‘I shouldn’t have to repair their problems’
I AM a regular subscriber to The Star and am amazed at how you help many people in distress.
My problem is I purchased a unit in the Douglasdale Retirement Village in February 2013.
As per the contract, they should repair any defects within a five-year period. I have had a few problems which I have repaired at my own expense.
My biggest problem now is the cracked tiles in my lounge and kitchen.
Basically I have been to a lawyer, letters have been sent to Wilco-prop and Central Development, but I’ve had no response at all. Initially, they came here to look but that is the last I have heard from them. Their representatives offered me R13 000 (which is the cost to lift the tiles), but then I would have to buy my own tiles. That I rejected.
These developers have not been fair to the elderly. I love my home but I shouldn’t have to repair their problems. They sell you the unit and walk away. People who buy into future developments should be advised that all that sales talk means nothing.
Yvonne Walsh
Georgie: I contacted Central Development, who told me they had reached a settlement with Mrs Walsh. Alda Erasmus, their communications manager, said: “We have been aware of Mrs Walsh’s issue since July 2017 and have actively been engaging with herself and her lawyer since then.
There have been a few developments since she sent you her letter… we are happy to report that we have reached an amicable solution and that the matter has been settled. When your enquiry came through to my division, the issue was brought to the attention of the MD, who expedited the matter as soon as he reviewed the facts of the matter himself.
I am glad that your enquiry did come through to me and that we were able to get it resolved for Mrs Walsh, because even though we were not responsible for the repairs according to the contract, we do take our business, the quality of our products and our relationships with our clients very seriously and sometimes we do have to go the extra mile for them.
Mrs Walsh might have confused her unit’s five-year NHBRC warranty for structural defects as an agreement that the developer is liable for repairs for five years after she has taken ownership, which from the clauses in the contract regarding repairs is clearly not the case.”