The condo carpark crunch

Car-owning condominium residents can get into lots of trouble.

That happens when the number of cars owned exceeds the number of parking spaces allocated to them.

A recent dispute involved a family unhappy with new condo rules that forbid them to park all four of their cars on-site. They live in Hillington Green in Hillview Avenue.

They had faced no such limit when they moved into their penthouse in 2002, said a family member who wanted to be known as Mrs Lim.

The dispute escalated last month when security guards turned away their Mercedes S-Class. Police were called in to mediate.

Managing agents of condos said they increasingly have to find ways to accommodate residents with two or more cars.

In the past, after allocating each family a space, they still had enough for those with more than one car.

But more families became multiple car owners as the price of certificates of entitlement to own a car stayed below $20,000 in recent years.

Mr Derek Soh, a regional director at real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle, said a common practice now is to charge residents a fee to park their second or third vehicle.

Some residents may then think twice about owning more cars, or find another place to park.

The Sunday Times understands the monthly charge can be $50 to $100. The Centris, above Jurong Point shopping centre in Boon Lay, charges $270.

Balloting was used by one condo in Bukit Timah that Mr Soh’s firm previously managed. About 40 people vied for 30 spaces for their additional cars.

‘We balloted every quarter but people felt there was no certainty because for one quarter they had a space; for the next quarter, they didn’t,’ he said.

Allowing residents to park overnight along some driveways in the estate is another solution, said Mr Chan Kok Hong, managing director of CKH Strata Management.

A handful of the 105 condominiums it manages does so.

He also proposed a device that can stack cars vertically.

He estimates one machine occupying one parking space would cost about $10,000, excluding maintenance. The cost could be recouped by charging residents a fee to use it.

However, he is not aware of any condo here doing this.

While some older condos have 15 per cent more parking spaces than homes, those built in the past five years just meet the government standard of one space for each home.

A rule change in 2005 allowed condos within 400m of an MRT or LRT station, or in the Central Business District, to have up to 20 per cent fewer spaces.

Centro Residences, near Ang Mo Kio MRT station, will have 260 spaces for 329 units.

Waterbank @ Dakota, near Dakota MRT station, will have 554 spaces for 616 units.

Both are due to be ready in the next five years.

Some industry observers question the 2005 rule: Home buyers may choose to live near an MRT station not because they do not want to own a car, but for the convenience of their children. Such projects may face parking woes in the future.

For those who want worry-free parking, Mr Chan suggests condos popular with expatriates. They tend not to own cars.

The Lims, however, are staying put in Hillington Green and have engaged a lawyer. Their condo has 480 units and 492 parking spaces.

The new rules passed internally last September allow each home to have only one space. Those who have a second car, can park it in the estate until they sell it.

Mrs Lim said her family is prepared to give up one car and pay for the additional spaces.

Source: Sunday Times, 18 Apr 2010