Currently I'm struggling, how I can buy a car for my necessary
transport. Here you have Rich assholes complaining about Car Park
Lots - No Enough!
Family with four cars unhappy they have only one
lot
By Ho Lian-yi
ONE night, when returning to their condominium home, they were
stopped at the entrance by security guards.
The Lims, who live at Hillington Green in Bukit
Batok, own four cars and insist on parking all of them
there, though the condo rules no longer allow this.
The guards told them they could not park that car there.
The Lims reacted by stopping their car in front of the gates,
blocking the entry and exit, around 11.30pm on March 15.
They refused to move their car and the police had to be called in
to resolve the issue.
It was only an hour later that the Lims moved their car, after the
security guards agreed to let them park it in the basement.
Recent changes in the condo rules had allowed them only one carpark
lot.
The new rules do allow two carpark lots for those who have more
than one car, but they lose the extra lot if they sell their car
and buy a new one.
The Lims bought the new car in December after the rules came into
effect, so they lost their extra lot and now have only one
lot.
Yet, they continued to park all four cars in the condo
carpark.
Mrs Lim, 44, a businesswoman, said the reason they had bought their
penthouse in the Bukit Batok condominium for $1.2 million in 2002
was that they could park their four cars on the premises.
She claimed her family had been permitted to park three of the cars
in the basement carpark, and one on the surface carpark.
But the situation changed after the condo's annual general meeting
(AGM) last September.
Mrs Lim is unhappy about the new rules and is worried that they
might have problems selling their unit if the potential buyer has
more than one car.
In addition to the $300,000 Mercedes S-Class they were driving that
night, the family owns a Mercedes SLK, a Jaguar and a
Ssangyong.
A police spokesman said the police advised the parties involved to
resolve the matter amicably.
Warning letter
In addition to her Mercedes S-Class being clamped, Mrs Lim has
received several warning letters (above).
Before the incident, on March 9, Mrs Lim said the management had
issued her a warning letter saying that if they didn't remove the
car, its wheels would be clamped on March11.
The Lims are not the only residents affected.
Another resident, a sales consultant in his 50s, said he had to
park his second car at his father-in-law's condominium, which is
nearby.
"We are one of those pioneers who live here, they should entitle
pioneers to two cars," he said.
"If at the beginning, the rule was one family one car, I wouldn't
have bought the condo."
Another resident, Mr Tong Wai Chong, 73, a retiree, claimed there
is plenty of parking space available at the open-air carpark.
Mr Tong said there are more than 400 parking lots available at the
property.
According to the Hillington Green website, there are 480 apartments
in the condo.
The condominium's management council did not respond to The New
Paper's queries.
But other property management agents said that if the new rules
were passed properly at the AGM, the residents have to abide by
them.
They also said that parking issues are not uncommon in condominiums
here.
Most condos have rules for the number of cars that each household
is allowed to park on the premises.
Bigger units like penthouses may be entitled to more lots since
they pay more in maintenance fees and have more 'share value' -
that is, the share that an owner has in the common property of an
estate.
But bylaws could override that, if there is a shortage of parking
lots.
Mr Vijayen Nair, managing director of Philip Motha Property
Management, said condominiums in less high-end areas may allow
people to park more cars, as there may be fewer car owners among
the residents.
But not so in more upscale residences.
He said the family could try to find if there are any households
who are willing to give up their parking lots. They could then try
to work out a compromise.
He said the management council could also charge the Lims a monthly
fee for each additional car they parked.
Mr David Tham, managing director of Dawson Property Management,
said: "The question is, why must you have four cars there? You are
taking over a common area that also belongs to (others)."
He said in many newer developments, there is only enough parking
space for one car per household.
In the Lim's case, he said that if the bylaw has been passed
properly at an AGM, the Lims have to abide by it.
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