The long-standing recession in the housing industry has pushed the businessmen of this sector away from their own professionalism in many cases, as well as the confidence of ordinary buyers in this industry. It can be said that common people have already formed a negative attitude towards this industry. As a result, one is subjected to extreme confusion before purchasing a flat that he/she really needs and faces a lot of difficulty in making a decision due to lack of trust.
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By capitalizing the accumulated savings, a customer decides to buy a flat for himself. Because there are many gaps with the words of many companies and the actual work, and in particular, the dream of a buyer to build his own address is shattered! To avoid this situation, the flat buyer also has some responsibilities. The flat buyer has to take a very conscious decision. If you make a mistake in making a decision while buying a flat, it becomes very difficult to correct it. A brief description of the things that need to be taken into consideration before buying a flat is presented, hopefully everyone will benefit to some extent.
- In the project in which you are going to decide to purchase a flat, first take a photocopy of the design approved by the Rajuk / Chowk of the project and if possible keep a photocopy of the approved plan. It should be confirmed whether the design is actually approved by Rajuk/Chowk. The trend of construction of buildings without Rajuk/Chowk approval has reduced a lot but has not stopped completely. Different companies do more or less construction work outside of Rajuk/Chowk approval, which if you know will be helpful in decision making. Three points need attention.
First: The drawing of the building which is being presented as Rajuk / Chowk approved drawing, may be fake or fraudulently prepared. In this case, check whether the drawing is correct or not from the Rajuk/Chowk office. Help can also be taken from Rajuk’s / Chowk Wave site.
Second: In real sense, the Rajuk/Chowk may have approved a 7-storey building for a project, but in reality the building has been constructed with 8 floors. So flat constructed on 8th floor will be illegal. You must be sure whether you are buying such a flat. Many are being cheated by buying flats without verification.
Third: Few people understand the calculation of how many square feet each flat should be as per Rajuk/Chowk approval. Suppose a floor has a net area of 1200 square feet and 2 units per floor as per Rajuk / Chowk approval. That is, each unit will be 600 square feet. If you add the common area on the ground floor and above the roof as per the rules, the area of the flat will be more or less 700 square feet. In many cases, such flats are raised to 1100-1200 sq.ft., violating the rule of Rajuk/Chowk. In other words, if you calculate the salable area than the approved area of Rajuk / Chowk, almost a hundred percent increase! One must be careful in purchasing such flats.
- The most important aspect for the durability and life safety of the building is the structural design of the building. A fatal flaw in the structural design is believed to be one of the reasons for the collapse of the Rana Plaza in Savar. There should not be any weakness in the foundation, pillar and beam components. For this, it is necessary to check whether the structural design has been done by an experienced and professional engineer. You can know the name of the engineer who completed the structural design of the building and his professional registration number.
- The external shape and beauty of the building and the utility of the internal space are the main themes of architectural design. This work is done by an architect. The building’s entrance, movement, lighting and ventilation, up and down, layout of the entire space, interior details are all designed. Architectural design is very important to ensure the overall living environment of the building, fire safety etc. Fatal defects can remain in buildings without coordinated design by architects and engineers. Many buyers do not pay much attention to these factors and focus more on how low the flat can be bought. As a result, although it is possible to purchase a flat at a low price, many defects remain in the flat which is quite unsuitable for comfortable living. These factors must be taken into consideration when buying a flat. Find out the name of the architect who designed the architectural design of the building and his professional registration number.
- Know the actual amount of land, main flat area and common area measurement. Few organizations make it clear what the common area actually is. In this case, many are quite affected. Suppose you bought a flat at the price of Tk 4500 per square foot. If your flat area is more than 25 square feet then you have to pay extra Rs.1,12,500/-! However, you cannot naturally understand whether there is more than 25 square feet or not. In fact, the integrity of the company authorities is directly related to such matters. However, you must understand the detailed calculation (break up) of the square feet of flat area you will pay in writing. Find out how much space is actually allowed for light and air from the boundary wall to the main building.
- Collect a set of photocopies of all the plot or land documents and get them checked by an experienced person. Take a copy of the power of attorney along with the land documents. If these documents are not correct, you will not be able to receive a loan from the bank or any other institution. Even flat registration can be a hassle. In some cases flat registration may not be done. So this matter should be looked at very seriously.
- Find out if the company from which you will buy the flat has completed any projects in the past. Find out whether they have done project handover on time before? If a project has been completed then visit the project in person to know the quality of the project work. If necessary, take the help of someone experienced in this matter. Take a positive decision only if you like the quality of project work.
- Are you sure that you will be able to handover the project in which you will buy the flat on time? Do you think you can finish the project at all? Proceed only if you get a positive response. Although it is difficult to be sure, try to find out as much as possible.
- Find out whether the company from which you will buy the flat is a REHAB member and also know the membership number. If you are a Rehab member, you can help mediate any issues that arise.
- If the construction of the project from which you are thinking of buying a flat is going on, then take good information about the quality of the basic materials like – rod, cement, stone, sand, brick etc. in the project. Visit their projects in real life if necessary. Be well informed about the quality of basic goods as well as finishing goods. No matter how good the goods are, the work will never be of good quality if the supervision is not done by competent engineers. So it is necessary to know who supervises the work of the project on a daily basis.
- Many projects are seen to be started but not completed or the work is progressing very slowly. It is very difficult to say whether the flat will be handed over on time or not if you buy a flat in such a project. That is, the decision should be made considering when the project work started and whether its current status is consistent with the time or not.
- Are those who are in the management of the company professional in the related work? Their experience, competence, sincerity and honesty are very important factors, which you have to take into consideration. If the company managers are unprofessional in the related work, then you must think before contracting with them.
- Beyond the brief discussion above, there are many issues that need to be explored with wisdom and with someone’s help. The points presented here are expected to help a flat buyer to some extent in making a decision.
Mahmuda Akhter
Bangladesh Judge Court
