Complaints of misleading property ads on the rise
Complaints about misleading property advertisements have been increasing of late, according to The Straits Times.
In a joint statement, the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) and the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) said the rising number of complaint cases is attributed to the increasing amount of property advertisements and private properties on sale.
In 2009, Case and ASAS received a total of 12 complaints, while 16 complaints have been made so far this year.
A recent advertisement showed an artist's impression of the recently launched Cardiff Residence, surrounded by lush greenery. However, in reality, the 99-year leasehold condo is situated amid low-rise private housing.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), which is now working on proposed changes to the Housing Developers (Control & Licensing) Act and Housing Developers Rules, said developers are required to guarantee that advertisements for housing projects contain no false or misleading information.
"For pictorial representations in advertisements, developers would usually include a caveat to indicate that the picture is an artist's impression of the project, as in the case of the advertisement for Cardiff Residence," said a URA spokesman.
He noted that no rules have been broken in this case, as the developer added a caveat to show that the picture was an artist's impression of the project.
The proposed amendments to the Act will discuss numerous issues, including the accuracy of showflats, misleading advertisements and pressure-selling by sales agents. By Q1 next year, developers will also be required to give buyers additional information on any housing project before the issuance of the Option to Purchase.
In addition, the report also said that developers have to provide buyers a drawn-to-scale location plan showing the project's facilities and amenities. Related Stories:Govt imposes additional tax for private property
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