The Taipei City Government would help residents examine presale housing contracts and publish data to give prospective buyers sufficient information about the housing market in the capital, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday.
People can look at blueprints, models and sample homes before buying a presale units, but they might have trouble identifying “traps” in contracts due to information asymmetry, Taipei Department of Land Administration Deputy Commissioner Wang Jui-yun (王瑞雲) said.
The city government has received a lot of requests for assistance in presale housing purchases, so it is launching a three-step program to help people feel safer when signing contracts, Chiang said.
Photo: Tsai Ya-hua, Taipei Times
First, the city would provide a pre-examination service in which the department would examine the reservation agreement and purchase contract to make sure they meet mandatory and prohibitory rules, and do not have unfavorable terms for buyers, he said.
Second, it would accelerate the review process, shortening it from about 30 to eight days, Chiang said, adding that construction data reported by the developer would be automatically forwarded to the central government’s presale housing information report system to improve efficiency.
To save time, the department would begin examining the reservation agreement and purchase contract after a property developer applies for a construction permit and before it gets the green light, the department said.
Third, the city would publish information, including data on the construction project, the reservation agreement and the purchase contract, allowing prospective buyers to see accurate data online at the department’s Web site (househunt.land.gov.taipei) before a purchase, Chiang said.
The three steps would make the transaction process more transparent and safer for buyers, he said.
Coupled with the five-step plan for urban renewal that the city government launched previously, the multifaceted approach would hopefully make Taipei a more friendly and livable city, he added.
The city government is demolishing an apartment building in Wenshan District (文山) as part of an urban renewal project, Chiang said, adding that the project includes social housing and buildings integrated with MRT construction, so it would benefit public welfare.
The demolition is being carried out according to the law and the vast majority of households that agreed to the project hope to move in as soon as possible, so the city government is taking appropriate action, he said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department
RSS