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Daily Archives: 29 Sep 2009

A demerit points system?

Posted on 29 Sep 2009 | Comments Off

Industry suggestions include licensing, mandatory training

JUST like drivers, some suggest, property agents should be licensed by a government body – and subject to a demerit point system too.

That would mean being allowed to a set number of points, before facing possible suspension for misconduct.

Such ideas were floated by industry players yesterday at a forum organised by the Institute of Estate Agents (IEA), as the Ministry of National Development (MND) began this month its consultation process on a new regulatory framework for the real estate sector.

Complaints of agents’ poor service are rising and customers are now more discerning and demanding, so such regulations will be necessary to keep the standards of the profession up to mark, said IEA president Jeff Foo.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan had said in March that the whole system was “not satisfactory” and the status quo “not tenable”, after several cases of unethical practices by housing agents came to light. Continue reading →

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Posted in CEA

Tagged Institute of Estate Agents (IEA), Property Agents

Bid to stop re-routing of road rejected

Posted on 29 Sep 2009 | Comments Off

A SPAT between two developers about the re-routing of an access road has gone all the way to the Court of Appeal.

Both Pacific Rover and Yickvi Realty have condominium projects on adjoining parcels of land off Newton Road. But Yickvi had a right-of-way access road to its new 11-storey property that cut through Pacific Rover’s land.

Pacific Rover, which had received planning permission to build two 30-storey residential units, wanted to optimise land usage and shift part of the access road nearer to the property’s boundary. Its condominium, called Trilight, is due to be completed in April 2011.

Yickvi initially agreed to the request, provided the subterranean electric cables, pipes and other service installations beneath the road were shifted in line with the newly adjusted road.

But talks broke down last year and the case went to the High Court, which ruled Yickvi could not object to the road shift as it would not cause a major inconvenience to the occupants of its building.

Yickvi, through lawyers from Rajah & Tann, appealed to the highest court, which agreed with the earlier ruling but ordered Pacific Rover to make sure Yickvi had immediate access, whenever reasonably required, to maintain and repair the cables running under the original route.

The Court of Appeal made clear the inconvenience caused by the realignment of the access road was not the real issue. Continue reading →