Developers dash Trivelis residents’ compensation hopes

SINGAPORE — Following a dialogue with their Member of Parliament and the chairman of the pro tem Residents’ Committee (RC), residents at Trivelis said yesterday that they were still holding out hope that the developer would offer a recourse package for defects in their units and common areas.

However, any hope of compensation was quickly dashed by the developer, EL Development.

“There were requests from the committee for a recourse package during the meeting, but we did not agree as we felt that we should not be liable as we have built Trivelis in accordance to specifications and approved plans. However, we are willing to discuss with the committee about how we can assist the residents out of good will,” the developer told TODAY.

The developer of the Design, Build and Sell Scheme project did not attend the dialogue despite being invited, as it preferred to address residents’ concerns individually.

Speaking to reporters after the dialogue, Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Sim Ann said she and her team had been able to find solutions for residents on issues relating to parking, service and conservancy charges, as well as the building of additional pedestrian walkways.

“When it comes to issues within the unit, my view is that defects must be rectified. At the same time, there are some issues that may or may not be considered defects, but nevertheless have caused our residents quite a bit of heartache,” said Ms Sim, who is Minister of State for Health and Communication and Information.

She added: “Just yesterday, we managed to arrange a (face-to-face) meeting between the developer and our interim committee, and the developer indicated to us that it is willing to consider some sort of package or gesture to address this sort of issues that our residents have brought up. I think this is a step in the right direction, but I would reserve my comments until we see what the offer entails.”

Mr Kevin Teh, who chairs the pro tem RC, said the committee will be meeting the developer to further discuss the matter.

“This will be communicated ... once it’s ready to residents, but we will work with them closely to ensure residents’ input is being heard as well,” he added.

Having to delay the move to her new unit by a few months because of the defects, resident Geraldine Ng felt the developer should offer some cash compensation to cover additional costs of renovation.

However, another resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Wang, acknowledged that monetary compensation is unlikely. Still, he hopes for improvements such as the fixing of common corridors that are prone to flooding when it rains.