Owners want more time for inspections

Business News - Friday December 14, 2007

PROPERTY / REGULATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Owners want more time for inspections

Too few inspectors and not enough PR

PHUSADEE ARUNMAS

High-rise building owners have asked the Interior Ministry for a 180-day extension of the Dec 31 deadline for complying with new building inspection rules. The building inspection law, enacted by the ministry's Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, requires nine types of buildings to be inspected by Dec 31. They include high-rises of more than 23 metres, large buildings with an area of more than 10,000 sq m, and community buildings with an area of more than 1,000 sq m or a capacity of more than 500 people.

Atip Bijanonda, president of the Thai Condominium Association, said owners of high-rise buildings needed more time to adjust to the requirement.

''Although the law was enacted in December 2005, the ministry failed to do the public relations, so not all building owners nationwide realise the requirements,'' he said yesterday.

The association also wants amendments in areas that have created practical problems such as the requirement that a building must be inspected by certified engineers or architects. Building owners say there are not enough inspectors in the country to carry out the certifications.

Mr Atip said the government should speed up the training and certification process for engineers and architects.

The shortage has caused inspection firms to charge between one and 20 baht per square metre, which is too expensive for some building owners.

The association is urging the adoption of a standardised fee following reports of inspectors falsely claiming that owners must pay 20 baht per square metre to be accredited.

''It is estimated that the overall cost to be paid for the inspection of all required buildings may be as high as 10 billion baht,'' he said.

The group also wants a clear definition from the ministry of whether buildings with 2,000 to 5,000 sq m of usable area would fall under the requirement. There was some question whether buildings in this range would have a grace period or several years to comply.

Mr Atip said that if the government did not postpone the deadline, then fewer than half of the buildings would be able to comply with the regulations.

Bangkok Post