Owners Have Multiple Problems With Homes in China’s Award-Winning New Community

A Chinese home buyer makes inquiries about a new apartment project on display at a real estate fair in Yichang, central China's Hubei Province on May 18, 2012. (AFP/AFP/GettyImages)

More than 200 homeowners say their newly built condos in an award-winning community in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, have a variety of quality issues, including cracked ceilings and walls. However, the developer refuses to fix the problems, claiming that they are commonly found construction problems or the warranty has expired.

Buyer Sheng Kai received the keys to his new home in June; yet, has still not moved in.

Sheng told Chinese media The Paper on Nov. 23 that during the visual inspection after completion of the unit in June, he found a long and narrow crack in the ceiling of all three bedrooms and the living room. In addition, the floor was black with mold, some ceramic tiles had popped up, metal hardware was rusty, the rubber sealant around the doors and windows had cracks and showed signs of oxidation, and the insulation material over the balcony was exposed.

He scraped off a thin layer of paint and looked at the ceiling cracks. Each crack was between 9 and 12 feet long and wide enough for a postcard to be inserted.

According to Sheng, the community homeowner’s association collected feedback from all the buyers, and more than 200 households reported significant problems such as cracks and water leaks.

Developer’s Response

After Sheng filed a complaint with the developer, someone looked at his unit and told him: “These are very common quality problems in construction. The workers probably did not do well in curing the concrete, which would result in the cracks.”

The customer service rep also said cracks are a common problem. “These are not considered serious problems,” he said.

Another condo owner also reported ceiling cracks, but the developer refused to make repairs because “the warranty has expired.”

Sheng and other owners set up a social media group to discuss what they could do to ensure their rights, but haven’t made much progress in dealing with the developer.

Someone in the group said, “This condo is such a headache, I feel like crying.”

‘Excellence in Construction’ Awards

Ironically, the developer of this new community received the “Excellence in Construction” award in 2018 and 2019.

In the comments section of The Paper article, netizens asked, “How did the judges of the award assess the construction quality?” “Did they receive bribes?”

“What was the supervision bureau doing when the awards were granted and when the complaints were filed?”