A series of apartment buildings are embroiled in disputes, residents complain that they bought billion-dollar houses but "they're like at a bus station"

(NLDO)- Mr. Chu Van Khang, Deputy Manager of Gold Sea Apartment, was upset: "Living in an apartment building is like living in a bus station, every day there are people coming in and out."

On October 31, at the HCM City Business - Government Dialogue Conference with the topic "Guidelines and discussions on the management and use of apartment buildings in HCM City" organized by the HCM City Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) in coordination with the Department of Construction, many frank opinions were raised, reflecting the situation of entanglement, lack of transparency and even the omission of responsibility in the management and operation of apartment buildings.

Deputy Director of the Department of Construction Tran Sy Nam said that after expanding its administrative boundaries, Ho Chi Minh City now has 1,771 apartment projects handed over, with tens of thousands of households living there.

However, management still has many shortcomings. In some places, there are fierce conflicts between residents, management boards and investors; many management and operation units are reported to lack transparency in the use of maintenance and operation funds.

According to Mr. Le Hoang Chau, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association (HoREA), the total maintenance fund of apartment buildings is currently very large, in some places up to 500 billion VND. This is an amount of money that can easily be exploited if there is no strict monitoring mechanism. "It is not impossible that there are bad people who seek to join the management board just to profit from the maintenance fund. Therefore, residents need to be alert and choose people with good conscience and ability to represent them" - Mr. Chau emphasized.

Board of Directors representatives gave comments at the conference

At the conference, many management boards raised a series of problems that have lasted for many years but have not been completely resolved. Representatives of Silver Star Nha Be apartment complex raised a series of questions about water collection and disbursement: who manages the sub-meters, who issues the water bills, and where do the fees for replacing and installing meters come from - the maintenance fund or the residents' fees? In addition, the wastewater treatment system has been put into use, but when the management board submitted the application for a license, it was returned with the reason "no authority".

The representative of The Everich apartment building also said that the management board encountered many difficulties in applying for environmental and wastewater permits, because the original documents were held by the investor. "The investor handed over the project a long time ago, the documents were lost, making the completion of the documents extremely difficult. Without the cooperation of the investor, the management board would be almost unable to do it" - this person said.

A similar situation occurred at Phu Hoang Anh apartment building. After five generations of management board, the legal documents have not been completed because the investor has "disappeared". The whereabouts of the maintenance fund of more than 17 billion VND are also unknown. "We hired a consulting company to redo the documents but were rejected because the management board has no legal function. Meanwhile, the investor has disappeared. Many disputes such as the shared and private parking basement have had to be brought to court, dragging on without any results" - the representative of the management board of this apartment building shared.

Representatives of the Department of Construction and relevant agencies recorded the opinions of representatives of apartment buildings.

Another issue that many residents have reported is the situation of short-term apartment rentals (Airbnb, homestay). Mr. Chu Van Khang, Deputy Manager of Gold Sea Apartment (Vung Tau), expressed his frustration: “Living in an apartment building is like living in a bus station, with people coming and going every day, especially on weekends and holidays. Elevator waits are half an hour, sometimes an hour. The living environment is completely disrupted.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Bui Ngoc Giang, representative of Phu Hung Phat apartment building (invested by Nha Mo Joint Stock Company), reported the delay in issuing pink books for 10 years because the investor has not completed tax obligations. "When residents go to do procedures, the tax authority says they have to "put pressure" on the investor. But the investor does not cooperate, owes taxes, causing hundreds of households to have their ownership rights suspended" - Mr. Giang was upset.

Faced with a series of issues raised, representatives of the Department of Construction, City Tax and related departments have taken note and at the same time instructed the management boards to send petitions to the correct authority to resolve each specific case.

The Board of Directors opposes short-term rental services.

Mr. Tran Sy Nam said that many issues related to the management and operation of apartment buildings are now under the authority of the ward level, so localities need to increase professional staff, directly support residents and the management board to avoid prolonged complaints. "Residents who choose to live in apartment buildings must be responsible to the community, fully participate in meetings, elect caring and knowledgeable people to the management board to protect the common interests" - Mr. Nam said.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/hang-loat-chung-cu-vuong-tranh-chap-cu-dan-phan-anh-mua-nha-tien-ti-ma-nhu-o-ben-xe-196251031142809878.htm