Residents eat a handful of accusations against one of Lithuania’s biggest real estate developers: we face incomprehensible problems

Joy is overshadowed by worries

The joy of a new home can be overshadowed by various misunderstandings. Residents most often complain about the quality of the building, the shortcomings of the construction, the culture of communication between developers and customers. The story of Aistė from Vilnius (his real name and surname are known to the editorial board), which he shared with Delfi, covers practically all the problems faced by a frequent settler. According to the interlocutor, the residents of the “Bosque Ardai” project developed by the real estate company “Citus” faced not only the poor quality of the buildings, but also construction deficiencies, which, according to the woman, the developer avoids correcting.

Although this project is in a very good location, current and future residents face incomprehensible problems from the beginning: frequent lack of water, cracked walls, construction delays of more than a year, insufficient housing to grant bank credit, shared artificially inflated bills (up to 150 euros per apartment), no sound insulation, cold bridges because the existing underfloor heating is half as rare as it should be in the project, housing record as 100 percent. late completion, very poor communication with residents, non-compliance with conditions, etc. ”Writes the Vilnius resident in the letter.

Aistė goes on to say that the owners try to communicate with the developers, they try to stay in contact with responsible people, but the problems are solved very slowly or not solved at all, they are bypassed.

“For example, the house is heated by gas and steam or smoke is constantly coming out of the boiler room, where the residents on the first floor are suffocating. This is normal for the developer and he does not see any problems. Also, the partitions installed by the developer in the apartments are completely of poor quality. Fluctuations can be felt when leaning on them. The water in the house is constantly disappearing or its heating is altered ”, the interlocutor mentions the problems and adds that there are more problems.

According to the interviewee, the developer is approximately one year behind in the construction of Phase II of the project. According to her, today the foundations of the apartment building have only begun. This is important for the residents of the first stage of the project, because according to Aistė, only after the completion of the construction of the second stage will 100% of the multi-apartment building be registered. I complete it. So right now, the settlers may be living illegally in their homes.

“The Phase I apartment building is already inhabited, but its registration has been postponed until Phase II is built, but Phase II is delayed, so Phase I residents cannot register their home 100 %. This means that they cannot fully dispose of your property. People who have reserved apartments in apartment block II cancel their reservations because construction is delayed, ”says the woman, adding that the developer can raise the prices of the apartments in stage II, whose reservations are canceled.

Ensures that communication is sufficient

Delfi Būstas asked for the comments of the Citus real estate on the complaints of the neighbors. According to the company’s response, communication with customers is continuous, the company does not feel that residents receive very little information.

“We communicate with our clients on a regular basis, both in regular newsletters and additional letters and other means of communication. It is true that due to the current difficult circumstances and quarantine restrictions, we are unable to organize regular face-to-face meetings, but we invite customers to communicate virtually. Our management and customer service company is in constant communication with future residents. Every week, they send 3-4 information emails only to Miško ardai customers, personally respond to about 50 letters, at least 25 to 35 calls, etc. So, we communicate a lot, “says the company in the letter.

The developer’s response also indicates that work is underway on both the first and second stages of Forest Arms.

“Of course, they are more intense in the second: the building of the new project is located here. There is an ‘exit from the foundation pit’, a parking deck has been installed, and construction works on the ground floor are already in progress. running and have only stopped for a short time since last summer, during the cold month of February. There have been several challenges, especially due to quarantines, epidemics in contractors, supply chains and other places, but the fact that construction does not start in the second phase is not true ”, says the company.

Project registration will take time

For Phase I registration, residents are eligible. The developer explains that the record of the complete completion of the construction of Phase I is related and not related to the construction of Phase II. According to the developer, only formally missing the full completion of the documentation of the installed infrastructure (water supply and sewerage networks, Burbiški calle street section with all its infrastructure) for the Vilnius city municipality for registration of completion of the first stage.

“The infrastructure is common for Phases I and II. However, the procedure for calculating and assigning the infrastructure fee, which came into force at the beginning of this year, has shuffled the cards. Under the new procedure, when the municipality transfers the infrastructure already installed, its installation costs are not reimbursed by infrastructure fees paid by other developers, so the company developing Forest Ards decided not to rush to transfer the infrastructure and to do it together with the end of the second stage. These (indeed longer) terms of infrastructure transfer are also provided for in the infrastructure development agreement signed with the municipality. Banks financing “Forest Ardai” home buyers are informed about the situation; agreed with them to avoid economic losses to clients All other work required for the completion record on the project they will be completed on time ”, explains the company.

The developer adds that the prices of Phase II apartments are increasing, but this is related to the increase in property prices in Lithuania.

“All the media are talking about the fact that house prices are going up. It is not uncommon for prices to differ in the first and subsequent stages of a project: the general level of real estate prices is increasing, construction is becoming more expensive, etc. However, as we mentioned, it is not true that construction is not being carried out ”, the company assures.

Work can cause inconvenience to residents.

The final stages of testing, finishing and wellness installation of the systems are being carried out in the first stage of the Forest Arms, so some inconveniences, according to the company, are an inevitable part of it.

“The water supply was shut off to test the system and correct any deficiencies observed. There have been a couple of cases where we did not inform customers on time about the water cut, so we are very sorry about that, but the process itself should not come as a surprise. At the moment, the tests have been completed, the system is ready to function normally ”, the reply reads.

According to the developer, with regard to wall cracks (up to 5 mm wide according to current legislation and its requirements), they can be classified as microcracks as a natural consequence of the “stabilization” of new building structures: “Such microcracks not exceeding 1-2 mm wide, in the stairs and apartments that we have registered. All contactees are registered and monitored to detect increases or stabilization. They can occur both from the “walking” of the walls of the house, as well as from vibrations caused by the finishing work in progress of the interior of the apartments, as well as by the loads of materials added to the supporting structures of the apartments. Upon completion of all work, cracks will be removed in accordance with company operating procedures, which are classified as above normal microcrack limits. We cannot comment on the partitions of the apartments due to lack of information. We carry out all the work according to the project and requirements, construction supervision and quality control are carried out on a regular basis ”.

The developer also responded to the issue with visible fumes. Based on the response, an inexpensive heating system is installed in the project. Equipped boilers are heated with gas. According to the company, when gas is burned, water vapor is released, which condenses at lower temperatures and is visible to the naked eye.

“The current solution for the release of these vapors is contemplated in the project, which was prepared and approved by all the well-known institutions by a renowned team of architects. Three steam chimneys were installed outside the parking lot, but in the coldest times, when the temperature had dropped well below zero and the steam breeze was directed towards the façade of the buildings, the “aesthetics” of this solution it was accentuated. We can adjust the current solution only to the extent that, when the climate and the ground warms, we are considering (to the extent that technological solutions allow) to move the vapor emissions even further away from the homes: they will be separated from the facade for about 8 m. Meanwhile, in the other stages of the project, where the boiler houses are projected next to the facade of the building, we change the project on our own and the chimneys will be installed up to the top of the roof ridge. It will be a more expensive but more aesthetic solution. Unfortunately, in the first stage of the project, it is no longer possible to bring the chimneys to the ridge ”, explains the comment.

Delfi Būstas recalls that in Lithuania the 5-year warranty applies to all visible elements of the building: walls, floors, roof, etc. The 10-year warranty applies to hidden building elements (structures, pipes, etc.), the 20-year warranty applies to intentionally hidden defects. It is true that the warranty is valid only for the work performed by the developer or his contractor.