 |
| Real Estate (image from: Blue Ribbon Real Estate) |
As a backgrounder, me and my brother partnered together around November, 2011 to purchase in installment a combined unit at one of the upcoming high-rise Condominium in Quezon City, claimed as the first "Sports Condominium" in the Philippines. The developer has earned our trust for having completed already a number of low-cost projects. We were also convinced as it suited our location preference, payment option, living features, and turn-over period (May, 2015) enough for us to build up funds for the transfer/miscellaneous fees before our monthly equity begins.
After completing our reservation and documentary requirements, we've patiently waited and observed the construction progress... for 2-years... and it was very slow until it already seemed like the construction totally halted. Our agent became hard to reach also with our SMS getting no replies and calls un-answered. When he finally kept in touch with us, we only get frustrated with his excuses as to why he wasn't able to attend to our messages and calls (but was very much available when he was still trying to convince us). He gave us many excuses, until at the turn of 1st quarter of 2014, he finally admitted to us that the delay was because their contractors were made to swiftly finish the then on-going construction of a much bigger project in Bulacan -- Ciudad de Victoria -- thus favoring just a single project out of the other pending projects being paid by many of their clients in the Metro.
Looking at the situation, we are at a disadvantage and are no longer happy with this venture. Add to it that during this time, 3-years after closing our deal, the construction progress was still at the 3rd-floor. So thinking hard about it, we've finally decided to end our contract and ask for a total refund. This decision did not came easy as we've had a lot of fears and disinformation coming -- that we will not be able to get our hard-earned money back, or if luck comes with us, only up to a maximum 50% of our payments will be returned as stipulated under Republic Act 6552 (RA 6552) - Realty Installment Buyer Protective Act (26Aug1972) or much popular as the "Maceda Law".
That's what most of the real estate agents are telling us and to other misinformed people who had the same predicament as us. But that policy for me felt so unfair for buyers who have faithfully kept their part of the bargain and obligations on the contract. Luckily, by digging and scouring the internet with all the search keywords I can think of, I've chanced upon a "somewhat" lesser known rule of law under Presidential Decree 957 (PD 957) - Subdivision and Condominium Buyers Protective Decree (12July1976). You may read the specifics at section 23-24 under Title IV of the decree.
I have learned that the difference, and probably short explanation between these two policies is what kind of protection does a buyer get according to who's at fault or who failed from their obligation. Under RA6552, the buyer gets certain refund when they are no longer able to continue paying their installments (buyer is at fault); while in PD957, the buyer gets full refund when the developer failed to complete the development or deliver the project within the required period. You may read more about the differences of these two from this link.
Having our fears armed with that new found information, we proceeded with the refund process beginning with a series of calls, intent letter, another follow-up call, and finally a complaint to the office of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) in Diliman, Quezon City.
Okay, just for a disclaimer, I am not in any way claiming to be expert in any of these 2 laws or any other law governing the real estate rights of buyer or developer. All the information and steps posted here were all based on our own experience and that which applied to our situation. Study your own circumstances and the protective act that may apply to you and follow according to your understanding and discernment.
So to make it easy, below are the steps on how to file and request for payment refunds from a real property developer under P.D. 957. The steps we've taken were also guided and inspired by another buyer which you may find at this forum.
1. Request for your latest Statement of Account (SOA) from the accounting department of the developer's office. This SOA will be used to prove your total payments, outstanding balance, if there are penalties, and if your account is still active.
2. Request for a Certification from HLURB or copy of License to Sell (LTS) (if you don't have one yet) that will prove that a developer is current with its obligations with the government requirements. In our case, the developer was not issued with an LTS on the date of our document signing, nor even during the period of filing our request for refund. We paid Php 288.00 for this Certification.
3. Submit a Refund Letter request to the developer indicating your intent and reason of such action. Attach those pertinent documents in steps 1 and 2. Don't forget to get a receiving copy, and contact person to whom you can follow-up.
4. Give them 3- to 5-days after receipt of your letter to call you back. Follow-up every now and then by calling the person in-charge about the progress of your request.
5. Submit a Follow-up Letter to the developer if there's no valuable feedback yet. Indicate on your letter that you will be filing a complaint at HLURB when there's still no action from their part is taken. Attach your original refund request letter, the original copy of all the ORs, and photocopy of the Contract to Sell (CTS).
Okay, although these are the initial steps that we took, I think you may directly file your complaint to HLURB. I just decided to follow these steps for hopes that the request can be settled sooner with the developer without going thru the once I thought "hassle" steps in dealing under any government office. I was wrong though as our transactions with HLURB went smooth without any red tape. So if you choose not to follow the steps above, you may proceed below:
6. Submit a Complaint Letter to HLURB office in-charge in the area of the project. You may attach the letters you've previously submitted to the developer. Our complaint letter took 2-pages long as I've detailed our purchase history and it also entailed a paragraph of drama about our having a "dream property".
7. Fill-up the "Request for Assistance" form from HLURB. While writing on this form, I realized that you only need a single page complaint letter as this form from HLURB is where you will put most of the information and facts about your complaint.
Note: there was not any payments made or asked by the HLURB office from this process, nor from the succeeding processes.
8. Wait for notice of hearing/conference from HLURB. We received our notice 2-weeks after filing our complaint. The notice though was issued 7-days from the date of our complaint letter.
9. Appear at the hearing date and place stated from HLURB's notice. From hereon, all the succeeding steps will be based according to the results of your conciliation or settlement between you and the developer. The HLURB will act as the arbiter/mediator and will take note of the minutes of the conference.
10. Once all the series of hearing is done, claim your refund. It took us two conciliation meetings/hearings which were scheduled 1-month apart before we were able to agree on each of our terms.
Our term was to ask for full refund including the reservation fee and interests (which were not indicated as we don't know where to base the interest rate). The developer's lawyer told us that the reservation fee may not be refunded anymore if we wish to get the refund as soon as possible. Their soonest timeline for encashing of the cheques were scheduled 5-months after in three equally divided amount which are also dated 1-month apart each. While if we insist with refunding the reservation fee, the cheques may get re-scheduled for another month or two since they still have to defend and present that term to the board and other blah, blah!
We just agreed to the lawyer's term accepting the fact that we will no longer be able to get our reservation payments. A 3rd and last conference was scheduled a month after to receive the cheques. When we finally claimed our cheques, we were surprised that the first cheque was dated 1-month earlier than the previously agreed schedule. But instead of only three equally-amount cheques, there were 5 cheques already, with total amount now including the reservation fees. The result came out still amenable as we've received 100% refund of our amortization payments, except the earned interests and lost time (of course).
From the date of our first letter, it took 3-months before we were able to get the attention of the developer, additional 2-months before we got hold of the refund cheques, plus 2-months before the first schedule of cheque encashment, and final 5-months to complete the cheque encashments. All in all, it took 1-year to complete the refund process, or a total lost investment time of 4-years from the date of our contract.
Investing on a property is not that easy as it seems, there are laws and regulations that we have to know and be armed at. These information may not be readily available just by agreeing with your agent. I've learned that we also have to ask a lot of questions, even if you think that the agent may not be able to answer it. Leave those questions for them as their assignment to you. As a piece of advise, it is okay to trust some not-so-famous developers, just make sure that they have complied with the government requirements and that they are still able to deliver new projects. But for peace of mind, it is always best to trust those with good track of record already.
 |
| Sample Refund Request Letter |
 |
| Sample Refund Request Follow-up Letter |
Hi .. this is my complaint sa developer sana po matulungan nyo po
ReplyDeletehi.. nagpurchase po ako ng house and lot sa Via verde. natapos ko po ang 12 months installment para sa downpayment. pero one year na mahigit eh di pa rin natatayo yung bahay. kahit isang hollow block wala pa..
ngayon nagsulat ako ng letter stating that i want a full refund.. pero pinipilit nila yung maceda law... sabi ko sa kanila may PD 957 kasi hindi sila sumunod sa time frame.. ano po bang dapat kong gawin
wala po akong receiving copy kasi sinend ko lang sa kanila sa internet yung letter ko. pero nagfeedback sila. pwede po ba yun?
Hi there, your local HLURB office will be able to help you at this stage (where in my case, it's already step#6 from the blog post above). You may ask for their assistance and advice.
Deletethank you very much for sharing your experience (and the sample letter) in this article. very helpful indeed. i hope we can also get a 100% refund. sakit sa ulo, hay.
ReplyDeleteNo problem, glad to be of help. Please spread the word for others benefit also. Thank you :)
Delete@PEDO. This is very helpful and thank you for coming out with this. I can relate from this experience of yours as I have also an on going concern with my developer. Tried to file complaint with HLURB but they developer did not show up on the set hearing so the arbiter ask me if we want to file a verified complaint. Trouble with this is there is a filing fee to be paid which if you claims for about PHP3M full refund of your TCP, you may have to pay a sum of PHP24k filing fee. But still best to explore if your sure that its the developer's fault. Reading your thread on how you were able to recoup your money back means it would really be a time waiting game. But will also try rather than not as my developer had failed to move-in me and the other buyers with permanent facility in the subdivision for over a year now. I bought H&L unit in Altea- Molino Cavite developed by Camella. My persistent follow-ups did not work as they have a bigger problem on the finishing of its amenities, TCT , tax etc. I also found out that the developer's LTS is not yet issued when they started to sell the property. Now they are trying to move in tenants and those that are really in need to transfer as they are continuously paying on their bank house loan already just accepts and were content with rationed water and temporary lights, but no clubhouse, fence and other amenity as they have promised before. Hope there are other readers who are tenants of this property who can share and tell their own story.
ReplyDeleteGlad to be of help Sagittarius! Although I don't know that there's a filing fee as there was not any single cent required to me by HLURB Quezon City from start to finish. Just be sure that you get an Official Receipt from any payments that you'll be paying.
DeleteAnd here I thought also that Camella housings are well-trusted! Hoping for the best on your refund ordeal.
Hi! Thank you for sharing your experience. It's very timely as we are currently experiencing delay on turnover date with Amaia Scape Lucena. We purchased house & lot thru bank financing, so technically, we already paid Amaia in full. Sa start pa lang actually, gusto na namin Sana magback-out kasi andaming sinabi ng ahente Na later on turned out Na Hindi pala totoo. But then, non-refundable daw yung reservation fees, e Hindi naman biro yung Php 24,000. So we opted to proceed. Then, nagkaron ng issues about their money back guarantee promo. Supposed to be 1 month after loan takeout, they will give us said refund but it took them 5 months before they released the checks. And then ito na ngang delay on turnover. We were promised 6-7 months upon loan takeout, ma-turnover Na Sa 'min. We were told September ang turnover. So, nagtiwala kami na matutupad Yun. But just recently, we were told that target turnover date would be 2nd week of December. That would mean additional costs on our part kasi nagbabayad Na kami Ng monthly amortization with the bank, Tapos nagre-rent pa Ng house where my parents and sisters are currently residing. Plus, because we thought September Ang turnover date, that should give us ample time to completely finish the house by December kaya nagdecide kaming umuwi Ng Pinas in time for our first Christmas celebration on that house, instead of our planned vacation on August 2017. In your opinion, may laban Ba Kami to demand from Amaia that they pay for 1) house rentals from promised turnover (Sept) until the ACTUAL turnover and 2) hotel accommodations when we come to the Philippines on December kasi wala nga kaming matutuluyan considering that even before I booked our tickets as early as June, pina-confirm ko pa ulit Sa amaia kung Kelan Nga Ang turnover date.
ReplyDeleteHope to hear your thoughts on this.
Thank you!
Hi Purple02, sorry for the late response.
DeleteI don't actually have any slight idea about refund for expenses accrued due to late turnover like your situation, but you may check your contract if there is such, though I doubt! In any case, it is better to ask advice from your local HLURB office.
I understand your plight, at hindi talaga biro yung ganyang unexpected expenses. I learned though that most of the Developers can't deliver their promises on-time. May mga delays talagang nangyayari, swerte ka na talaga kung 3-months lang ang pagkaka-delay at hindi aabutin ng years like in my case.
Hello po,ask ko lng baka alam nyo po case ko,wala po kaming sale or sale contract,reservation contract pa lmg po ang ibinigay nila,pero pinag monthly amortization na nila ako,nag start na po ako maghulog at least 7months,nag stop ako ngaun sinasabi nila i porfeit nila lahat ngnaihulog ko,legal po ba yun?first time ko po ito baka sakali matulungan nyo ko
ReplyDeleteHi there!
DeleteThe signed/notarized contract to sell must've been given to you after your 1st-month amortization payment. If not, you should've requested for it. Puwede mo pa rin naman i-request yun anytime.
As for your payments, you didn't mention the reason why you are suddenly stopping your payments. But if it's nothing about the developer's fault, your case may fall under RA 6552 - Realty Installment Buyer Protective Act (26Aug1972) or much commonly known as the "Maceda Law". Under this, entitled ka pa rin makapag-refund, depending on how much you have already paid, but not the full amount. You may want to study this Republic Act and be informed.
Hi po.. I am in the same situation where i am filing a complaint against a certain developer for a full refund of equity and down payment.. Can i request po sana a sample of complaint letter from you, i have no idea how pa kasi papano ko uumpisahan? Ang nakita ko lang po kasi na attachment ay refund at foolow up.. Maraming salamat po.. You can po sana to my email dekunaizalhianne@gmail.com.. I would really appreciate your help..
ReplyDeleteHi Deku,
DeleteYou just have to tell your story chronologically. How were you able to find the property, how the agent talk you into acquiring your unit, what were the terms under your contract, and what were the next events that made you decide to ask for a refund. I believe you can also use Taglish for your complaint letter.
Hello pa ask ko lang nakapag bigay po kmi ng full down payment and 1 yr full installment na walang interest sa isang property sa Bulacan can, we get a refund sa pera namin kbit any amount?
ReplyDeleteYes, you may be covered though with the Maceda Law if the Developer has no shortcomings with your contract.
DeleteHello, I am thankful i came across this blog. Nasa the same situation ako right now with the Property na kinukuha ko sa Amaia, nag start ako magbayad ng payment with the since 2013, reservation, down payment. hawak ko namn yun CTS ngayon and ngstart ako mag monthly amortization din from 2015 to now, but then earlier this year ngstart na ako mangulit sa knila about construction update pero wala silang maibigay for some reason. then suddenly sabi nila sakin mas mapapabilis daw yun construction ng bahay if lilipat yun account ko sa bank financing , frustrated na ako kasi alam ko may hindi na tamang nagyayari sa investment ko. but since kilalang developer sila ng trust pa din ako na everything will be okay, so in short i went thru the process again, New SPA (since OFW ako), certificates, every docs na kelangan. I managed to get an approval from the bank, signed the documents just earlier this June. But then since walang update sakin 3 weeks after.. ng follow up ako ulit sa Amaia then found out na hindi daw re-release ng bank yun Loan kasi amaia's house construction is wala pa sa 30% and requirement yun ng bank and then now they are asking me to apply for another bank and do the same process again.I was so frustrated and scared now kasi hindi na biro yun perang nainvest ko para sa inaakala ko na bahay na matitirhan ko na after 4yrs is baka mauwi pa ngayon sa wala. hard earned money ko yun at napakahirap lang dalhin ngayon. naka hold ngayon yun payment ko sa knila monthly kasi nagbigay ng instruction yun developer na d muna sila mg auto deduct sakin kasi ng in process yun bank application, but then i am suspecting na sasabihin nila sakin yun refund under Maceda Law which is 50% lang ng amount na nabayad ko na. which is sobrang unfair kasi d namn ako pumalya sa knila magbayad. sila yun walang matinong direction sa construction ng mga bahay ng purchaser. Is there anything that you can advice na tamang gawin po sa sitwasyon ko? right now gusto ko na lang mag refund ng full amount kasi po yun nahulog ko sa knila close figures na sa buong contract price ng bahay. any advise will be highly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteYes, Amaia Land is an umbrella company of Ayala Land. Based on the events of your story, I think you may already file a complaint to the Developer. Kung sakaling wala pa rin silang gagawing action or hindi papansinin, you may still go to HLURB. Every Developer encounters the same problem pag mababa ang turn-out ng units sold, nagko-cause talaga yun ng delays sa construction. But as you said, hard-earned money mo din yung naibayad na sa kanila na walang nangyayari. Filing a complain doesn't necessarily mean na magpapa-refund ka kaagad. Pero makakatulong din yung reconciliation sa HLURB para mapabilis yung development or any action na kailangan niyong mapag-usapan ng Developer.
Deletethank you sa blog mo marami ka matutulungan buyers na biktima ng nga developer na mapagsamantala...ask ko sana kung makakapag full refund ako kung hndi tumupad ang developer na iconstruct ang house ko after paying the needed 30% sa principal...un ang nakalagay sa contract to sell na 30% payment of tcp (excluding the interest) ay itatayo na ang bahay...meron ba ako laban dito o magfafall din ako sa maceda law na hndi ko marerefund lahat...pls help me on this po...thank you
ReplyDeleteHi Leah,
DeleteUnder PD957, the buyer gets full refund when the developer failed to complete the development or deliver the project within the required period. Your case falls on this case, so that means pwede ka pong mag-request ng refund at file complaint from HLURB para matulungan ka nila.
Hi, thankful that I came across your blog. I am having this problem with my developer too, Major Homes Space Ubelt. Default payment ako, while I understand the penalties na kailangan ko bayaran, ang hinihingi ko lng sa knila is update sa progress ng construction. since nag start ako magbayad in april 2014, hukay pa din hanggang ngayon. One and half year ako nagbayad until mapansin ko na wlang progress ang construction nila. Ground breaking photo pa din ang nasa website up until now. Every time mag ask ako ng status ng project walang sumasagot. Nagpunta ako sa office nila this june 2017 para i-settle ang payment at malaman directly from them kung ano progress ng project, OFW po ako. Dun ko lang nalaman na terminated na ang account. Walang termination letter na nkarating sa akin o kahit notice na iteterminate na nila. Sabi sa akin, terminated at forfeited ang payment. Sa mga kasama ko na complete na ang downpayment, 2019 na daw ang handover dahil nagkaproblema sa building contractor. Pano kaya to... gusto ko ituloy kahit delayed project nila tapos tinerminate without informing? Pwede ba nila gawin un? I know pwede sila mag cancel ng account pero diba dapat alam ng customer? Aware sya at nabigyan sya ng notice dapat?
ReplyDeleteHi Rhea,
DeleteIn my opinion, may pagkukulang din yung developer. Check from HLURB kung meron silang license to sell (LTS) in the first place, during nung na-avail mo yung project. Don't hesitate to ask for assistance sa HLURB. They are there para sa mga ganitong cases.
how long po kayo nagdefault payment sa Major Homes? may unit din kasi ako tapos nagsend din ako sa knila ng email na di ako mkakabayad ng 3 months then after 3 month nagresume ako tapos nkakuha pa din ako sa knila ng SOA. Dec 2017 ang turnover na promised nila and they updated me nga na foundation work done pa lang sila ngaun so malabo yung turnover nga nila bka nga abutin pa ng 2 yrs.
DeleteHi, may unit din ako sa Major Homes Space Ubelt at naginform ako sa knila na di ako mkakapagbayad ng 3 months for some emergency and they confirmed that it will only be having penalties but these penalties can be deducted on the contract price once mahabol namin yung payment. I emailed them also for the update and they confirmed nga na construction is suspended dahil nagkaproblema sila contractor and they are securing a new contractor daw and once finalized na iuupdate dw nila kami. I even got SOA pa sa knila with the penalties that we have. Nagworry lang ako sa sinabi mo na they terminate your contact without prior notice on which ground? i just want ask if you wouldn't mind how long po kayo nagdefault payment sa knila para gawin po yun and defaulting 3 months and informing them with prior to this with their acceptance, pwede bang maging grounds din nila samin yun?
DeleteHi Pedo,
ReplyDeleteMaraming salamat dito sa blog mo. Please i need your advice i am on the same situation right now. Nag file na ako ng full refund sa developer nung 14th at binigyan sila ng 1week at till now wala pa din akong narinig from them. Bumili ako ng unit sa kanila pero hindi ko na itutuloy on the grounds of misrepresentation. I reserved the unit Febuary this year and was due to make the first payment on March but i offered to pay earlier on Febuary27 and the 27th of every following month so the house would be ready in June and i could move in on July, i was told by my agents that this has been okayed by their office and i would be receiving the keys in June. I now know that this is not true and i was told that so the agents could close the deal. Umamin po yung isang agent ko napilitan lang daw po syang umuo dahil sa kagustuhang makabenta at nag resign na po yang umamin pero nag send po sya saken ng supporting letter sa reklamo ko sa developer na inattached ko kasama sa request letter ng full refund ko po sa office nila. Deadline na ngayon sa 1week na binigay ng attorney ko sa kanila at sabi nila email nila ako or call kong ano ang feedback ng head nila regarding sa complaints ko pero wala akong narinig sa kanila hanggang ngayon. Please advice Pedo saan ang susunod kong punta deretso naba ako ng HLURB or balikan ko muna ang opisina nila and for sure naman na representative na naman nila ang ipapaharap saken na wala din naman maisagot sa mga questions ko. Please help Pedo.
Hello Erich Joel,
DeleteYes, since nagawa mo na rin ang part mo para mag reach-out sa Developer, at hindi nila yun pinapansin, it's best time already para humingi ka ng tulong sa HLURB. Si HLURB na ang magpapatawag sa kanila para magkaroon na kayo ng mediation.
@pEDo thank you sa advice mo sinunod q lahat yan at nakapagfile na aq nung 31 at may schedule na sa unang paghaharap namin sa sept. At di aq mag expect to much baka hindi sila sumipot pero tuloy ang laban i will keep you guys updated kong anong kalalabasan ng fight na toh:)
DeleteHi Rhea major homes din ang sa akin space san marcelino.Year 2012 ako nag start at ang unang sinabi na turn over is dec 2015,naging 2016.then sabi 2019.Ofw din ako kaya napakahirap mag asikaso.walang notice or email na naterminate na ang account or tuloy pa ang project.
ReplyDeleteHello Macel,
DeleteCheck from HLURB kung meron silang license to sell (LTS) in the first place nung time na-avail mo yung project. Don't hesitate to ask for assistance sa HLURB, they are there para sa mga ganitong cases. I think pwede naman magpadala ka ng representative para mag-asikaso in behalf of you.
Hi Macel,
Deletepareho po tayo ng case. San Marcelino din ako, 2014 naman ako nagstart ng downpayment and paid up on july 2016. I think we have to complain in HLURB. baka sakaling mabalik satin ang pinaghirapan natin. hindi maliit yong 382k para sakin. pinaghirapan ko yon. In my case, magre-send ako ng follow up letter at the same time papadala ako representative in hlurb. yong CTS mo ba may turnover date? yong sakin walang nakasulat na date but i have a copy of their emails stating the turnover date. contact me at angelwyn10@gmail.com . we have to join hand in hand para mabawi natin mga pera natin.
Hello thanks for the information.i have almost same problem like yours. i already filed my complaint to hlurb (verified complaint)u said that there is no payment needed in filing this complaint but they asked me to pay more or less P5 thousand pesos and the hlurb didn't ask me to write in any form "request for assistance".I don't know, by reading your letter maybe they change some rules and regulations regarding this.i am now waiting for the schedule of my mediation.what if the developer insist they don't like to refund, what are the things i need to do? Thanks again and hoping for your reply.
ReplyDeleteMr.Enzo
Hi Mr. Enzo, I don't know why they charged you a hefty amount. That's not the case here at HLURB Quezon City, or perhaps we have a different case? I don't really know...
DeleteI'm not sure if the Developer can refuse your request for refund, specially if they really are at fault. What could be their selling point this time if they can't deliver their contract in the first place?
Let me know how will it go...
Hello Mr. Enzo, tama po and advice ni Pedo wala po silang hinihinging bayad sa hlurb at nagfile din po aq ng complaint against developer nung 31 lang po. At ako din po hindi na rin po ako nagsulat ng complaint q dun mismo kase may nakaready na po aq kaya nireceive nalang po nila yun 2pages nga po yung sa akin. Goodluck po saten Sir sana mabawe natin ang mga pinaghirapan natin.
Deletehi mr enzo, u said ng file ka ng verified complaint eto ba after na ng conference nyo sa hlurb? kasi kami kanina lang ung conference and we demand full refund kasi mahigit 2 years na kmi ngbabayad pero wala pa din turn over ng unit. the developer counter offered the less than 50% refund kasi my mga deductions pa daw. so we decided to file a case na and the arbiter told us na mag prepare nang position paper which i need a lawyer para mg prepare and costly kasi andaming fees, aside sa filing fee pa na babayran sa hlurb na nakadepende sa amourn ng claim dw. wala din binigay na form ang arbiter sa amin. i am at a loss kung anu ang gagawin ko kasi 5-10k na babayaran ko sa lawyer para sa position paper.
Deleteanybody who could enligten or help me out? thank you!
Ms. Angel may i know kung major homes po ba yun developer na nireklamo nyo sa hlurb? My auntie is a victim also. Ofw po sya. Kaya ako po ang representative nya. If same developer po tayo ano na po ang nangyari sa case nyo. Thanks very much
DeleteHi Angel,
DeleteAny updates sa case mo? This Nov na kasi yung schedule namin ng conference sa developer (Major). Worst case na pareho tayo ng maging ending, alam ko na what to do next.
Thanks!
Aysi
Hi Angel, ano na po balita sa complain niyo? Major homes po ba developer niyo?
DeleteThis is indeed very helpful, same yung situation ko with Camella, we completed 15 months for dp and now we are discouraged to continue kasi nung pumunta kami dun with the sales agent parang ang lapit lang, after few months nag punta kami ulit sa site kasi sabi nila tinatayo na daw yung unit we found out na mahirap pala talaga yung byahe dun. Madami kasing inexplain samin na may shuttle daw and all kaya di mahihirapan, not everyday mahahatid ako ng husband ko. Plus ang tagal uncertain sila sa specific month na matatapos yung unit. Ang hirap kasi nagrerent kami plus paying yung amortization. I'm no longer after sa full refund kasi nabasa ko na yung maceda law, I just need to know if ilang percent irerefund nila pag under 24 months, meron kasi ako nabasa na parang around 119k na yung nabayad nya and Camella refunded 16k+ only. Anong computation nila dun? If may idea kayo I hope matulungan nyo ako about this. Thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteHello JAMHIRE BORRES,
DeleteI think pwede mo pa rin ilaban dito sa case mo ang (PD 957) - Subdivision and Condominium Buyers Protective Decree because of the Developer's misrepresentation. Try mo muna, sayang din yung mga nabayad mo na.
For Maceda law's computation naman, kung may notice ka na ng contract cancellation, you are entitled to 50% ng total payments made. Hindi ko lang sure kung may ibabawas pang other fees. Check this link, specially Sec. 3, paragraph b: http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1972/ra_6552_1972.html
Thank you Sir sa info!Same problem an encounter co sa Grand Monaco
ReplyDeleteReal Estate, February 2016 nag avail kami ng 2 units sakanila ang pangako ng Developer 4th Quarter of 2016 may bahay na at ready for occupancy or pagnatapos na yun equity Down Payment pwede na lumipat. Pero unfortunately wala bahay na nakatayo and construction nangyayare. Nag complaint na kami sa opisina nila for Full Refund nang pera namin dahil sa hindi nila pag comply sa pangako at eto pa dahil OFW kami at malayo wala sila any document na binigay sa mother ko (SPA) na Contract to Sell nung tumawag ako ang sabi samin ibinibigay daw yun pagtapos nang Down Payment. Sobra disappointment at yun pinaghihirapan namin pera pinanghuhulog monthly ei ganun ang nangyare sakanila. Actually umuwe ako last month para nga personally mg complain ang ngbigay nang written Full Refund dahil nalaman ko din na wala sila License to Sell para sa GM Casa Aurora -Caloocan. Sobra nakakadismaya dahil yun ineexpect namin mgkabahay ei problema pala sarili namin pera hindi namin mabawi. Sa ngayon nakabalik na ako abroad and until now hindi sila ngbibigay nang update sa email pagtinatawagan pinapatay an mobile. Mahiya naman kayo sa mga tao na niloloko ninyo imbis na makatulong kayo perwisyo pa kayo. Grand Monaco Real Estate ibalik ninyo ang pera namin.
Hello there, in this case sa HLURB na po kayo lumapit para sila ang magpatawag ng representative from Developer na sasagot sa inyo. Puwede nyo po itong ilaban under P.D. 957 because of their shortcomings sa contract. Also, yung contract binibigay na po dapat yun kahit hindi pa tapos ang downpayment dahil yun ang papel na mapapanghawakan nyo. Anyway, kung wala man yun, yung mga resibo po ng payments nyo ang pwede nyong magamit na patunay ng pag-avail ninyo ng unit sa kanila.
DeleteGood day po! Halos same case din po yung akin, kaso po 7 months lang yung payment ko qlthen I decided na iistop na. Kasi yung developer ko hindi nakapag comply sa Pag IBIG for 2nd set of requirements, kaya cancelled na po ang status. Nagpunta po ko sa developer ko para mag file ng refund na lang kasi puropangako sila. Pero sabi wala daw ako mrrefund under maceda law. Susundin ko po yung steps na sinabi niyo and tumawag na din ako sa HLURB,hope po na marefund ko pa. Kulang kulang 30k na din po nahulog ko sakanila. At nakakahinayangang halaga.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, hindi nila pwede ilaban yung Maceda law sa case mo because yung reason ng pag-stop mo ay dahil sa non-compliance nila sa PAG-IBIG. So in the first place, dapat sila na mismo ang mag-reimburse sa'yo without you asking for it. P.D.957 will surely apply to you.
DeleteMs. Angel ,Praise God and thank you so much for sharing us this blog. Am sure by it will help my concern. I bought a condo unit here in Mindanao then the date of turn over which was put to CTS was second quarter of 2017. But until now it is not yet turned over. 20 percent DP was already paid 3 years amortization and the agent ask me again to issue PDC for 10 months and the unit will finally be given by nxt year. But I decided to make a refund and what they answered apply the maceda law which is so unfair. Hard earned money then it will just go like that. Can PD 957 be app lied to make 100 percent refund to what I paid? Thanks
ReplyDeleteJoh
Yes Joh! lagpas na sila sa turnover date stated sa CTS, specially kung next year pa and without even specific date. The developer is at fault so Maceda law doesn't apply in this case, pwede mo ilaban ang P.D. 957.
DeleteThank you for sharing this. we are currently in the same boat. bumili kami ng condormetel and the promised turnover date was 2016. We made our reservation 30 oct 2014, then we paid out 25% downpayment and was completed on july 2016. The problem is hindi nakastate sa CTS yong turnover date. I only have copies of their email stating kelan ang turnover date. Sa sobrang excited siguro d na namin binasa yong CTS. Until such time na na nagfollow up kami nong last quarter of 2016 kasi hindi man lang sila nageemail ng updates ang sabi 2017, next email namin naging 2018, then ngaun latest update nila, ang turnover date is 2019 na. Nagsubmit na din ako ng letter for refund of our 100%. I even emailed them na if i invested that money in a mutual fund baka ang laki na ng interest non. however we are currently abroad, so going to hlurb is difficult. but i checked hlurb website, wala ang pangalan ng developer doon. please po if may maisuggest kayo sa situation ko, i will really appreciate. thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Medadare, hindi kailangan na nasa website ang pangalan ng Developer bago ka makahingi ng tulong sa HLURB. Just proceed filing your request for assistance to HLURB office and see it from there. Malaki ang chance mo under P.D. 957.
DeleteYong CTS ko po pala wala pang signature, nagfofollow up ako don sa original wala response. i'm sending my followup letter today and see after a week. thank you for this.
ReplyDeleteGood day Pedo,
ReplyDeleteOFW ako from Malaysia. April 2014 nag decide ako kumuha ng unit sa Space Ubelt ng Major Homes thru my agent as my investment.Nung time ding un, nagbayad ako ng 20k reservation fee thru remittance sa bank account ng Major homes. According to my agent December 2017 daw ung handover ng unit. May the next month, nag start ako magbayad ng DP which is 30 mos ko babayaran. Updated ako sa pagbabayad and from time to time nag checheck ako sa website nila ng construction updates and isa lang lagi napapansin ko, na mula ng ground breaking, hanggang foundation n lang sila umabot for the span of 3 years, na supposedly na turn over na dapat ung unit. Natapos ko ung 30 mos na DP and yet walang progress sa construction. Nalaman ko lang na nagka problema daw sila sa contractor nila and need magpalit. Imagine 3 years na walang progress. 5 mos ago nag email ako sa kanila, tinatanong ko ung construction update at ung turnover date. Ang sabi nila, un nga nagka problema sila sa contractor and on going na daw ang pag papa bid nila, expect ko daw na within 60 days magstart na ulit construction. And 2019 or 2020 na daw ang turn-over.Natapos na ung 60 days ngaun 5 months na nakalipas wala pa din. Kaya naisip ko na I full refund na lang ung 30 mos DP ko + 5 mos na monthly amortization + 20k reservation fee, amounting to 600k ++++.
Madami na din akong nababasang reklamo sa kanila especially mga OFW. Wala pala sila inissue na kahit anong contrata, ang mga hawak ko lang na documents ay ung mga resibo ko sa remittance saka ung mga OR nila pati ung SOA.
Need your insight kung makaka refund ba ako at kung gaano katagal?
Regards,
Bryan
Hello Bryan, your receipts are proof of your purchase agreement sa Developer so pwede mong gamitin yan. As for kung gaano katagal, it will depend sa pag-uusap between you/HLURB and the Developer.
DeleteGood day po thank you for sharing this blog we are on the same boat nga pala. sakit ng ulo tlga,Ang perang pinagherapan ipunin pra sana mgkaroon ng sariling bahay for the family malabo pa din.Ang issue po sa amin naka kuha po kami dito walking distance lang po sa bahay na tinitirhan namin which is GRAND MONACO ESTATE DEVELOPERS INC. here in brookside cainta rizal. tapos na po kami sa downpayment last 2015 pa...at last quarter of 2016 po daw ma turn over na ang UNIT un ang pangako na verbal at hindi din namin nabasa ang CTS sa kadahilanan na overwhelm kami sa pwesto kc malapit lng sa lahat.but sadly lupa prin ang andoon sa unit namin hangang ngayon. at noong oct. 24, 2017 pumunta kmi sa main office nila for follow up again,ang sabi ni Eng.last quarter of 2019 matapos ang bahay.tapos pina gawa nila kmi ng letter for transfer of unit kc sabi namin were going to file for refund. ngayon final na tlga mg file na kami ng refund kc hindi na namin kaya png hintayin ang napaka tagal na pangako nila. hawak q po lahat ang resibo pati SOA. gaano po kaya katagal mai refund sa amin? at ano kaya ang dapat namin gawin with regards to legal matters?. pls send us feedback.thank you!
ReplyDeleteRegards,
ehn
Hello Ehn, kung "gaano katagal", depende yan sa magiging pag-uusap ninyo with the HLURB at Developer. As for your other legal questions, best na makakasagot nyan ay ang HLURB na rin.
DeleteGood day Sir/Madam,
ReplyDeleteFirst Time buyer po and boyfiend ko ng rent to own house and lot, tanong ko lang po if pwede pa po marefund yung money na binigay ng boyfriend ko sa agent issuing only a hand written receipt as reservation po yung P2, 500.00? Kukuha po sana sya ng rent to own na house and lot via Pag-IBIG financing, kaya lang po may medical condition po sya na kailangan unahin kesa panghulog sa equity nung bahay, kaya mgbaback-out na po sya, kaya lang po non-refundable daw po yung pera kasi based daw po sa agreement yun. Wala pa din po kami napapasa na kahit anong documents sa knila, may pinapirmahan lang po na reservation agreement.
Wala pa po binibigay yung broker/agent na kung anong phase, block no/unit no. kung alin po ba yung pinareserve kasi sold out na daw po yung mga unit, nkaline-up pa daw po yung sa kanya, parang waiting pa daw po yung sa kanya, magaantay pa daw pong may mag open house.
yung project na phase 2 po nila is hindi pa po nasisimulan, wala pa pong house na nakatayo, in short up to this time there is no unit that have been reserved for me yet. Dahil nga po sa health condition ng boyfriend ko, nagdecided po kame not to pursue the purchasing.
Can you please advise me if I can insist for a refund? Kasi unofficial din po yung receipt na binigay nila. Parang acknowledgement receipt lang po sya na hand written.
I hope matulungan nyo po ako.
In my opinion, parang bogus reservation yang nangyari so pwede mong iinsist na ma-refund ang reservation fee ninyo and just try baka naman maibalik pa rin.
DeleteHello, thank you for this article. Ano po kaya ang pwedeng gawin sa case ng kinuha kong bahay sa kahaya place, northpine land ang developer. Tapos na po ako ng 20% DP nung Dec2016. Then sabi nila need ko na magbayad ng monthly amortization for the 80% balance sa kanila muna dahil di pa daw maapprove ang bank loan dahil di pa nakatayo bahay. So tuloy yung billing ko PERO in-house computation po ang ginawa nila. Nakiusap ako na nung pwede pag-ibig or bank since masyadong mahal ang in-house. After a series of follow-up, binigyan nila ako ng computation @6.5% p.a ng April 2017 na. Tapos nung nagbabayad na ako, nakalagay sa SOA ko na yung mga January to April na di pa ako nagbayad dahil naghihintay ako sa computation nila eh nilagyan na nila ng penalty. Pero tuloy pa rin ako sa bahay. Iniisip ko magkano lang naman yun. NOW, i have overdues dahil 4months yung nadelay ko dati. Then the agent informed me that they are already processing my bank loan, requested me to submit necessary docs from my part. But suddenly when they send me the amount to be loaned from the bank, it is already 84% of NCP. So lumalabas 16% lanf ang nabayad ko sa kanila samantalang nagbayad ako ng 20%dp plus 5months amorrization. I still want to continue to get the unit so I don't have plans to refund. Gusto ko lang po malaman kung tama ba ang ginawa nila and what actions can i make para gawin ang bayaran ko lang eh kung anong dapat kong bayaran.it's like nagbigay ako ng ng 200k ng ganun-ganun lang.
ReplyDeleteHello there,
DeleteI think the best thing you can do is write a letter explaining your side. Address it to the accounting department, huwag na sa agent. If you have time, mas maiging puntahan mo rin in person and ask for an audience to rectify your account.
hi:)
ReplyDeletewhat are my chances as a buyer if nagbigyan na ng CDO yung developer na nirereklamo ko? nasa process na kami sa hlurb nung nalaman namin na may CDO na pala sila. Thanks!
Luis
hi po sir/mam
ReplyDeleteGood day po thank you for sharing this blog. maraming pong tao ang natutulungan nyo at sana isa na ako dun.
ask ko lang po sana kung legal ba na mag bayad pa kami ng amortization kahit wla pang nakatayong bahay? tapos na kc ung montly namin sa equity/downpayment netong december 2017 pero upon checking sa area wla pa po nakatyong bahay kahit poste, gusto ko sana i apply sa pagibig ung unit ko pero 40% complete ung requirements ni pagibig they insist na mag montly amortization ako sa in house nila na sobrang laki ng interest.
ano po pwede ko gawin sana matulungan nyo ako thanks po in advance
Hi Darwin,
DeleteActually may grounds ka nang magpa-refund dahil wala pang unit na naitatayo. Pero kung hindi ka pupunta sa refund decision, puwede mong kausapin ang Developer na magpatuloy ka lang sa pagbayad as an additional downpayment, not the in-house option. Puwede mong ilaban na hindi ka nila pwedeng ipag-inhouse kung wala pa namang unit.
Hello Pedo,
ReplyDeleteSalamat sa pagshare mo netong experience mo. May problem din ako sa Homemark Inc. Nagoffer po sila ng house and lot sa Greenplace Annex A Malagasang, Imus Cavite. Specifically Blk 4 Lot 12. Nagbayad na po ako ng reservation and equity and they promised turn over unit in 2months kasi raw house lng nman sya. Tapos bigla pong tumawag sakin ang Account Officer na cancel daw ang loan ko dahil subject to encroachment ang unit. Sila po ang nagcancel hindi ako, in the first place kung may encroachment issue ang unit dapat di yun nailagay sa market. Kaya nagrequest ako ng refund. Ngayon po nakareceive ako ng letter, lumalabas na ako ang nagcancel dahil sa encroachment at the same time nakasaad sa letter na under construction na ang unit. Taliwas sa kung anong sinasabi ni Ailen na di daw pwedeng umpisahan ang construction dahil sa encroachment. Sinasabi din po na forfeited na lahat ng naibayad ko effective December 11, 2017. Wala akong hawak na CTS, dapat through pagibig. pero complete naman ang resibo ko sa pagbabayad sa kanila. Pwede na ba akong demerecho sa HLURB kahit wala akong enough documents? Lahat ng document nasa kanila eh.
do you hire a lawyer during the hearing session?
ReplyDeleteHi Ms. Kathy, no I didn't hired a lawyer. The HLURB mediator served as my lawyer (although andun lang naman sya para mag-mediate). My expenses were only for the photocopying and transportation costs.
DeleteCan someone translate the comments by Rhea on Major Homes ? I would like to understand his situation as we are a group of foreign buyers (now victims) in the same sinking boat as well. Thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteTanong ko lang kumuha ka po ba private attorney para sa kaso o may sarili na ang HLURB at sila na bahala para sa mga legal?
ReplyDeleteHi there, no need to get an Attorney. The HLURB mediates eveything. Huwag na po muna kayo gumastos for Attorney until makapag-usap po kayo sa HLURB.
Delete