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6 Ways To Avoid Losing Money On Your Dream Home Renovation

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6 Ways To Avoid Losing Money On Your Dream Home Renovation

August 23, 2016

When you’re excitedly waiting to move into your dream home, the last thing you need is your renovation contractor bailing on you. But in reality, that’s exactly what many local homeowners have been facing.

6 Ways To Avoid Losing Money On Your Dream Home Renovation

The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) received 1,447 complaints against renovation contractors last year, and there have been 800 complaints in the first half of this year alone. What’s worse, among the cases that were filed with CASE in 2015, only slightly over half were resolved!

The most common complaints by homeowners were:

1) Failure to honour contractual obligations
2) Unsatisfactory services

Affected homeowners believed that the contractors knew their clients wouldn’t take legal action against them because of the expense.

One such unfortunate couple, Mr and Mrs Alan, paid 90 per cent of the total cost of $70,000 to interior designers from Sense Ideas Designs over four weeks, with the renovation of their condo in Telok Kurau due to last six to eight weeks. They had planned to give their daughter a “health conscious” environment to play in, complete with a small gym area and a rock-climbing wall.

Mr Alan, 33, a podiatrist, says, “We shortlisted five companies and we didn’t choose this one because it was the cheapest, but because they seemed to get our concept.”

The IDs initially asked for an extension in the completion of the project, but eventually texted the couple saying they were in financial difficulty and could not continue.

The couple made a police report and turned to CASE for help, but to no avail. They then turned to a debt recovery company but have yet to receive a cent back. Mr Alan’s wife, a sales manager, says, “The first couple of weeks, we had sleepless nights. There was tension. But now, we have to move on.”

They have sent a letter of demand to the company through a lawyer and are waiting to hear back. They also had to extend their lease on the Guillemard Road condominium apartment they have been renting. On top of the monthly rent, they have had to fork out close to another $50,000 to hire another contractor to finish the job.

“A month later, everything seemed to stop. We saw the same loose wire hanging in the kitchen every time we went.”

Another homeowner, Ms Kasthuri, 27, a regulatory affairs specialist, lost $28,000 to a renovation contractor too. She and her husband had been referred to a contractor and arranged to meet him at a showroom. However, when they arrived, only his colleague was there so they discussed their ideas with him. This man they spoke to left the company shortly after, but as he already knew what they wanted and had given them a quotation within their $30,000 budget, they hired him.

This was a mistake. For the first month, they would check on the progress of their Sembawang flat and see things moving.

“A month later, everything seemed to stop. We saw the same loose wire hanging in the kitchen every time we went,” Ms Kasthuri said.  They got suspicious was the contractor did not turn up at an appointment, despite many calls. Eventually, he told the couple he couldn’t continue the project as he was taking care of his fiancee’s father who was dying in hospital.

“We felt sorry, but that didn’t mean he could just not complete what was in our contract,” she said.

When the couple took him to the Small Claims Tribunal, the judge told him to pay the couple $6,000, which he allegedly failed to do. Ms Kasthuri’s parents-in-law eventually paid another contractor $20,000 to complete the renovation.

Protect yourself against errant contractors and avoid losing hard-earned money on your dream home renovation with 6 top tips from CASE:

https://www.womensweekly.com.sg/gallery/family/6-ways-avoid-losing-money-home-renovation/
6 Ways To Avoid Losing Money On Your Dream Home Renovation
1. Get a contractor via a reputable source
image

Consider an accredited contractor from CaseTrust. While this doesn’t guarantee that there won’t be any problems, consumers are assured of the availability of dispute resolution measures.

Photo: Screenshot from CaseTrust
2. Consider using a model agreement
image

Click here to see one on Home Renovation provided by CASE.

3. Avoid making full payment upfront
image

Payment for services should be rendered progressively as the renovation continues.

Mr Adrian Wee, a commercial litigation lawyer, says his firm sees three to four cases every month of homeowners whose renovation contractors go missing or leave the project incomplete. When those who have lost $40,000 or less check with him, he asks them to reconsider as the legal fees may not justify the risk and cost, he says.

He advises being stricter in payment terms,

“For example, if the work if 40 per cent done, you’d want to have paid 45 or 50 per cent at the maximum, not 80 per cent.”

4. Know where to go should problems arise
image

Know your dispute resolution avenues. Besides CASE, consumers can also lodge a claim via the Small Claims Tribunals. Note details like claim amount limits and one-year time limits.

5. Pay careful attention to what's on the contract
image

The contract agreement should reflect clear, itemised billing and listing of products and services.

6. Don't commit so quickly
image

Obtain different quotations before committing to a service package so that you’ll be less vulnerable to misrepresentation, overcharging and pressure sales tactics.

For more home tips, see 8 Simple Ways To Update Your Living Room For Less Than $40, 8 Modern HDB Maisonettes You’ll Want To Live In and 10 Beautiful And Functional Ideas For Tiny HDB Kitchens.

Text: Jalelah Abu Baker, The Straits Times / Additional Reporting: Elizabeth Liew
Photos: Pixabay

  • TAGS:
  • CASE
  • home design
  • home renovation
  • money
  • save money
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