After a hectic process of home hunting, you finally found your ideal home and signed the Sales & Purchase (S&P) Agreement with the developer. One day, you receive a long-awaited call from the developer to collect the keys to your property at either the developer’s office or the lawyer’s office. This is known as vacant possession (VP). In layman terms, it means the bare house and any other fittings and furnishings stated in the S&P Agreement are given to the purchaser within 24 months (for landed properties with individual title) or within 36 months (for high-rise properties with strata title).
Note: Some developers might issue the VP notice when the property is about 70% completed. By then, you will receive a letter from the developer to set a date for when you can take delivery of vacant possession.
After having access to your property, you probably will be putting on your creative hat and start thinking about how to renovate and design your house. But before that, you must first check the condition of your property while your warranty period a.k.a Defect Liability Period (DLP) is still valid. When you meet the developer to take delivery of vacant possession, you will need to sign several documents to prove that you have the keys to your new property. Once you sign the documents and write down the date, the DLP for your property which last for 24 months begins.
ATTENTION!!!
FOR COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES, DEVELOPER COULD DEFINE THE TERMS IN SALES & PURCHASE AGREEMENT SUCH AS DEFECT LIABILITY PERIOD, CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION AND DELIVERY OF VACANT POSSESSION
Here are 3 simple steps to guide you on how to inspect your property:
Step #1: Prepare the necessary tools
The developer will provide a standard house defect checklist. To make sure that you do not need to spend additional trips to get the things needed, here are the list of items that you would need along with the checklist:
Step #2: Observe the condition of the house and record all defects
a. Take a look at every corner of the house and pay attention to any visible cracks on any part of the wall and floor tiles and take photo to show as proof. You can check whether the floor tiles are even by walking on them. If a crack on wall or floor has a width of more than 2 mm, it may indicate structural defects which is costly to repair later on. If a toothpick can be inserted into the crack, it is likely a structural defect which must be highlighted to the developer.
b. Then, switch on all the light switches, water taps to see if they are working. If you notice that the water pressure is low or you find it difficult to flush the toilet, you could note their location in the floor plan and even take a video to show to the developer. You can plug in your phone charger into every sockets in the house to make sure they are functioning. Mark any malfunctioning switches and power sockets with the cellophane tape.
c. Try opening all the doors and windows. If you have trouble opening them, be sure to note down their location in the floor plan and take a video of it.
d. Measure the size of the living room, bedrooms, bathroom and kitchen using the measuring tape to ensure they are the same as what is written in the S&P Agreement. Lastly, check whether the doors, windows, floor tiles and ceilings are built according to the materials specified in the S&P Agreement.
Step #3: Duplicate the records and submit to developer
Keep the original copy and submit the duplicated copy to the developer's customer service department. The submissions must be acknowledged by the developer. The full name and IC of the recipient together with date of receipt must be recorded.
The defects must be repaired within 30 days by the developer. If not, you can submit a notification letter stating that 30 days had passed and if the developer have no intention to repair, you will engage your own contractor to repair. You can claim the repair cost from the developer's lawyer only if you attach a official quotation from your contractor together with the notification letter.
Before starting any repair work, you must submit another notification letter to the lawyer and explain that developer did not take any action even though have been given 60 days notification, therefore you have to repair it by yourself and request the lawyer to hold the last payment release to the developer.
Interested to join our team? Sign up here and we would love to hear from you.
If you are interested in real estate , please feel free to get in touch with us.
Wesley Tan: +6017-688 9998
Jasone Gan: +6017-6018899
Brandon Lim: +6016-416 9193
Comments