PDI - unit is great but Balcony is in terrible shape - advice needed

[CityLover]

Recently a purchaser at new condo had his PDI and he was very pleased with basically everything in his unit, except the balcony.
"I did have a major issue with the shape my balcony was in and was wondering if anybody else may have had a similar problem. Not only dirty, but cracking and chipping on my floor and a big crack on the balcony above me. I mentioned to Tim, the inspector from Plazacorp and he said that Berkley, the property management company, would have to address, as technically it is a common space. He said it may have to come out of pooled maintenance funds. I called Berkley and they told me to contact Susan Tegelberg at Plazacorp. I emailed her and am awaiting her response. Please take note of your balcony condition and make it known that you do not feel it right to be delivered in poor condition, only to have pooled maintenance fees address it. This is a new building and as such, the balcony should be in 'new' condition and not look like it has 10 years of wear on it.
Is this correct? That it is not the responsibility of the builder??
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Pretzel]

As far as I understand, this is the builder’s responsibility! Even if the balcony is considered “common space†(which it should not) this issue should be addressed by the builder, the WHOLE building is under warranty. From Tarion’s web site - http://www.tarion.com/HOME/Warranty+Protection/Warranty+Coverage/ “New home owners benefit from One Year Warranty Protection and Two Year Warranty Protection against defects in work and materials, and Seven Year Warranty Protection against major structural defects (MSD).â€

You / Condo Board shouldn’t have to be dipping in your building fund already to fix this issue, the builder better not get away with this!!!

 

[SpadinaBus]

It is absolutely a common element deficiency that once your board is actually established upon turnover, they will have to deal with it under a Tarion inspection. Typically, a board will hire a third party firm to assist them in the review of common elements. Unfortunately, the repairs by the developer/contractor, especially cosmetic ones, can be YEARS before they are completed. It is a poor system and a slow one.
S'Bus

 

[mr9320t]

Sorry to bring back from dead

Hi guys,
I'm new here. For some reason I can't create a new thread, but can respond to other. This is the closest thread google gave me to my question.

we recently moved into our new condo built by Liberty. Overall, we're really happy with the build quality. We could only find 11 minor deficiencies (scratches here and there) and 1 major (my question).

The 1 major one is the fact that our "upgrade" was not completed. During the time our condo was being built, they offered to show us our unit while it was still being built. So we put on our hard hats and went up. There was no hardwood or carpet yet - just concrete floor.

Our condo's "work order" was taped on to the balcony window. Took a quick glance and noticed it said "Bedroom - carpet". I questioned this, and the guy said "oh yes, I forgot to give them the updated form. I'll do that as soon as we go back down".

6 months later, it's time for a PDI. We drop in, and the first thing we notice: CARPET IN THE BEDROOM!! We obviously wrote it down on the list, but I also went down to tell the same guy I told 6 months prior. He looked shocked.

Me: "I just finished the PDI and noticed carpet in the bedroom, I thought you gave them the updated work sheet which states it should be hardwood throughout?"

Rep: "Yes, I did...here is the e-mail....ohhhhh....it bounced back"

Me: "My close is in 12 days, will be done? I have a bed, mattress, dresser, etc to move in"

Rep: "Yes, I'll get on it now"

Me: "Thanks..I appreciate it"


So, we closed our condo last week, and have our mattress in the living room because WE STILL HAVE CARPET!

They are not even giving me an estimate as to when i can expect to get the bedroom done. The walk-in closet is in the bedroom to, so we've been literally living out of the living room so they can do the hardwood upgrade.

Questions:
1. Is there anything we can do to get them to speed this up? We paid a good $3000 for the upgrade, just to get matching hardwood.

2. How long do they have to correct this? My close was on March 27th

3. If it goes past the 30 days, is it only up to Tarion for the next 120days?

4. Worst case, can I get my money back for job not completed?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Josef]

You have to be aggressive to the developer/builder. Did you contact them already? Perhaps you can go
in person to their office. Keep talking to the staff. Find out where the project manager is.

 

[rbt]

2. How long do they have to correct this? My close was on March 27th

A very long time legally and some builders are better than others.

Great Gulf replaced all hardware flooring in my unit (very damaged) between the PDI and my move-in date one week later.

Lanterra (8 years ago) was somewhat less of a pleasant experience. Took a few weeks in December to replace a broken window in the bedroom. I fixed the drywall that got smashed around the window myself.

I am interested in knowing how long it takes to fix and who the developer is.

 

[mr9320t]

Thanks.
The builder is Liberty, and the units themselves were done by Kantium Home (poshcondos.ca). The layout is actually very, very nice, and workmanship is pretty good. Materials used are also of decent quality. We couldn't find many deficiencies, and the few we did find were fixed before close.

I called them yesterday. They are waiting for shipment of hardwood still. They told me it will be arriving on April 13, and will be installed on April 14.

I'll post back results!

A very long time legally and some builders are better than others.

Great Gulf replaced all hardware flooring in my unit (very damaged) between the PDI and my move-in date one week later.

Lanterra (8 years ago) was somewhat less of a pleasant experience. Took a few weeks in December to replace a broken window in the bedroom. I fixed the drywall that got smashed around the window myself.

I am interested in knowing how long it takes to fix and who the developer is.

 

[myblissfulhome]

Hi guys, ...

Questions:
1. Is there anything we can do to get them to speed this up? We paid a good $3000 for the upgrade, just to get matching hardwood.

2. How long do they have to correct this? My close was on March 27th

3. If it goes past the 30 days, is it only up to Tarion for the next 120days?

4. Worst case, can I get my money back for job not completed?

Thanks for any help.

The best answer...go to your lawyer. Your lawyer will know the details of the building and should have enough experience to advise you properly. Though advice here in this forum is well intended it may not be applicable to every case. From my own personal experience I know that addressing deficiencies found during the PDI can take months to have resolved as the entire building is being not only looked at but being repaired. Therefore your issues are place in priority. On top of the administrative tape the supplier needs to be able to send in the materials. From a builder's perspective they may want to assess the entire building first before they start asking for individual shipments to save on time, money, and installation.

I am sure it is not the answer you are looking for but massive developments such as these can take a heck of a lot of time. Their first and top most priority is the structure of the building and its' mechanics. Since you asked for Hardwood in the bedroom keep it if you can. Carpet has always been a problem for clients which I have shown units to. If you decide to keep it as a rental afterwards the hardwood will be a bonus.

Hope that helps you a bit

 

[James]

Thanks.
The builder is Liberty, and the units themselves were done by Kantium Home (poshcondos.ca). The layout is actually very, very nice, and workmanship is pretty good. Materials used are also of decent quality. We couldn't find many deficiencies, and the few we did find were fixed before close.

I called them yesterday. They are waiting for shipment of hardwood still. They told me it will be arriving on April 13, and will be installed on April 14.

I'll post back results!

Hopefully you're still visiting the site every now and then. Any update on your situation would be most useful.

 

[mr9320t]

Hopefully you're still visiting the site every now and then. Any update on your situation would be most useful.

Sorry for lack of updates.

The builder installed hardwood as promised, and within a reasonable time.
They did a fabulous job, and also fixed for scratches that we caused (I'm surprised they even noticed it - we weren't home).

Overall, I'm really happy with the experience and the condo itself. All our 12 deficiencies were fixed without any hassle, and all work completed was A+.

We're happy campers.

 

[Shiny]

I have the same issues with ICE Condo II, and the worst part was that when I called the customer care centre, they said that "As long as you have running water, the unit is livable" despite that the window is broken!!!!! How could I live above 50 floors with wind/snow/rain leaking into my unit in Toronto?

Some findings (not inclusive all problems)

• Scratched wood floors.
• Damaged windows that link wind/rain/snow to the room
• Missing knobs on all cabinets
• Improperly installed fridge with missing components
• Missing doors in closet
• Scratched windows/stove surface
• Poor paint and drywall work throughout the unit
• Subpar tile work in bathrooms;
• Construction debris not cleaned up
• Customer care centre said that "as long as you have running water, the unit is livable" despite it would be cold and the rain/snow/wind would ruin the unit