Tag Archives: En-bloc / Collective Sales

En bloc appeal triggers legal questions

A JOO CHIAT resident, opposing the collective sale of his apartment, took the case to the High Court, citing procedural irregularities and claiming that the manner of distributing the sale proceeds was unfair.

But at a hearing yesterday, the judge raised questions about whether such a property could be allowed under the law to be sold en bloc.

Justice Andrew Ang was hearing an appeal by Mr Goh Teh Lee, 52, the sole objector, against the decision of the Strata Titles Boards (STB) which approved the sale of the property in Koon Seng Road.

The collective sale of the houses and apartments was mooted at a residents’ meeting in November 2006.

The property consists of 24 apartments in a four-storey block – known as Koon Seng House – and nine pre-war terrace houses on the same plot of freehold land. Continue reading

Rights of all owners adequately protected

I REFER to last Saturday’s letters by Mr Dennis Butler (’En bloc sales: Adopt HK’s 50-year limit’) and Mr Augustine Cheah (’The difference’).

In 1999, the Land Titles (Strata) Act was amended to allow collective property sales by majority consent. One of the key considerations in this amendment was to facilitate urban renewal and avoid situations where a small minority of owners can hold up the sale of the development where the use of the land could be optimised.

We have taken steps under the Act to ensure the rights of all owners are adequately protected and provide recourse for those who feel aggrieved for any reason. For example, all collective sales applications have to be considered by the Strata Titles Board. Minority owners who object to the sale can raise their objections to the board, and the board is required to consider these objections before it decides on the outcome of the sales application.

In 2004 and 2007, we refined and updated the Act to provide more safeguards to owners in a collective sale process. For example, owners will have a Continue reading