Renovation Issues With Nonsensical Mcst 'requirements'

[Guest Shirlee Lim]

Hi

recently going to start renovating my just purchased 30 year old condo unit. my ID is facing some ridiculous demand for repeated permit applications.

this is what i gather from ID:

1. the mcst manager demands that the renovation can only have 4 days for noisy works throughout the whole renovation. how is that humanly possible?

2. upon each application, they will take 4 days to approve. effectively it means 3 days of sitting there and can't do anything. this will cause serious delays in my renovation.

3. the manager claims that it is the "rule". even small knocking beyond the approved period , he came up and demanded them to stop work.

4. from what i gather, no other mcst that my ID has worked with have this ridiculous demand.

i will try to talk to him personally. i have no such information when i purchase this condo other than the regular "çannot change window" stuff in the Renovation Guidelines i got when i purchased the unit.

if talks fail, what are my options? is there a regulatory board that i can approach to get things sorted out? i can't be at his mercy and at entertain his whip and whim right?

hope someone can help me as i have no experience with this. his demands sounds very "personal"to me.

I am willing to consider legal recourse if its not too costly.

Shirlee

[Lauer 15]

A legal process is only useful when you could claim for damages (money) because the apartment could not be renovated due to the unreasonable behavior of MCST. I think that the Strata Board has no legal mean to hear this kind of complaint, so it should be more of a civil suit of Owner vs MCST.

I would advise working this out with MCST, or via some committee members who are sympathetic to your situation.

Good luck!

[nerrad 7]

If I were you I will write to MOM and get a written reply to confirm that it is common (must have been stated somewhere) to allow construction noise to happen from Monday to Friday during working hours. I'll then forward the written reply to the MCST as a proof.

Four days is unheard of.

[mangadoctor 0]

Hi Shirlee

I am also having the exact same problems in my current condo. It is also 20-30 years old, we have just started reno work, and my ID is having to face the same ridiculous demands by the MCST. We were only given 3 days for noisy reno work, and now we have to delay the completion of our hacking by another week because we have to re-apply for another permit (which requires 1 week to be approved)!

Do you mind sharing which condo is this, and how did you get on with your renovation. Thanks!

[nerrad 7]

On 26 July 2015 at 0:23 PM, mangadoctor said:

Hi Shirlee

I am also having the exact same problems in my current condo. It is also 20-30 years old, we have just started reno work, and my ID is having to face the same ridiculous demands by the MCST. We were only given 3 days for noisy reno work, and now we have to delay the completion of our hacking by another week because we have to re-apply for another permit (which requires 1 week to be approved)!

Do you mind sharing which condo is this, and how did you get on with your renovation. Thanks!

3 days is unreasonable and they do not have the right to enforce that.