Tag Archives: General

Bickering neighbours: A question of formality

More warring neighbours are heading to the Strata Titles Board (STB), which hears disputes involving private estates. We highlight two unusual cases.

A CASE brought before the STB in 2005 involved a small development of only four homes in Robin Lane off Bukit Timah Road.

Two units were owned by a couple, Dr Si-Hoe Kok Chun and Madam Tan Choon Lian, while another was owned by Mr and Mrs Yeo Chin Hoo. The last belonged to Ms Shanti Ramesh Ramchandani.

Their annual general meetings had been held informally since 1981. The owners were invited at each year’s meeting to be its management council members and took turns to be office bearers. Continue reading

Balloting for a condo

It’s fairer, says developer but mixed feelings from buyers, consultants

AN ALTERNATIVE to queues and the ‘first come, first served’ principle at property launches is emerging as developers turn to ballots to allocate flats in an increasingly active market.

A ballot was used amid tumultuous scenes at the Optima condo on Thursday night when buyers swamped the Tanah Merah showflat a day before it was due to open.

It was also employed when two-room flats were released at Somerset condo One Devonshire in June. And Boon Keng condo Airstream is set to launch on Wednesday with balloting.

The process – essentially buyers’ names are drawn out of a box – is getting backing from developers and buyers and may become increasingly common as activity gathers pace.

Mr Gerry de Silva, the head of group corporate affairs at Hong Leong, a partner in the Optima project, said balloting is fairer and stops people from trying tactics like selling places in a queue. Continue reading