Two year blueprint new condo residents should know
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Yay! You bought a new property and will finally be moving in soon.

Okay, so now you took the first BIG STEP. But what next? What are you supposed to look out for or be curious about upon moving into your new property?

Who? What? When? Why? How? These questions often lie among the majority of the property buyers. So, why not settle it once and for all? Are you with me, property junkies?



1. Defect Liability Period (DLP)

What is a DLP? It is a defect period at which the contractor is tasked to return to the site or unit to amend defects without issuing any charges to the owner. The period usually lasts within 2 years. Call it a warranty card for your property.

Hence, if there happens to be any leakage in the piping system of your new home for example, do not go and spend cash to amend it yourself. Instead, fully utilize the service provided through the DLP at which a form will be provided by the management office of your condo/apartment for you to issue a complaint or order to amend such issues.

Moreover, do not hesitate to question the developers in regards to the DLP policy. You’ll understand better on how to manoeuvre your way across the current policy.  



2. Facilities

The most exciting one! The facilities at play. Yes, you were assured that you would get your hands and legs worked out on that slick treadmill within your condo’s very own gym. Or perhaps a simple convenience store would be set up to ease your daily routines to stock up daily needs.

Whatever it is, please do your own due diligence of the facilities present, when you’ve just moved into your new condo or apartment. This is within your rights as the owner, who will eventually pay a consistent maintenance or service fees etc. that is catered to serving you better as a resident.

If they’re not fulfilled as promised, it is wise to bring this up to the management to clarify the details regarding it. At least you’re not paying the maintenance fees for nothing.



3. Management

As a resident, your best friend must be the management office. Why? Because they make the rules. Quite straightforward, right? Making enemies is never good, we all know that. So, why not be on good terms by being aware of the rules and regulations set.

Check on the do’s and don’ts of the building. For example, some condos stick to only two car parks for the owners, where requesting another car park may not be applicable. Some condos do not allow certain lifts for shifting purposes. Minor info such as those are bonus points for us as the residents to better prepare ourselves for what’s coming and to avoid unnecessary predicament.



4. Security System

Different condos or apartments possess different security systems. As residents, safety is one of the main concerns among others. Inspect, investigate and act upon methods to ensure an effective safety mechanism is carried out. For instance, if the CCTV is installed, is it working?

Get to know the security team and the system at work. There may even be times when the security guard stares at you viciously like that clown from IT when you’ve forgotten your access card. Scenarios such as this can be prevented. How? By giving a simple acknowledgement every now and then to the security guards when you walk pass them. Trust me; it will do wonders for you as the resident when the security team often sees a familiar face waving at them occasionally.



5. Cable TV & Internet Services

Let’s start off with TV! There’s just too many cases involving cable TV installation at newly established condos or apartments. I personally went through a case where the management office at my condo do not provide a High Definition cable network that is usually wired into my TV decoder. My mistake - Failure to ask the technical aspects of the services provided at my condo before moving in. By asking the right questions, perhaps an easier solution could have existed for me then. Long story short, the required HD cable network only arrived after 3 months.

Same goes for installing the UniFi service at my unit which lacked fibre cables. Hence, the internet service would be slow or would easily disconnect. Trust me when I say this. A slow internet service really is a solid Zen method for our patience. I am now a calmer soul, I hope. The fibre cables never came and an expensive purchase of a TP-Link device accelerated my internet speed. Be super proactive to avoid problems such as mine as these cases occur to almost everyone I know. Yes, no joke. The stats are crazy when I think of it.



Conclusion

Well, I guess I’ve reached the end! All matters discussed here will surely be something you’ll come across as a new resident at newly developed condos or apartments. As the saying goes, every journey in life teaches you something for someone in the future.

Good luck moving into your dream home!

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the writer's own, which may differ from others. It also does not reflect the view of PropSocial.



(Written by: Sathish Veera, 22nd November 2017)

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Billing 123 small

Oh wow, i totally did not know regarding DLP. I would assume its just bad luck if you happen to stumble on bad piping/ leakage for the unit and need to fork out extra to repair it. 

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@sam123 

I understand that a certain percentage of the property price will be withhold by the law firm, and only after the DLP will it be released to the developer.

Own dp small

Thanks for the great info shared. I guess many of us didn't know about the DLP. Some may know but dont know how it works.

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@admin_ps thanks for sharing