Monday, March 19, 2007 Editorial: House detectives
CASINO work had Janet and hubby working odd hours. When the couple decided to stop renting and get a unit of their own, they chose a Mediterranean-theme subdivision located near their place of work. They liked the estimated 20-minute drive connecting home and work. The cool mountain environs would be ideal for their son.
It added to the pluses that the accommodating agent at the mall showcase expedited their transfer.
Within a week, Janet’s family discovered the minuses, the major one being the defective deep wells. The developer hired a company to truck in water. But the promise to supply water once a day was, in actuality, closer to once a week. Helpers resigned when they learned the situation. The savings Janet anticipated never materialized as they had to buy water for drinking, cleaning and other needs.
The developer harassed the couple by making it appear that Janet and her husband were harassing them with their endless complaints. When their son exceeded the limit for school absences due to diarrhea and amoebiasis, Janet and hubby put up their unit for sale.
Before sinking in hard-earned money in any housing project or condominium, look beyond the marketing gloss and check if the subdivision’s less visible but basic support systems are optimally functional: water, drainage, electricity, roads, parks, playgrounds and the rest of the open space.
Inhuman settlement
Rather than beat a retreat, consumers victimized by housing or condominium scams should formally complain so the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) can investigate and cancel the offender’s license to sell, if mediation does not resolve the complaints.
This is according to Architect Antonio Decatoria Sr., HLURB 7 director. HLURB is the National Government agency mandated to implement the law regulating land use development and real estate and housing.
Presidential Decree 957, which regulates the sale of subdivision lots and condominiums, has been in existence since 1976 but the regional offices are understaffed and constrained in conducting field monitoring.
Vigilance is crucial in the buyer or homeowner. For instance, the HLURB 7 director advises that, before closing a sale, a potential buyer should check with the local Register of Deeds to verify the actual status of the property. This should not be encumbered. Unscrupulous developers have secured a bank loan by mortgaging the property, a clear violation of the buyer’s rights, as provided by law.
Decatoria warns that some developers exhibiting in malls and other fairs do not have a license to sell from HLURB.
He says that after the property is fully paid, the developer should turn over the title to the buyer within 90 days. If made to wait longer, the buyer should complain to HLURB.
Fraud-proofing
Buying one’s own place still ranks as a priority for Filipinos. The HLURB 7 chief recommends that overseas workers or Filipinos married to foreigners in particular should not rush to buy a house and lot package without checking if the developer is registered with the HLURB.
One of the licensing prerequisites is, according to Decatoria, the creation of sidewalks and a centralized depository system within the subdivision. The developer, working with the homeowners association, should require owners not to extend their gate and garage by co-opting the sidewalk.
While promotional brochures for residences rarely tackle sewage and drains, prospective homeowners must learn to look for what is seemingly invisible as insurance against home fraud.
