Can sport coaches use condo facilities to teach outsiders?

SPORT coaches, such as those for swimming, tennis and yoga, are usually registered with a condo's management council. They are allowed to coach only residents of that particular estate, and usually only during specific off-peak hours.

Complications begin when some classes need to have a high number of sign-ups before they can commence. Some residents get around this by getting friends or relatives living elsewhere to make up the numbers.

This creates a loophole for coaches to exploit, say managing agents.

Mr Chan Kok Hong, managing director of CKH Strata Management, says: 'Coaches do take advantage and use private condo facilities for (their own gain) if uncontrolled.

'They disguise this by getting one or two students who live in the condo and then recruiting many outsiders.'

Other condo owners point out that policing can be difficult, especially if the residents sign the outsiders in as guests.

Parc Oasis chairman Lim Taik Leong says: 'The priority should go to residents of the estate. Where there are insufficient students, the coach can bring in outsiders, but the ratio has to be 80 per cent residents and 20 per cent outsiders.

'If the activity coached is very popular, residents take precedence over the outsiders.'

Sometimes, the issue of coaching may not involve outsiders at all. At the Tropica condominium in Tampines, adults who wanted to play tennis in the evenings found themselves crowded

out by children having tennis lessons. The adults argued that the children should be coached at other hours, but agreement could not be reached.

After some mediation, both sides compromised with coaching taking place alongside normal tennis games.

Source: Straits Times, 1 Aug 2009