Lessons From The Id Selection Process

[zhiz 4]

just wondering....is it necessary for the ID firm to get registered to HDB?

if a ID firm did not register, what does it indicate? is it "safe" to use one that has not registered?

at least you know they are licensed to do what they need to do accordingly to guideline and chance of them run road is lower.

[monk8 1]

at least you know they are licensed to do what they need to do accordingly to guideline and chance of them run road is lower.

oh..i thought if they registered the company, run road already lower..dont know that registered with HDB would mean that as well.

[wizi 0]

]My ID firm is a registered Pte Ltd company, but not yet registered with the HDB due to a one-year rule it needs to fulfill. It's a new firm less than 1 year old, they said they will apply for HDB licence for the works using another licensee's name. I decided to mention this in the agreement so that it's clear cut in case of disputes in later years -- HDB said they will only look to the registered licensee to make good any problem with the renovations, not the ID firm even if ID firm later get it's own registration.

[Sgmel 0]

i did not keep the quote, but i know their prices are not the cheapest.

we spent 65k for the reno, excluding appliances. they were about $3-4k more expensive.

i decided to go with them as it was recommended by my friend. and after seeing my friend's reno and showflats done by them.

they brought me to Orchard Scotts showflats.... those were awesome... but i do not have so much money to spend on my reno

the first two pictures are my friend's house in joo chiat

Uploaded at Picoodle.com

Uploaded at Picoodle.com

this is my house

Hi Chatmng,

Your house looks cool, can share ur ID contact? I'm collecting my house key next month. Thanks!

[zhiz 4]

hope that this thread is still useful to forumers.

[ClearValley 0]

That wall clock is awesome. Can I ask where you bought it?

[davon 0]

Chatmng: Is yours a private estate?

Edited March 25, 2013 by davon

[lichtleiter 0]

Hi Zhiz,

Can you pm me the ID and contact? Thanks

[lymmlim 0]

i did not keep the quote, but i know their prices are not the cheapest.

we spent 65k for the reno, excluding appliances. they were about $3-4k more expensive.

i decided to go with them as it was recommended by my friend. and after seeing my friend's reno and showflats done by them.

they brought me to Orchard Scotts showflats.... those were awesome... but i do not have so much money to spend on my reno

the first two pictures are my friend's house in joo chiat

Uploaded at Picoodle.com

Uploaded at Picoodle.com

this is my house

Hi,

Can you pm methe id and cntact ? Thanks.

[chatmng 0]

That wall clock is awesome. Can I ask where you bought it?

ikea alexandra

[chatmng 0]

Chatmng: Is yours a private estate?

condo in amk

[suguz 0]

hi zhiz, mind to share the contact of uour ID? thanks

[xienqi 3]

hi zhiz, mind to share the contact of uour ID? thanks

[xienqi 3]

Hello all,

First time posting.

Would like to share my experience with my house project with ID. I have a landed property and was looking for a minor reno which changed to A&A and now reconstruction. I am living in China and therefore this was made more complicated due to the distance and use of emails.

I first engaged an ID to start wit. The first sign of trouble was the first agreement which was provided by the ID. The agreement was one sided written in complete favor of the ID. I proposed using a RADAC agreement which the ID agreed. Then the ID sent me the RADAC version with her prices inserted. It was a good thing I read the agreement because the ID amended major parts of the RADAC agreement in favor of the ID. I objected and stated we should stick to the original wordings of the RADAC agreement. At the end, we used the original RADAC version but now the ID attached the quotation with a contradicting set of terms and conditions. Again it was fortunate that i read the final version and amended accordingly.

I should have known something was wrong with the integrity of this ID then but for the sake of time, I continued with her. When I decided to change the scope from a reno to an A&A, I asked the ID to recommend her architect and engineer. Her recommendation gave me a quotation of 74K for the standard work scope of architect and engineer for an A&A job. I decided to check around and got 2 other quotes, both of which came in at 25K, and their work scope had additional items included as part of the 25K.

In between, there were dissatisfaction with the quality of the drawings and her availability and at the end, I terminated the ID services by serving notice and asked for refund of my money, an amount of 7.4K out of 9.9K paid. This is catered for in the RADAC contract which states that cause must be given for termination, and work already done to notice of termination date to be paid.

The work done then by the ID was for about 15 drawings of which some of which was hand sketched, and also not drawn to scale. The drawings were revisions of the 2 initial versions. For your information, the agreement was signed in Sept 2012, and I terminated the ID in March 2013, and the house project as of today has not been started, other than the architect design and approvals, all done by the architect and engineer.

The ID did not refund me the money and claimed that she had done work that is worth about almost 9K based on the drawings.

I am now seeking legal recourse to get my money back. I also went to CASE which was a complete waste of time because all CASE did was send 2 letters to the ID and acted as a postbox for me.

Lesson Learned Here.

Always read your contract / agreement and ensure the T&C are fair and balanced, not in favor of either parties.

If one party is seen reluctant to change or acts in a underhanded manner, drop the deal immediately.

Always check your quotations prices. Make sure you are able to benchmark.

Do not assume word of mouth is good, always check and double check your contract.

As I am seeking legal means to get my money back, I will not reveal the ID name but you can send me an email.

Also, for those who need more information on the process, parties and cost involved in a complete reconstruction of a landed property, I will be more than willing to help.

[greglhc 30]

Xienqi, thanks for relating your experience. It is very valuable insight for newbies like me.