About us
We are long term residents of DB, with many of us having been here since the early 90's. Some of us are owners, some are tenants. None of us are "absent owners". That is, we all live in DB, specifically Beach Village.
We know HK and DB well, and have lived through many "interesting times" here in DB, HK and China.
When we make a comment about HKR or how DB is run, we will tell the truth as we have experienced it. We may get a date or two wrong, but we are close.
For instance, most of us have lived through these massive renovations before, and have direct experience with how they have effected our homes. The last great exterior renovation on Headland Village resulted in OVER 30 break-ins, most of which were done at night WHILE THE RESIDENTS SLEPT!
(Note: if you are new to Hong Kong, then you need to know about the social phenomena of cat burglary here in HK: Often illegal immigrant Mainlanders, or recent migrants, these guys are tough, desperate, and reckless, and they shimmy up the external drain pipes and ledges and regularly break into apartments here using nothing more than a screw driver. However, once inside, they arm themselves with your kitchen knives or hammers, and will often attack the residents if they wake up. Usually they tie you up and rob you, but worse has happened.
Many expats (including the former Canadian Consular General, who almost had his finger cut off) have experienced being threatened and assaulted in their homes in the middle of the night by HK cat burglars. These guys think nothing of climbing 20 stories or more, so the low-rises of Beach Village are a "walk in the park" for them.
Scaffolding like we have now is a open invitation to the opportunist burglar. And, as one of our posts explains, after the renovation job is over, it is often the former workers themselves who return to DB to break in and steal. This is what happened during and after Headland's external renovations, when there were also a lot of workers coming into DB for the Siena construction.
posted by Fredthom @ 1:42 am
7 comments
7 Comments:
Does anyone know if there is any security control system for the workers coming in here? And are they mainlanders or locals?
I have lived in db for the last 8 years + and think that only a new coat of paint and some plastering is required. Everything else is just a waste of time and money. It is all about boosting the value of DB for the sale of new properties.
We agree, and have in fact heard this from DB staff who insisted on remaining "off the record."
Regarding the workers themselves, we understand that there is some kind of registration that is required of the contractors, but in practice it is not being followed. Prepare for the worst when these guys return at night to break-in. This is what happened after and during the Headland renovations back in 2001. We heard then that there were more than 35 separate incidents!!
I have a suggestion. Everyone chill!! I'm an expat resident AND an owner so I'm paying serious bucks for this mess. Am I pissed off? You bet your ass I am!! Lets not get hysterical though. Women and young girls in danger of rape?? Give me a break!!! This is Hong Kong. When was the last crime that serious committed against an expat by a local?? 198? at Braemar Hill(sp?). So lets not get hysterical.
Lets be reasonable with reasonable arguments and we are sure to be paid more attention than if our arguments are unfounded, speculative and unreasonable.
Do I think we have a case? My word we do!! I have damage to almost every part of my outside living space. HKR pass the buck to the contractor and the contractor wont return my dozen (or more) calls. Is the previous writer correct about peeing under our buildings? He sure is. A guy pee'd on my kayak down there. However.... if you were them...where would you go?? There are no provisions for them. OK..so you'd quit before doing that?...Sure. But bear in mind..if they were rocket scientists they'd be doing rocket science. Just like every country in our precious "developed world"......Wake up call. It doesn't matter where your from ther are people who would resort to peeing under your building given no choice. In fact, if you are a westerner (as I am) I dare say given the opportunity there would be people in the very city your from who would pee on you, scratch the paintwork of your new car, vandalise your property and chastise everything you stand for just because you make a descent crust.
For the record I went to every owners committee meeting I could in the runnup to these reno's. I tried to make a difference. In fact I tried to get much more done than is being implemented now.
Did I fail?... Sure. But I tried.
In the end the owners voted for the cheapest possible option by the cheapest contractor who was, incidentally, already being sued by another
village owners committee in DB. As my Canadian friends would say.. "Go Figure"
My closing statement.
HKR buid crap quality.
Try going to Caribean coast in Tung Chung and comparing to the likes of Sienna hi-rise. Not even close my friend. HKR do things on the cheap. Always have, always will. I have a million examples but I'll leave you with just one.
There are small "star lights" placed under the new stone paving in the plaza?....At what cost? oh about HKD 2 Million. How many of them do you think will work??.. Answer. Minimal if any...probably none. The reason?? They skimped and used a contractor who under quoted everyone else. Result?... the fibre optic cable was laid directly under the stones without laying it through (conduit) tubing and the stones were then tapped into position on top of it. The lights are laid in the gaps between the dark stones. look for yourself. $2 Million worth of all your management fees just up in smoke. And thats only one example.
Conclusion.
HKR is the culprit plain and simple. People would do a better job if they paid em more. So that why your houses are in need of massive renovation.
Your absolutely stupid landlords are , however, responsible for voting for the cheapest job possible and hence the mess your in now.
Incidentally...DID YOU KNOW the Chairlady of the Beach VOC is also chairlady for 3 other villages in DB?Can she really look after all your best interests AND those of 2 other villages AND hold a full time job?
....... AND ( I thought this was DISGUSTING!!) did you know there are MORE than several members of your village owners committe, who make decisions on your behalf regularly,who own a place in Beach village..... and rent it out. They don't even live in DB. Its not a requirement.They live in town.
Carpa Diem
Hey Sir, a girl could get dragged into the worker's shanty area, at night maybe, and it does not have to be a caucasian expat, there are plenty of Asian girls in the area and they get molested in HK. I know.
And as for the workers peeing, yeah we know, there are no "johnny-on-the-Spots" (portable toilets) for them, and the call of nature is a univeral urge, so it is not so much the workers themselves as the situation that they, and we, (no pun intended) have been placed in by the parties responsible for this disastor.
I agree with the bloggers. All this is B.S. and the owners and the management must pay!!
Super color scheme, I like it! Keep up the good work. Thanks for sharing this wonderful site with us.
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What a great site, how do you build such a cool site, its excellent.
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