THE housing and construction bureau launched on-site inspections Thursday after residents of a government-subsidized housing estate reported cracks in their homes.
More than 30 households at the Shenyuncun housing estate on Beihuan Boulevard in Futian District discovered large cracks in the walls and ceilings of their homes no more than two months after they moved in, a Daily Sunshine report said.
Many had complained about the quality of the buildings and had asked the housing authority to investigate.
Apartments at the Shenyuncun housing estate were sold for 4,000 yuan (US$600) per square meter to people on low incomes and with few assets. The average cost of housing in Shenzhen is around 20,000 yuan per square meter.
Zhang Jie, a single mother with a part-time job, told the Daily of her problems.
We moved here in September, but the ceiling began leaking water after only one month. A 6-meter crack appeared in the middle of the ceiling in my living room, she said. When the apartment upstairs started decorating, it was as though it was raining.
Feng, another homeowner, showed Daily reporters a 10-meter crack spreading from the living room wall to the balcony wall.
We are afraid it could be dangerous to stay here, but we can t afford another apartment.
Chen Juan, a middle school student living on the 6th floor of Building No. 12, told the newspaper there were five cracks in her room, all running vertically from the ceiling to the floor.
Yu Gang, 50, a resident in Building No. 14, found a 6.4-meter crack in his dining room as well as many small ones. I don t think it was due to the interior decoration as I have been an architect for many years. I ve visited more than 100 households in Shenyuncun and found the same problem in many apartments, Yu said.
Experts from the housing and construction bureau, however, checked homes only in Unit D of Building No. 14.
Residents claimed that they had not been notified of the inspections and questioned the seriousness of the investigation.
The estate passed acceptance inspections before residents moved in, said Yang, the estate management director. There shouldn t be any problem with the construction.
There are 3,735 apartments in Shenyuncun. So far, 683 have been sold.
The housing bureau was yet to release the results of the inspection.
(Tina Chen)
