Deflection |concerns delay transfer of condo units

The trend follows the case of a Sansiri customer at the Base Sukhumvit 77 condominium, who complained about the quality of a unit in which there was a deflection problem as a result of the construction process. Deflection is the degree to which a structural element is displaced under a load.

With the listed developer having stated its readiness to solve the problem, a number of other condo buyers in projects operated by a host of property developers are now concerned about the quality of the their own units in terms of excessive deflection – with most them willing to pay for a professional investigation of their property before accepting its transfer.

"Our number of customers has risen by 15 per cent since the Sansiri case," said Nitinai Plodpinyo, managing director of Checkcon Professional Inspection and an expert in the investigation and inspection of residential deflection.

He said the firm’s clients over the past two years, both of condominiums and low-rise residences – detached housing, townhouses and twin houses – were concerned about the quality of their homes before the property firms transferred the units to them.

Such clients appoint the company to check the residence for any construction problems, especially deflection. They pay an average of Bt4,500 per condominium unit of at least 30 square metres, and Bt30 per square metre for low-rise housing, he said.

However, since the Sansiri case, the number of customers has risen, with the company inspecting an average of 60 homes a month – half of them condo units. The main problem resulting from excessive deflection is the leakage, which affects walls and floors.

"When faced with a deflection-related issue, most leading property firms are willing to solve the problem before transferring the unit to the customer, as a result of which the buyer will delay the transfer process," he said.

The delay can be between two weeks and two months, depending on the extent of the problem, he added.

Pruksa Real Estate president and CEO Thongma Vijitphongpun accepted that more customers were now concerned about the quality of the homes they were about to move into, and were therefore prepared to delay transfer until they could professionally check for deflection problems.

While the company is confident its construction process is subject to sufficient quality control, it is also ready to solve any deflection issues immediately if a problem is found during inspection, he added.

AP (Thailand) chief marketing officer Vittakarn Chandavimol, meanwhile, said more customers than previously were now opting for a detailed inspection, in particular for construction deflection, before accepting their homes from property firms.

This is regarded as a serious issue for the firm and its contractors, with the need to recheck homes before they are transferred to customers in all projects, both low- and high-rise, he said.