans to redevelop Defu, including laying down better roads and transport links, and providing waste storage facilities.
Because of the pending redevelopment, the HDB put about 85 per cent of its 1,000 Defu tenants on fixed-tenancy agreements of between one and three years.
The possibility that the companies may have to move out when the tenancies expire has caused uncertainty, and they are peeved.
A vexed manager of a scrap metal recycling firm who declined to be named said: 'We invested half a million dollars in new equipment just a year ago. If we have to move out in a year, why would we have moved here in the first place?'
An HDB spokesman explained that it was necessary to rejuvenate Defu 'to better manage the quality of discharge from the factories to comply with the water pollution control requirement'.
It added that the primary aim of the redevelopment of the estate was to enable tenants to leverage on the area's prime location.
It declined to elaborate on the redevelopment plan, such as the length of future leases or the types of industries it wanted for Defu.
The spokesman said the current tenants have 'ample time' to make relocation plans if necessary.
It added that it held half a dozen focus-group discussions with Defu tenants between May and November last year.
amreshg@sph.com.sg
Scrap metal recycling companies, car workshops and construction firms are among the tenants in Defu. Shoddy waste disposal practices in the industrial estate are a concern because water in Defu's drains flows into the Marina Reservoir. -- ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM
Down and dirty in Defu
Estate home to worst industrial polluters; tenants fret about uncertainty over leases
By Amresh Gunasingham
DEFU Lane has the dubious honour of being home to companies which are among the worst industrial polluters.
The industrial estate, which has for more than 30 years housed a hotchpotch of car workshops, scrap metal recyclers and construction firms, is where short cuts are being taken in waste disposal.
For dumping silt and oil into drains, 15 firms there have been fined $2,000 each since January 2008; 110 warning letters have been sent out.
The worrying thing is that the water in Defu's drains flows into the Marina Reservoir, which national water agency PUB estimates will come to provide for up to 10 per cent of Singapore's water needs; some of these drains will also eventually discharge their contents into the upcoming Serangoon and Punggol reservoirs.
Although the actual number of firms hauled up for pollution may be higher in other larger industrial estates, the figures are proportionately higher in Defu, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in response to queries from The Straits Times.
The Environmental Protection & Management Act has set the upper limit of fines for companies prosecuted in court at $20,000 for first offenders and $50,000 for repeat offenders.
The pollution issue in Defu is a long- standing one, borne partly out of a lack of proper infrastructure, such as, for example, better roads instead of its bumpy dirt tracks, and proper waste storage tanks.
Anti-pollution guidelines set by the PUB require companies to use proper containers to store liquid and oily waste and to hire licensed contractors to dispose of this waste instead of throwing it into drains. But some companies are not following the guidelines.
With the Marina Reservoir already having been open for two years, the need to clean up Defu, which is part of its 10,000ha urbanised catchment area, has gathered pace.
The NEA, together with PUB and the Housing Board (HDB), has stepped up checks on industrial and commercial hubs in the catchment area, including Ang Mo Kio, Queenstown and Eunos.
Two years ago, the HDB unveiled plans to redevelop Defu, including laying down better roads and transport links, and providing waste storage facilities.
Because of the pending redevelopment, the HDB put about 85 per cent of its 1,000 Defu tenants on fixed-tenancy agreements of between one and three years.
The possibility that the companies may have to move out when the tenancies expire has caused uncertainty, and they are peeved.
A vexed manager of a scrap metal recycling firm who declined to be named said: 'We invested half a million dollars in new equipment just a year ago. If we have to move out in a year, why would we have moved here in the first place?'
An HDB spokesman explained that it was necessary to rejuvenate Defu 'to better manage the quality of discharge from the factories to comply with the water pollution control requirement'.
It added that the primary aim of the redevelopment of the estate was to enable tenants to leverage on the area's prime location.
It declined to elaborate on the redevelopment plan, such as the length of future leases or the types of industries it wanted for Defu.
The spokesman said the current tenants have 'ample time' to make relocation plans if necessary.
It added that it held half a dozen focus-group discussions with Defu tenants between May and November last year.
amreshg@sph.com.sg
Scrap metal recycling companies, car workshops and construction firms are among the tenants in Defu. Shoddy waste disposal practices in the industrial estate are a concern because water in Defu's drains flows into the Marina Reservoir. -- ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM
ASIAONE : Condo cheapos shamed
Business @ AsiaOne
Condo cheapos shamed
Condo management names and shames those who don't pay fees on time.
Thu, Apr 01, 2010
The New Paper
NAME and shame - and do so with a method more associated with loan sharks.
One condominium seems to have taken a leaf from their infamous 'Owe$Pay$' strategy by putting up the names of residents who are behind in their maintenance fees.
The Castle Green Condominium management committee (MC) has been pasting lists of residents' names on notice boards next to letterboxes and in lifts at the blocks where they live.
The lists, put up this month, also showed the amounts they owed.
The New Paper counted 36 names. The sums owed ranged from just over $1,000 to nearly $10,000.
Collectively, they owe nearly $70,000.
The maintenance fee for each unit in the 664-unit condo along Yio Chu Kang Road is about $700 every quarter. Owners of bigger units pay more.
The charges are collected every three months.
Next to each list was a notice warning that legal action may be taken against the those who fail to pay their fees.
The Castle Green MC, made up of elected residents, declined to comment. But a managing agent for another condo said that 'shame lists' are effective in making errant residents pay up.
The move has upset some residents at Castle Green - including those not on the list. They feel the MC is being overzealous.
The New Paper spoke to several of those who were named on the lists.
All of them said they had not received any calls or messages from the MC before they were named.
One of them, a resident in his 40s, said the MC's actions were 'high-handed'.
'It's not like we owe them for free - we do pay them interest (on the amount owed) and it's above market rate. If you put the money in a bank, I don't think you get that kind of interest,' he said.
The interest for overdue fees is 10 per cent a year.
He said he was in arrears for three quarters, or nine months. The reason, he claimed, was because he had a huge backlog of letters to deal with.
'I was engaged in other things,' he said. 'This was not my priority, but anyway I pay them interest. So what's the big deal?'
Another debtor, who declined to be named, said his failure to pay for two quarters was the result of a problem with his cheque.
'It's not right - they should constantly give us reminders, or they should call,' he said.
He said he hadn't seen the notices.
There were separate lists at each residential block, carrying the names of those in that particular block who were in arrears.
The complete list of debtors was stuck on a notice board near the condo's clubhouse.
Mr Kesavan Subramaniam, 42, a businessman, said he was unaware that his name was on the list.
He said he had bought the Castle Green apartment - his first condo purchase - a few months ago as an investment. He lives in an HDB flat and rents out his condo unit.
As a new owner, he said he was unsure about what he was supposed to do.
'They should ask for my permission first,' he said. 'If they send letters, and call me, and I say I don't want to pay them ' then okay.
'But it was only last month when they sent me a reminder letter to pay up.'
Even former owners were named.
One of them, a businesswoman, said she had used her apartment to house visiting pastors for her church, but sold it in January.
'I have so many condos,' she said. 'I'm not the one who settles the bills. My staff do it for me.'
'To tell you the truth, I don't even know my unit number.'
She insisted that she had 'settled everything' before she sold the apartment.
Another of those named is a woman in her 40s, who claimed she had never lived in the condominium.
It is co-owned with her ex-husband.
When they divorced 10 years ago, she said they had agreed that he would continue to make all the payments for the unit.
They had not sold it at that time as home prices were below what they had paid for the apartment.
'It's unfair that I am the one being blamed when he's the one who's not paying,' she said.
When told that her name was on the list, she said she was more upset with her ex-husband than with the condominium MC.
Indeed, she didn't see anything wrong with name-and-shame tactics.
'If they really didn't pay up, it's okay,' she said.
Short of cash
Her ex-husband said he did not pay up because he was short of money.
'There are so many things to pay,' he said. 'I settle the important ones, such the car loan and housing loan, first.'
Does the MC have the right to put up the notices?
Lawyer Bryan Tan said there is an issue only if they get the facts wrong.
'If, through an administrative error, the person paid and the system didn't capture the fact and you name the person, you would be defaming him or her,' he said.
He said it is a good idea to send out a reminder letter to give the person concerned a chance to say if he had already paid.
This would cut down the chance of this error.
The New Paper understands that the yearly expenditure for the condo is more than $1 million.
It has a large swimming pool and club house, as well as badminton, squash and tennis courts.
Some residents who were not on the list sympathised with those who had been shamed.
Embarrassing
One of them, a retiree in his 60s, said: 'What's the difference between this and the way the loansharks embarrass their debtors? It's the same - owe money, pay money.
'Only here, they don't splash paint.'
Another resident, in her 50s, who declined to be named, felt that this was an intrusion of privacy.
'It's not nice to write about people like that. It's not fair because you do not know the situation they may be in.'
She felt that those in the MC should have been more civil.
'Don't behave like loansharks. Sit down with these people. Find out why they aren't paying the charges. Maybe they can pay little by little.
'Let's solve the problem together, see what you can do to get the amount down,' she said.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
Condo cheapos shamed
Condo management names and shames those who don't pay fees on time.
Thu, Apr 01, 2010
The New Paper
NAME and shame - and do so with a method more associated with loan sharks.
One condominium seems to have taken a leaf from their infamous 'Owe$Pay$' strategy by putting up the names of residents who are behind in their maintenance fees.
The Castle Green Condominium management committee (MC) has been pasting lists of residents' names on notice boards next to letterboxes and in lifts at the blocks where they live.
The lists, put up this month, also showed the amounts they owed.
The New Paper counted 36 names. The sums owed ranged from just over $1,000 to nearly $10,000.
Collectively, they owe nearly $70,000.
The maintenance fee for each unit in the 664-unit condo along Yio Chu Kang Road is about $700 every quarter. Owners of bigger units pay more.
The charges are collected every three months.
Next to each list was a notice warning that legal action may be taken against the those who fail to pay their fees.
The Castle Green MC, made up of elected residents, declined to comment. But a managing agent for another condo said that 'shame lists' are effective in making errant residents pay up.
The move has upset some residents at Castle Green - including those not on the list. They feel the MC is being overzealous.
The New Paper spoke to several of those who were named on the lists.
All of them said they had not received any calls or messages from the MC before they were named.
One of them, a resident in his 40s, said the MC's actions were 'high-handed'.
'It's not like we owe them for free - we do pay them interest (on the amount owed) and it's above market rate. If you put the money in a bank, I don't think you get that kind of interest,' he said.
The interest for overdue fees is 10 per cent a year.
He said he was in arrears for three quarters, or nine months. The reason, he claimed, was because he had a huge backlog of letters to deal with.
'I was engaged in other things,' he said. 'This was not my priority, but anyway I pay them interest. So what's the big deal?'
Another debtor, who declined to be named, said his failure to pay for two quarters was the result of a problem with his cheque.
'It's not right - they should constantly give us reminders, or they should call,' he said.
He said he hadn't seen the notices.
There were separate lists at each residential block, carrying the names of those in that particular block who were in arrears.
The complete list of debtors was stuck on a notice board near the condo's clubhouse.
Mr Kesavan Subramaniam, 42, a businessman, said he was unaware that his name was on the list.
He said he had bought the Castle Green apartment - his first condo purchase - a few months ago as an investment. He lives in an HDB flat and rents out his condo unit.
As a new owner, he said he was unsure about what he was supposed to do.
'They should ask for my permission first,' he said. 'If they send letters, and call me, and I say I don't want to pay them ' then okay.
'But it was only last month when they sent me a reminder letter to pay up.'
Even former owners were named.
One of them, a businesswoman, said she had used her apartment to house visiting pastors for her church, but sold it in January.
'I have so many condos,' she said. 'I'm not the one who settles the bills. My staff do it for me.'
'To tell you the truth, I don't even know my unit number.'
She insisted that she had 'settled everything' before she sold the apartment.
Another of those named is a woman in her 40s, who claimed she had never lived in the condominium.
It is co-owned with her ex-husband.
When they divorced 10 years ago, she said they had agreed that he would continue to make all the payments for the unit.
They had not sold it at that time as home prices were below what they had paid for the apartment.
'It's unfair that I am the one being blamed when he's the one who's not paying,' she said.
When told that her name was on the list, she said she was more upset with her ex-husband than with the condominium MC.
Indeed, she didn't see anything wrong with name-and-shame tactics.
'If they really didn't pay up, it's okay,' she said.
Short of cash
Her ex-husband said he did not pay up because he was short of money.
'There are so many things to pay,' he said. 'I settle the important ones, such the car loan and housing loan, first.'
Does the MC have the right to put up the notices?
Lawyer Bryan Tan said there is an issue only if they get the facts wrong.
'If, through an administrative error, the person paid and the system didn't capture the fact and you name the person, you would be defaming him or her,' he said.
He said it is a good idea to send out a reminder letter to give the person concerned a chance to say if he had already paid.
This would cut down the chance of this error.
The New Paper understands that the yearly expenditure for the condo is more than $1 million.
It has a large swimming pool and club house, as well as badminton, squash and tennis courts.
Some residents who were not on the list sympathised with those who had been shamed.
Embarrassing
One of them, a retiree in his 60s, said: 'What's the difference between this and the way the loansharks embarrass their debtors? It's the same - owe money, pay money.
'Only here, they don't splash paint.'
Another resident, in her 50s, who declined to be named, felt that this was an intrusion of privacy.
'It's not nice to write about people like that. It's not fair because you do not know the situation they may be in.'
She felt that those in the MC should have been more civil.
'Don't behave like loansharks. Sit down with these people. Find out why they aren't paying the charges. Maybe they can pay little by little.
'Let's solve the problem together, see what you can do to get the amount down,' she said.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
CNA : S$170,000 cash premium for Bishan maisonette a unique case: analysts
Singapore News
S$170,000 cash premium for Bishan maisonette a unique case: analysts
By Liang Kaixin / Hoe Yeen Nie | Posted: 01 April 2010 0043 hrs
SINGAPORE: An executive maisonette in Bishan is on the verge of setting a new record for the most expensive HDB flat ever transacted.
The flat is set to be sold for S$900,000, including an eye-popping cash premium of S$170,000.
However, analysts say that such a sale would be an exception, rather than the norm.
MediaCorp understands the owner had originally asked for S$950,000, but this was brought down to S$900,000 by the buyer.
Chris Koh, an analyst with Dennis Wee Properties, said the valuation price of about S$750,000 is "reasonable" given the flat's location and size.
However, he noted that a cash-over-valuation of S$170,000 is a record.
Analysts said that this is likely a one-off event.
HDB data shows that similar executive maisonettes in Bishan have sold for much less, with median prices at S$615,000.
Analysts cautioned that before forking out the money, buyers should also consider the unit's resale potential.
Said David Poh, senior group district director of Propnex Realty: "You probably will want to sell much higher than any other executive maisonettes in Bishan. So that will mean your pool of buyers will shrink, you'll probably have very limited buyers to choose from, and you probably will face more challenges in reselling it than a normal maisonette in Bishan."
He said the market for resale flats remained strong, although the popularity of two recently-launched Build-to-Order projects - Sembawang RiverLodge and Fernvale Ridge in Sengkang - suggests that some buyers are turning to new HDB flats instead.
Still, he expects resale prices to go up five to eight per cent on average this year, slightly lower than the 8.2 per cent growth seen in 2009.
- CNA/yb
S$170,000 cash premium for Bishan maisonette a unique case: analysts
By Liang Kaixin / Hoe Yeen Nie | Posted: 01 April 2010 0043 hrs
SINGAPORE: An executive maisonette in Bishan is on the verge of setting a new record for the most expensive HDB flat ever transacted.
The flat is set to be sold for S$900,000, including an eye-popping cash premium of S$170,000.
However, analysts say that such a sale would be an exception, rather than the norm.
MediaCorp understands the owner had originally asked for S$950,000, but this was brought down to S$900,000 by the buyer.
Chris Koh, an analyst with Dennis Wee Properties, said the valuation price of about S$750,000 is "reasonable" given the flat's location and size.
However, he noted that a cash-over-valuation of S$170,000 is a record.
Analysts said that this is likely a one-off event.
HDB data shows that similar executive maisonettes in Bishan have sold for much less, with median prices at S$615,000.
Analysts cautioned that before forking out the money, buyers should also consider the unit's resale potential.
Said David Poh, senior group district director of Propnex Realty: "You probably will want to sell much higher than any other executive maisonettes in Bishan. So that will mean your pool of buyers will shrink, you'll probably have very limited buyers to choose from, and you probably will face more challenges in reselling it than a normal maisonette in Bishan."
He said the market for resale flats remained strong, although the popularity of two recently-launched Build-to-Order projects - Sembawang RiverLodge and Fernvale Ridge in Sengkang - suggests that some buyers are turning to new HDB flats instead.
Still, he expects resale prices to go up five to eight per cent on average this year, slightly lower than the 8.2 per cent growth seen in 2009.
- CNA/yb
ST : Yishun site for tender
Mar 31, 2010
Yishun site for tender
THE Housing Board (HDB) is launching a housing site at Yishun for tender today which will add another 700 homes to the housing stock.
The site, at the junction of Yishun Avenue 11 and Yishun Central, is being launched under the HDB's design, build and sell scheme (DBSS).
This allows private developers to design, build and sell the homes directly to flat buyers. Such flats come with finishes similar to private property but are subject to HDB rules.
The site is a short distance away from the Yishun Town Centre, Yishun MRT station and bus interchange, and schools such as Huamin Primary School, North View Secondary School and Chung Cheng High School.
The leasehold site has a gross floor area of about 828,000 sq ft which includes 10,700 sq ft of space for commercial facilities and childcare centre.
This is the latest in a string of land sale tenders by the Government recently, which is moving to address concerns over the shortage of supply in the property market.
HDB's latest site launch is in addition to its plan to offer at least 12,000 new build-to-order flats this year - or more if there is demand.
New projects will be spread across towns such as Punggol, Sengkang, Yishun and Jurong West.
HDB said yesterday it will continue to monitor the housing demand.
More sites for DBSS development will be made available in the coming months if there is demand. The latest tender will close at noon on May 18.
JESSICA CHEAM
Yishun site for tender
THE Housing Board (HDB) is launching a housing site at Yishun for tender today which will add another 700 homes to the housing stock.
The site, at the junction of Yishun Avenue 11 and Yishun Central, is being launched under the HDB's design, build and sell scheme (DBSS).
This allows private developers to design, build and sell the homes directly to flat buyers. Such flats come with finishes similar to private property but are subject to HDB rules.
The site is a short distance away from the Yishun Town Centre, Yishun MRT station and bus interchange, and schools such as Huamin Primary School, North View Secondary School and Chung Cheng High School.
The leasehold site has a gross floor area of about 828,000 sq ft which includes 10,700 sq ft of space for commercial facilities and childcare centre.
This is the latest in a string of land sale tenders by the Government recently, which is moving to address concerns over the shortage of supply in the property market.
HDB's latest site launch is in addition to its plan to offer at least 12,000 new build-to-order flats this year - or more if there is demand.
New projects will be spread across towns such as Punggol, Sengkang, Yishun and Jurong West.
HDB said yesterday it will continue to monitor the housing demand.
More sites for DBSS development will be made available in the coming months if there is demand. The latest tender will close at noon on May 18.
JESSICA CHEAM
ST : Soaring demand for HDB's new flats
Mar 31, 2010
Soaring demand for HDB's new flats
There are six applicants vying for each available flat at its latest launches
By Jessica Cheam
FRESH evidence has emerged of Singapore's red hot property market with the Housing Board's (HDB) latest launches attracting six applicants for every available flat.
A staggering 5,015 bids were received for 828 new flats in Sengkang and Sembawang by the application deadline of midnight on Monday.
The high level of interest outstrips that of recent years, when about four applications were typically received for each new flat, according to housing analysts.
Demand was particularly intense for five-roomers in Sengkang, where 1,341 applied for the 126 flats on offer - more than 10 applications for each flat.
This high level of interest follows January's launch of four-roomers at Limbang Green at Choa Chu Kang, which attracted 14 applications for every flat.
The blistering demand for the developments at Fernvale Ridge in Sengkang and Sembawang RiverLodge is being attributed to the escalating prices of resale flats, which set a fresh record in the last quarter of last year.
HDB resale flat prices have risen by some 40 per cent over the past three years. 'Demand has shifted from the resale market directly to HDB's new flat queue, as many first-time buyers are likely to have been priced out of the resale flat market,' said Dennis Wee Properties director Chris Koh.
PropNex chief executive Mohamed Ismail was not surprised by the high level of demand given that new flats were priced about 30 per cent lower than resale flats.
'Couples who do not need flats so urgently will definitely join the queue,' he noted.
HDB launched the Sengkang and Sembawang projects under its build-to-order (BTO) scheme, which builds only when a certain demand is reached and has a typical waiting time of three years. Combined, the projects offer 266 three-room, 436 four-room and 126 five-room units.
Fernvale Ridge's 216 four-room flats attracted 1,671 applications, while its 180 three-roomers received 491 bids.
At Sembawang RiverLodge, the 220 four-room flats pulled 1,234 applications, while the 86 three-roomers drew 278.
Another 126 two-room flats in Sembawang RiverLodge will not be offered for sale, but set aside for lower-income families at a later date, said HDB.
Mr Ismail said he expects the demand for new flats to remain high given that resale flat prices are likely to stay robust at least in the short-term.
But Mr Koh suggested that demand for BTO projects might be less than it seems if flat applicants do not take-up flats when they are finally offered to them.
'Some buyers who join the queue might be afraid to lose out, but are not that serious about buying,' he said.
HDB has offered 3,653 flats this quarter, with a further 1,200 BTO units to be launched in Punggol next month.
jcheam@sph.com.sg
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overwhelming response
FERNVALE RIDGE
· Five-roomers: 1,341 applications for 126 flats
· Four-roomers: 1,671 for 216
· Three-roomers: 491 for 180
SEMBAWANG RIVERLODGE
· Four-roomers: 1,234 applications for 220 flats
· Three-roomers: 278 for 86
*Another 126 two-roomers not for sale, but will be set aside for lower-income families at a later date
Soaring demand for HDB's new flats
There are six applicants vying for each available flat at its latest launches
By Jessica Cheam
FRESH evidence has emerged of Singapore's red hot property market with the Housing Board's (HDB) latest launches attracting six applicants for every available flat.
A staggering 5,015 bids were received for 828 new flats in Sengkang and Sembawang by the application deadline of midnight on Monday.
The high level of interest outstrips that of recent years, when about four applications were typically received for each new flat, according to housing analysts.
Demand was particularly intense for five-roomers in Sengkang, where 1,341 applied for the 126 flats on offer - more than 10 applications for each flat.
This high level of interest follows January's launch of four-roomers at Limbang Green at Choa Chu Kang, which attracted 14 applications for every flat.
The blistering demand for the developments at Fernvale Ridge in Sengkang and Sembawang RiverLodge is being attributed to the escalating prices of resale flats, which set a fresh record in the last quarter of last year.
HDB resale flat prices have risen by some 40 per cent over the past three years. 'Demand has shifted from the resale market directly to HDB's new flat queue, as many first-time buyers are likely to have been priced out of the resale flat market,' said Dennis Wee Properties director Chris Koh.
PropNex chief executive Mohamed Ismail was not surprised by the high level of demand given that new flats were priced about 30 per cent lower than resale flats.
'Couples who do not need flats so urgently will definitely join the queue,' he noted.
HDB launched the Sengkang and Sembawang projects under its build-to-order (BTO) scheme, which builds only when a certain demand is reached and has a typical waiting time of three years. Combined, the projects offer 266 three-room, 436 four-room and 126 five-room units.
Fernvale Ridge's 216 four-room flats attracted 1,671 applications, while its 180 three-roomers received 491 bids.
At Sembawang RiverLodge, the 220 four-room flats pulled 1,234 applications, while the 86 three-roomers drew 278.
Another 126 two-room flats in Sembawang RiverLodge will not be offered for sale, but set aside for lower-income families at a later date, said HDB.
Mr Ismail said he expects the demand for new flats to remain high given that resale flat prices are likely to stay robust at least in the short-term.
But Mr Koh suggested that demand for BTO projects might be less than it seems if flat applicants do not take-up flats when they are finally offered to them.
'Some buyers who join the queue might be afraid to lose out, but are not that serious about buying,' he said.
HDB has offered 3,653 flats this quarter, with a further 1,200 BTO units to be launched in Punggol next month.
jcheam@sph.com.sg
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overwhelming response
FERNVALE RIDGE
· Five-roomers: 1,341 applications for 126 flats
· Four-roomers: 1,671 for 216
· Three-roomers: 491 for 180
SEMBAWANG RIVERLODGE
· Four-roomers: 1,234 applications for 220 flats
· Three-roomers: 278 for 86
*Another 126 two-roomers not for sale, but will be set aside for lower-income families at a later date
ST : Warehouses: S'pore now a costlier choice
Mar 31, 2010
Warehouses: S'pore now a costlier choice
SINGAPORE is becoming a relatively more expensive location for businesses to site their warehouses.
According to a survey of 139 cities worldwide conducted by Colliers International, the Republic was the ninth most expensive city for prime logistics space during the second half of last year, even though rents remained stable.
In the previous six-month period, Singapore had ranked 14th.
The Colliers report cites the Singapore dollar strengthening against the US dollar and larger falls in rents in cities such as Seoul, Sao Paolo and Honolulu, as key reasons for the city state becoming more expensive relative to other locations.
In the second half of last year, rents for prime warehouse space in the MacPherson area remained relatively stable at about $1.50 per sq ft (psf) per month.
Warehouse space made up about 18.7 per cent of total industrial space in Singapore as of end-December last year.
Colliers noted that the industrial property market here remained largely stable in the first quarter on the back of improving business expectations in manufacturing.
First-quarter leasing activities were dominated by relocations and renewals, but expansions by firms remained scarce.
Colliers International's director of research and advisory Tay Huey Ying is upbeat about future prospects noting that during the downturn last year, many firms were left with spare capacity and had to close down plants. 'So they are now utilising their spare capacity and, hopefully, by the second half, some of them might be looking to expand.'
And, with recovery in the manufacturing sector gaining traction, demand for space could rise.
Rentals of conventional industrial space are forecast to continue to firm up - rising by up to 5 per cent over the next three quarters this year, Colliers said.
JOYCE TEO
Warehouses: S'pore now a costlier choice
SINGAPORE is becoming a relatively more expensive location for businesses to site their warehouses.
According to a survey of 139 cities worldwide conducted by Colliers International, the Republic was the ninth most expensive city for prime logistics space during the second half of last year, even though rents remained stable.
In the previous six-month period, Singapore had ranked 14th.
The Colliers report cites the Singapore dollar strengthening against the US dollar and larger falls in rents in cities such as Seoul, Sao Paolo and Honolulu, as key reasons for the city state becoming more expensive relative to other locations.
In the second half of last year, rents for prime warehouse space in the MacPherson area remained relatively stable at about $1.50 per sq ft (psf) per month.
Warehouse space made up about 18.7 per cent of total industrial space in Singapore as of end-December last year.
Colliers noted that the industrial property market here remained largely stable in the first quarter on the back of improving business expectations in manufacturing.
First-quarter leasing activities were dominated by relocations and renewals, but expansions by firms remained scarce.
Colliers International's director of research and advisory Tay Huey Ying is upbeat about future prospects noting that during the downturn last year, many firms were left with spare capacity and had to close down plants. 'So they are now utilising their spare capacity and, hopefully, by the second half, some of them might be looking to expand.'
And, with recovery in the manufacturing sector gaining traction, demand for space could rise.
Rentals of conventional industrial space are forecast to continue to firm up - rising by up to 5 per cent over the next three quarters this year, Colliers said.
JOYCE TEO
ST : Private resale home prices up again
Mar 31, 2010
Private resale home prices up again
Prices for mass market and landed homes hit new high: DTZ report
By Joyce Teo
PRICES of private, leasehold resale homes have shot past their previous peak - in late 2007 - according to a new report by property consultancy DTZ.
The latest price rises for this segment, dominated by upgraders, while relatively modest, were enough to push average prices past the previous high. Landed resale homes saw the biggest price rises in the first quarter of the year to reach another new high while prime freehold prices edged nearer their previous peak.
Sales of new homes were strong too. A CBRE report said nearly 4,000 new homes were sold in the first quarter - more than double the 1,860 in the previous quarter.
Data from DTZ Research shows that prices of leasehold non-landed homes rose 2.1 per cent to $623 per sq ft (psf) in the first quarter, surpassing the $615 psf achieved in the fourth quarter of 2007.
DTZ said prices of these homes saw the least increase among the main property categories as they were already at high levels and there was more resistance to higher prices in the mass market.
Prices of prime freehold non-landed homes rose 3.7 per cent to $1,456 psf, 1.9 per cent below the previous peak. Luxury non-landed home prices rose 4.2 per cent to average $2,500 psf, which is 10.7 per cent below the previous peak, said DTZ.
The Singapore Residential Price Index shows private home prices rose a mere 0.2 per cent month-on-month last month after a 2.2 per cent rise in January.
Landed homes turned in another stellar showing in the first quarter, up 5.7 per cent to another new high of $1,529 psf.
This sector has now rebounded by 28.2 per cent from its bottom a year ago. It was already the star performer of the private home market last year, rising far more in price than other housing types, and lifting it safely above the 2008 peak.
Urban Redevelopment Authority data shows landed home prices jumped 7.7 per cent last year, compared with the 0.5 per cent rise in prices of non-landed homes.
The leasing market, DTZ said, was stable, with rental values remaining unchanged for the third straight quarter. The average rental value of prime non-landed homes was $3.32 psf a month, still 32.8 per cent below the high in the second quarter of 2008, it said.
The lower yields, however, had little impact on demand for new homes, as did recent government measures.
'Many investors are buying in anticipation of a future rise in rents and prices as the economy is improving and the long-term fundamentals of Singapore are strong,' said DTZ's executive director (residential), Ms Margaret Thean.
The firm's head of South-east Asia research, Ms Chua Chor Hoon, cautioned that more government cooling measures may be introduced if buying fever and price rises keep up - or intensify.
Said Colliers International director for research and advisory Tay Huey Ying: 'At the rate the market is moving right now, there is some cause for concern. But unless mass market prices continue to rise by more than 5 per cent a quarter, the Government may not step in.'
Ms Chua expects prices to rise more moderately - by 5 per cent to 15 per cent this year. 'The rise in landed home prices is expected to moderate this year, considering it has already risen quite a bit.'
CBRE puts the rise in first-quarter home prices at 2 per cent to 5 per cent over the fourth quarter of last year, supported mainly by resale transactions as developers have maintained prices of new launches in the same locations at last quarter's levels.
For instance, deals at The Sail @ Marina Bay averaged $2,213 psf in the first quarter, up from $2,101 psf in the previous quarter while Ardmore Park units sold at $2,982 psf, up from $2,936 psf.
The high volume of new homes sold this quarter compared with last quarter shows the resilience of residential demand from both owner-occupiers and investors, CBRE said.
Some new projects that did well recently include West Coast's The Vision, which sold 230 units, and 76@Shenton, which sold all its 202 units.
Most new launches in the first quarter were prime freehold projects; private home owners made up two-thirds of the buyers, with HDB upgraders accounting for the rest, said CBRE's executive director, residential, Mr Joseph Tan. The opposite was true a year ago, when most new launches were mass market ones, he said.
Foreigners bought 23.5 per cent of the new homes in the first quarter, with the top three nationalities being Indonesian, Malaysian and Chinese.
joyceteo@sph.com.sg
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up and up
· Nearly 4,000 new homes sold in Q1
· Resale leasehold non-landed: $623 psf
· Resale prime freehold non-landed: $1,456 psf
· Resale luxury non-landed: $2,500 psf
Private resale home prices up again
Prices for mass market and landed homes hit new high: DTZ report
By Joyce Teo
PRICES of private, leasehold resale homes have shot past their previous peak - in late 2007 - according to a new report by property consultancy DTZ.
The latest price rises for this segment, dominated by upgraders, while relatively modest, were enough to push average prices past the previous high. Landed resale homes saw the biggest price rises in the first quarter of the year to reach another new high while prime freehold prices edged nearer their previous peak.
Sales of new homes were strong too. A CBRE report said nearly 4,000 new homes were sold in the first quarter - more than double the 1,860 in the previous quarter.
Data from DTZ Research shows that prices of leasehold non-landed homes rose 2.1 per cent to $623 per sq ft (psf) in the first quarter, surpassing the $615 psf achieved in the fourth quarter of 2007.
DTZ said prices of these homes saw the least increase among the main property categories as they were already at high levels and there was more resistance to higher prices in the mass market.
Prices of prime freehold non-landed homes rose 3.7 per cent to $1,456 psf, 1.9 per cent below the previous peak. Luxury non-landed home prices rose 4.2 per cent to average $2,500 psf, which is 10.7 per cent below the previous peak, said DTZ.
The Singapore Residential Price Index shows private home prices rose a mere 0.2 per cent month-on-month last month after a 2.2 per cent rise in January.
Landed homes turned in another stellar showing in the first quarter, up 5.7 per cent to another new high of $1,529 psf.
This sector has now rebounded by 28.2 per cent from its bottom a year ago. It was already the star performer of the private home market last year, rising far more in price than other housing types, and lifting it safely above the 2008 peak.
Urban Redevelopment Authority data shows landed home prices jumped 7.7 per cent last year, compared with the 0.5 per cent rise in prices of non-landed homes.
The leasing market, DTZ said, was stable, with rental values remaining unchanged for the third straight quarter. The average rental value of prime non-landed homes was $3.32 psf a month, still 32.8 per cent below the high in the second quarter of 2008, it said.
The lower yields, however, had little impact on demand for new homes, as did recent government measures.
'Many investors are buying in anticipation of a future rise in rents and prices as the economy is improving and the long-term fundamentals of Singapore are strong,' said DTZ's executive director (residential), Ms Margaret Thean.
The firm's head of South-east Asia research, Ms Chua Chor Hoon, cautioned that more government cooling measures may be introduced if buying fever and price rises keep up - or intensify.
Said Colliers International director for research and advisory Tay Huey Ying: 'At the rate the market is moving right now, there is some cause for concern. But unless mass market prices continue to rise by more than 5 per cent a quarter, the Government may not step in.'
Ms Chua expects prices to rise more moderately - by 5 per cent to 15 per cent this year. 'The rise in landed home prices is expected to moderate this year, considering it has already risen quite a bit.'
CBRE puts the rise in first-quarter home prices at 2 per cent to 5 per cent over the fourth quarter of last year, supported mainly by resale transactions as developers have maintained prices of new launches in the same locations at last quarter's levels.
For instance, deals at The Sail @ Marina Bay averaged $2,213 psf in the first quarter, up from $2,101 psf in the previous quarter while Ardmore Park units sold at $2,982 psf, up from $2,936 psf.
The high volume of new homes sold this quarter compared with last quarter shows the resilience of residential demand from both owner-occupiers and investors, CBRE said.
Some new projects that did well recently include West Coast's The Vision, which sold 230 units, and 76@Shenton, which sold all its 202 units.
Most new launches in the first quarter were prime freehold projects; private home owners made up two-thirds of the buyers, with HDB upgraders accounting for the rest, said CBRE's executive director, residential, Mr Joseph Tan. The opposite was true a year ago, when most new launches were mass market ones, he said.
Foreigners bought 23.5 per cent of the new homes in the first quarter, with the top three nationalities being Indonesian, Malaysian and Chinese.
joyceteo@sph.com.sg
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up and up
· Nearly 4,000 new homes sold in Q1
· Resale leasehold non-landed: $623 psf
· Resale prime freehold non-landed: $1,456 psf
· Resale luxury non-landed: $2,500 psf
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