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Residents demand property deeds in court
By Cao Li (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-11-01 05:47
SHANGHAI: Shanghai Wanbang Enterprise, a real estate development company, is
in trouble again.
More than 100 people who bought property from the company are suing because
of a delay in obtaining ownership deeds. The attorney representing disgruntled
purchasers exchanged evidence with Shanghai Wanbang at the Shanghai Pudong New
Area District People's Court yesterday.
Shanghai Wanbang, however, says it still has not received documents from the
municipal government which are necessary for the company to release the deeds of
ownership.
According to Lu Yuanxiang, one of the 134 plaintiffs, about 500 people who
bought houses, part of phase five of the Wanbang City Garden, all have the same
problem.
Lu said he was happy with the location of the property and the quality of
construction was acceptable.
"All I want are the deeds," he insisted.
Wang Baohong, attorney for Shanghai Wanbang, said the reason for the delay
was quite complicated and it was inappropriate to say anything before the
official hearing, whose date has not yet been set.
Wang said the company might get a green light from the government and give
the residents their certificates before the end of the year.
Calls to the Shanghai Housing and Land Administrative Bureau yesterday were
not answered.
An architect working for Vanke, a large real estate developer, said the local
government is only hesitant to release certificates when the developer does not
provide all necessary documentation.
This is not the first time the company has been sued for delaying sending out
deeds.
Earlier this year, the Shanghai No 1 Intermediate People's Court ordered the
company to pay more than 4 million yuan (US$493,200) to 120 of its phase three
Wanbang City Garden residents.
The company was also fined 200,000 yuan (US$24,661) for giving false sales
information, according to the Shanghai Municipal Industry and Commerce
Administration.
In order to develop a more transparent industry and curb inappropriate
practices, the municipal government established a property sales website last
April. All developers must publish sales information online, including prices,
availability and the names of those who bought houses.
However, the industry and commerce administration said Wanbang asked its
employees to pretend to buy houses to give the impression all of its properties
had been sold.
Staff then persuaded genuine buyers to pay inflated prices to secure the
homes which had supposedly already found buyers.
Tang Yinhua, one of the plaintiffs present in court yesterday, told China
Daily that she paid 80,000 yuan (US$9,864) more than the published price for her
apartment.
However, the company's a lawyer Wang Baohong argued that far from the scam
being company policy, individual members of staff were responsible for the
illegally inflated prices.
(China Daily 11/01/2005 page3)
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