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Senior citizens look forward to peaceful retirement, not financial gain from en-bloc sales

Letter from Henry Lim
 
Handsome profits are the chief reason for en-bloc property sales having gained so much popularity.

In the early days, en-bloc sales were confined mainly to old developments, with developers also taking the opportunity to build up their land banks. Over recent years, however, the main motivation has become the huge monetary gain from such sales, regardless of the age of the development.

We have also seen attempts by homeowners going to court to stop such sales for personal reasons but without success, the argument being that the current law does not allow for personal reasons to override majority concerns.

The en bloc fever has, unfortunately, caused some uneasiness among senior citizens who have hoped to live out their retirement years in their present homes and who view relocation as unnecessary and disturbing. Some senior citizens have downgraded to small private apartments for practical reasons. It is thus very upsetting if they find themselves having to relocate years later.

My wife and I are among these. We recently moved to a small but comfortable apartment, hoping to live out our retirement without having to move again. Alas, we have just heard that our development is considering an en-bloc sale. We are very upset and anxious about what the future holds for us. I am sure many other senior citizens also harbour such anxieties, and look forward not to financial gain but to a peaceful retirement.

In this respect, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has taken the lead with its Selective Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) whereby new apartments are built to relocate affected HDB owners before any redevelopment starts. It has made the relocation process more acceptable and convenient, especially to older folks.

For private developments, I would like to suggest that a time bar be imposed before a development can be sold en bloc. Taking into consideration the needs of senior citizens and need for re-development of old properties, it would be reasonable to allow en-bloc sale if the building is more than 30 years old from date of completion.

This advance notice would allow all owners to plan for their future accommodation, whether they intend to buy for short, medium or long term. If a person is over 50 and looking for a home to stay in till his last days, he should then consider buying a new property which will at least give some certainty that en-bloc sale will not take place for the next 30 years.

I strongly feel that the authorities should review current rules governing en-bloc sale, to give due weightage to the concerns of senior citizens, while at the same time not stifle future redevelopment.

Source : Today - 28 Feb 2007