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ahlahdin
18-04-07, 03:01
Family claims to be in the dark about condo's en bloc sale

By Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 17 April 2007 2300 hrs


SINGAPORE: You may have heard of the family in China who stayed put in their house refusing to budge when their building was slated to be torn down for a new development.

Here in Singapore, a family claim they have been left completely in the dark about their condominium's en bloc sale.

And, the time is ticking before the condo has to be demolished.

Chin Siew Yin and her family moved into the Lincolnsvale condominium about a year ago.

Barely six months after moving in, something was afoot.

The condo's management committee apparently sought the agreement for an en bloc sale but Madam Chin claims her family were completely left out of the loop.

Madam Chin also claims no one contacted her about the deadline to move out.

All her neighbours have since moved away, and the deadline to hand in the keys has also passed.

In fact, preparations are being made to tear down the condo.

"How come when you want to sell such a critical thing, a monumental thing, you do not hold meetings to let everybody know? It's not right for you to just unilaterally decide upon yourself and just based on 80 percent and think 'Oh, that would do it' and just go ahead," Madam Chin told Channel NewsAsia.

The condo houses 39 units and it is understood the en bloc sale went for an estimated $46 million.

Madam Chin says she has not yet heard from the new developer about any compensation.

And she has not made any attempts to contact them either.

For now, the family say, they have no time to look for a new house and hope they can reach an agreement with the developer soon. - CNA/ir

Unregistered
18-04-07, 21:05
Plans to demolish Lincolnsvale condo on hold after family refuses to move out
By Ting Kheng Siong, Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 18 April 2007 2051 hrs

SINGAPORE: Plans to demolish the Lincolnsvale condominium at Surrey Road have been put on hold after one family refused to move out of their apartment.

This, after the property was acquired by Sim Lian Land, for more than $50 million.

The developer says it will visit the family in the coming days, hoping to resolve the matter amicably, without having to resort to getting an eviction order.

All but one family still lives at the 39-unit condominium.

Madam Chin Siew Yin claims she had objected to the en bloc sale and did not know they had to vacate by 10 April.

But a check around the condominium revealed that several notices explaining the sales process, the number of votes in favour of the en bloc sale and moving out notice, have been put up at conspicuous spots.

The notices also highlighted that tenants against the buyout should contact the relevant authorities within 21 days.

Madam Chin declined to comment on whether she had raised her objection.

Lawyers Phang & Co, acting for the estate's sales committee, said all tenants were notified and given ample time to voice their objection. - CNA/yy

mr funny
20-04-07, 03:58
Hot News // Wednesday, April 18, 2007

For just one family, an en bloc shock

Jasmine Yin and Loh Chee Kong

[email protected]


ONE by one, her neighbours started moving out of the 39-unit condominium at Surrey Road and by Tuesday last week, the Gans were the only ones left — and left without a clue.

"We have had neighbours moving out since March and a kind neighbour told us that the deadline to move out was April 10. I was shocked. I had not been notified if (the en bloc sale proposal) was successful or not," Mrs Gan Beng Cheng, who is in her 40s, told Today.

A few days after the deadline, a photocopied notice went up on the building: It was a letter of appointment to demolish Lincolnsvale, which is more than 20 years old.

Foreign workers also appeared on the premises moving furniture, clothes and even a washing machine into a big heap — items left behind by the departing residents.

Mrs Gan, a former business development and marketing manager, suffered sleepless nights. She called in the police twice — the most recent time being yesterday — to stop what she said was trespass into private property.

She also alleged that her family – which was one of about six households that did not agree to the en bloc proposal — had neither been consulted nor notified officially.

In fact, the homemaker said her attempts to find out more about the sale process — including the selling price, as well as how the lawyer and property agent representing the residents were selected — were rebuffed, with much hostility, by the building's management corporation. "The sale was conducted in an abusive manner," she said.

Mrs Gan, who called the MediaCorp Hotline, expressed surprise when told by Today that Sim Lian Land had bought Lincolnsvale, as well as an adjoining 1,802-sq-ft strip of land, to develop a 90-unit condominium — a fact that was published in a newspaper report in Nov 2005. It was reported that the property group bought Lincolnsvale for $50.53 million — more than the $49-million asking price. This worked out to $511 per sq ft per plot ratio. Under this evaluation, the Gans would have got between $1.27 million and $1.48 million for their apartment.

Phang & Co, the law firm which acted for the estate's sales committee, told Today that most owners had followed due process, including placing advertisements in the newspapers of all four official languages, to indicate that they were applying to the Strata Titles Board (STB) for the sale to go through.

Notices were also sent to the minority owners, including the Gan family, said the firm's head, Dr S K Phang, but they did not sign the transfer documents. The STB then authorised representatives to sign on their behalf, he said.

Sim Lian Land's executive director Diana Kuik told Today that her firm went on to complete the sale in October last year after the STB had approved it. The owners were given the deadline to move out by last Tuesday. Four families missed the deadline, but moved out the next day. The Gans stayed put.

Ms Kuik added that the company would be asking the family to vacate. "If they don't move out, then the only recourse for us is to get an eviction order."

Nevertheless, Dr Phang said all parties were trying to solve the matter in the most amicable way. "Hopefully, Mr and Mrs Gan will reciprocate the goodwill," he said.

mr funny
20-04-07, 06:17
April 20, 2007

Condo sold en bloc, but family won't move out

They claim they are still rightful owners of their unit; developer may start legal action

By Fiona Chan


http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/9420/stimagesfiolincolnt1108bf7.jpg
HOLDING OUT: For now, Madam Ching, her husband and their two sons are staying put in the deserted Lincolnsvale condo in Surrey Road. -- PHOTO: TERENCE TAN


A FAMILY whose four members are refusing to move out of their home after it was sold en bloc more than a year ago will face crunch time on Monday.

That is when the property developer that bought their estate, Lincolnsvale in Surrey Road, will start legal action against Madam Ching Siew Yin and her husband, who is known only as Mr Gan.

Media reports this week said Madam Ching and her family had not been officially consulted or notified of the collective sale and that she had not known the transaction had gone through.

The family - one of six households that did not agree to the proposal to sell en bloc - were quoted as saying they found out about the sale only when their neighbours started moving out last month.

Sim Lian Land, which bought the condominium in November 2005 and is ready to start demolishing the estate, said attempts to contact Madam Ching, a housewife in her 40s, and her husband were not successful yesterday.

Said Sim Lian executive director Diana Kuik: 'We'll try again (today) and on Saturday. But if they still refuse to discuss this with us, we'll start legal proceedings on Monday.'

The Straits Times understands that this could include an eviction order.

Sim Lian paid $50.3 million for the 23-year-old estate, which works out to between $1.24 million and $1.87 million for each owner of the condo's 39 units.

The deadline for Lincolnsvale residents to vacate was last Tuesday, but Madam Ching, her husband and their two sons are staying put.

The Straits Times understands that Madam Ching believes her family are still the rightful owners of the apartment as they have not signed any transfer document.

The law firm that handled the Lincolnsvale sale, Phang & Co, said a special visit was made to the couple's unit to persuade them to sign title transfer documents. They did not sign but the Strata Titles Board authorised representatives to sign on their behalf, which it has the power to do.

Madam Ching told The Straits Times last night that she had known there was a collective sale taking place, but not until early last year, when the sale had already gone through.

The family has owned the unit for 10 years but only moved in last March.

The couple said that they are prepared to talk to Sim Lian.

'If they want to talk to us, let's sit down and talk,' said Madam Ching's husband, Mr Gan.

'If they want to talk to us on amicable terms, we'll have some kind of dialogue and we can try to reach a solution.'

As to what kind of solution would be satisfactory, Mr Gan said it was too early to tell.

But for now, the family is staying put.

[email protected]

Unregistered
22-04-07, 05:26
Possible legal action against family in en bloc sale saga
By Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 21 April 2007 2155 hrs


SINGAPORE: Property developer Sim Lian Land might be left with no choice but to take legal action against a family who refused to move out of their unit at Lincolnsvale condominium at Surrey Road.

Earlier, Madam Chin Siew Yin had claimed she had objected to the en bloc sale and was unaware that she had to clear out last week (April 10), even though many notices were put up around the condominium.

Sim Lian Land, who acquired the 39-unit property for over $50 million, visited the family in the hope of resolving the matter.

But no one answered the door, although someone appeared to be home.

Madam Chin, who is expected to pocket over a million dollars for her apartment, says a portion has been credited into their CPF accounts.

However following the incident, the developer has handed the outstanding portion to be paid in cash to the courts.

Separately, officers from the National Environment Agency also visited the condominium and its surrounding areas to check for mosquito breeding sites.

This came after the agency received complaints from residents nearby about a spike in the number of mosquitoes recently. - CNA/yy

mr funny
24-04-07, 11:55
Gans may be hauled to court for staying put

Jasmine Yin

[email protected]


A FAMILY that has refused to move out of a 39-unit condominium, sold en bloc in 2005 to property developer Sim Lian Group, may soon face legal action.

Mr Francis Goh, who is the director of Central Chambers Law Corporation, the law firm hired by Sim Lian Group, said that court papers were formally lodged in the High Court yesterday. This comes just over a week after the Gan family called the MediaCorp hotline about being left in the dark over the $50.53 million collective sale of their Lincolnsvale condominium at Surrey Road.

The en bloc sale process was conducted in an unfair and non-transparent manner that did not involve the family, alleged Mrs Gan Beng Cheng, who lives with her husband and two teenage sons.

But Mr Goh countered that representatives of the property developer "had tried to make contact with the family, but without success".

"Hence, it had no choice but to take legal action," he told Today.

Last week, Sim Lian Group unit, Sim Lian Land's executive director Diana Kuik said that her firm completed the en bloc sale last October after getting approval from the Strata Titles Boards.

The condominium residents were given an April 10 deadline to move out so that demolition work could begin.

Four families had missed the deadline, but moved out the next day. Only the Gans stayed put.

One scenario is that the property developer is probably asking the High Court for an order for the family to move out of Lincolnsvale by a certain date, said a lawyer. It is likely that the court will grant the order, he observed, and the family will have to adhere to it, or risk paying a fine or even a jail sentence because then "you're basically disobeying the court".

Should matters reach such a stage, Sim Lian Group can enlist the court's help to evict the family. But the lawyer pointed out that this rarely happens in Singapore.

sillyporeans!!!
25-04-07, 22:28
This is so lame man! LOL

They received the en bloc money already, then now claimed they didn't know where money came from.

They see all their neighbors moving out, still claimed dunno what is going on.

No wonder Sim Lian wants to sue them. I think if this went to court and they still insist upon their stand, Sim Lian's legal team will take them apart piece by piece and order them to pay compensation (for each day of construction work delayed).

The Gans may well end up with nothing!

Unregistered
06-05-07, 15:43
This is so lame man! LOL

They received the en bloc money already, then now claimed they didn't know where money came from.

They see all their neighbors moving out, still claimed dunno what is going on.

No wonder Sim Lian wants to sue them. I think if this went to court and they still insist upon their stand, Sim Lian's legal team will take them apart piece by piece and order them to pay compensation (for each day of construction work delayed).

The Gans may well end up with nothing!
Looks like they are trying to get some more from the property developer. Must have learnt from the " Nail House " widely publicised story in China. This really shows the ugly side of Singaporeans! Thankfully, it is only the minority.