(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-08 10:52

It is not unusual for house buyers to find that their compounds are not constructed according to the blueprint they were showed. The changes made are always in the interests of the developers.

It could be insufficient green areas or service facilities, or even houses rented for commercial use, not shown in the blueprint.

Ministry of Construction statistics show that about 80 percent of developers in Beijing make changes to the blueprints of their construction projects after being approved by the municipal urban planning department.

Officials from the ministry said earlier in the week that developers must make public the changes they are going to make and have the necessary permission to do so.

Currently, there is no specific law that prohibits developers from making changes to approved blueprints, however there is a section on the management of urban real estate that stipulates all urban real estate supervisory departments must ensure developers have followed approved blueprints.

This means that developers have no right to change approved blueprints without permission from the relevant urban planning departments.

But the reality is that many developers are taking advantage of the loopholes in the law while the watchdogs turn a blind eye.

As a result, complaints from house owners and disputes between them and developers are on the increase.

The new property law that takes effect on October 1, will hopefully, make a difference.