Taipei City Construction Management Office

Recently, there has much upheaval regarding the issue of sea-sand buildings and radioactive buildings in Taiwan. Many sea-sand buildings and radioactive buildings have been found, yet more remain. Such a phenomenon has caused panic in the society. Therefore, how one can avoid purchasing sea-sand buildings and radioactive buildings has become a major concern for all house buyers. So, how exactly can we avoid buying sea-sand buildings and radioactive buildings?1. Buy houses from reputable developers or real estate agents in the industry. Due to the fact that those companies cherish their reputation, they tend to take more responsibilities for any problems with the houses they construct than companies which only complete one-project.2. Ask the developer to note in writing that the property purchased is not a sea-sand building in the contract as the evidence for possible claims in the future.3. Pay more attention to buildings situated in regions where radioactive buildings have been found, and request the seller provide a radioactive testing report or to carry out such testing before a purchase.4. Hire relevant organizations for safety testing and evaluation. Qualified organizations for such services currently include the: Architects Association, Civil Engineering Technicians Association, Structural Engineering Technicians Associations and Industrial Technology Research Institute.Moreover, the Ministry of Finance has also determined that any sea-sand buildings identified by government institutions or structural engineering associations may receive property tax deductions based on the degree of damage according to property tax regulations, i.e. for those with damaged areas covering 30-50% of the building area, property tax will be reduced by 50%. Those with damaged covering more than 50% of the building area will be exempt from the property tax.There are other relevant issues related to sea-sand buildings in the Consumer Protection Law; which indicates that if the consumer unfortunately buys any sea-sand building after act’s enactment (1994.1.1.), the consumer may request compensation amounting to triple of purchasing price from the developer.Concerning the dangers caused by sea-sand buildings and the protection of citizens’ rights, the standards for Sea-Sand Building Demolishment and Reconstruction Regulations and compensations are as follows:Standards for Demolishment and Reconstruction:Buildings with 20% of the contaminated residences containing an Annual Collective Dose of over 0.5 rem and one residence containing a dose of over 0.5 rem; or 20% of the contaminated residences containing an Annual Collective Dose of over 0.5 remand are not suitable for any improvement measures other than demolishment and reconstruction.Reconstruction Compensation Measures:Applications for reconstruction may be made to the local building authority within three years after being identified as meeting the standard for demolishment and reconstruction. Upon the Executive Yuan’s approval, the residences may be reconstructed at the original building’s coverage ratio, with an additional increase of 30% of the floor area ratio or total floor area.For buildings which do not meet standards for demolishment and reconstruction but containing an annual collective dose between 0.5-1.5 rem, residents may apply to the Atomic Energy Council for improvement design and planning and an improvement construction grant within the budget of NTD $400,000.Sea-Sand Testing OrganizationsA. Industrial Technology Research InstituteFee Basis：NTD$5,000 for the first sample, then NTD$2,000 for every extra one.Radiation Testing OrganizationsA. Radiation Protection AssociationFee Basis: Area under 50 pings, NTD$3,000 for every case.Contact No.: (035)722-224B. Fu-Hsin Corp.Fee Basis:Area under 32 pings: NTD $2,500.Area over 32 pings, NTD $80 for every extra pingContact No.: (02)736-3656C. International Hwashen Corp.Fee Basis:Area under 20 pings: NTD $2,500.Area between 20-50 pings: NTD $3,000.Area over 50 pings: NTD $4,500.Contact No.: (02)368-8182D. Becquerel & Sievert (formerly known as Transtex Corporation)Fee Basis:Area under 20 pings: NTD $1,600.NTD $400 for every extra 10 pings.Contact No.: (02)2702-9086

A so-called Sea-Sand Building refers to a building constructed with concrete mixed with sand from the ocean instead of river sand, which is normally used. Due to the high chloride ion content, in the short term sea sand causes white stains to emerge from the walls, commonly referred to as “Wall Cancer. In the long term, the contents will accelerate rebar corrosion and result in flaking of the concrete in blocks, severely damaging the building’s structure.There are now two anti-corrosive applications: one is the cathodic protection technique, while the other is the electrochemical chloride extraction technique; both can be applied to slow down rebar corrosion and prolong the lifespan of building structures.

Q: Who is eligible for subsidies via the Old Building Inspection Program?A: Any licensed congregate housing building three stories high and above that is over 30-years-old (based on the issue date of the Building Use Permit), with more than half the units for residential use. However, if the whole building is in one single property owner’s possession, if it is undergoing any urban renewal process, announced as a high chloride ion contented concrete building, or an application for building license has already been submitted, no subsidy will be granted.Q: What are the applicant qualifications for Old Building Inspection?A: The community management committee should submit an application to the Taipei City Government with relevant documents. Should there be no such organization for the building, a representative authorized by over half of the residents may submit the application, along with Letters of Authorization, Copy of Building Ownership Certificate or Building Registration Transcription.Q: What is the application and processing protocol for the Old Building Inspection Program?A: Please visit the Taipei City Construction Management Office website to download the application form from “Old Building Inspection Program” page. Submit the completed written application forms to the Department of Urban Development or Construction Management Office of Taipei City Government to be proceeded on a first come first served basis (according to sequence of applications filed). Once prerequisite conditions are confirmed, the application will be allocated to the authorized inspection organization for the following procedures. For information about inspection organizations, please visit the “Old Building Inspection Program” page on the Taipei City Construction Management Office website. (Announcement of authorized inspection organizations will be posted around Sep. 24th 2013.)Q: Application period for Old Building Inspection Program?A: In 2013, the pilot program will accept 100 applications during the application period from October 1st to November 10th 2013. Another 200 applications will be accepted in 2014 for those who were not able to submit applications by November 10th this year.Q: What inspection categories are included in Old Building Inspection Program?A: There are 5 main categories for the Old Building Inspection Program, including: structure, fire protection, evacuation, facility and external walls. Inspection results are marked in five grades ranging from Excellent (A), Good (B), Fair (C), Poor (D) to Extremely Poor (E). For items rated Grade D or E, the Inspection Organizations will then make specific suggestions for improvement.Q: How much is the Old Building Inspection Program subsidy?A: The subsidy will be calculated using the number of applicant households. Each application will be granted a subsidy varying from NTD $15,000 to $30 000, paid directly to inspection organizations by the Taipei City Government.

According to Building Act Article 97-3, those setting up advertising signboards should apply a permit from the relevant authority. For information about the application documents and procedure, please visit the Taipei City Construction Management Office website at http://www.tccmo.taipei.gov.tw/; or visit the Apartment Building Section of the Taipei City Construction Management Office. Contact No: 1999 (caller from other cities please dial 02-27208889 ext. 8388).

Any illegal advertising reported by the property owners or the Community Management Committee of the location will be inspected with priority. Upon receiving the relevant documents, the illegal advertising will be inspected and fined accordingly once violations are confirmed by the Taipei City Construction Management Office.

This year, the Taipei City Construction Management Office has scheduled inspections of illegal advertising which interferes with public safety, public transportation, and city appearance along important roads. Regarding all other advertisements, they will be inspected in compliance with “The principle for The Priority of Inspections on Illegal Outdoor Advertising by Taipei City Government” once they are reported.

Should there be any inquiries about outdoor advertising, please contact us by calling 1999 (for callers from other cities, please dial 02-27208889 ext.8388), send an e-mail to the Mayor’s inbox, or file written reports for relevant suggestions. Alternatively, you may visit the Apartment Building Section of the Taipei City Construction Management Office. Let’s commit to working together towards a better living environment.

7 types of illegal outdoor advertising are listed in the priority list for inspections interfering with public safety, public transportations, and city appearance:(1) Outdoor advertising in the areas of Urban Land Readjustment and Land expropriation undertaken by urban design reviews or outdoor advertising beautification.(2) Advertising objects subjected to miscellaneous license applications.(3) Outdoor advertising structures and signboards jeopardizing public safety and fire protection.(4) Abandoned outdoor advertising interfering with city appearance and public transportation or advertising out of specification.(5) Outdoor advertising text or graphic contents interfering with public order or social customs.(6) Outdoor advertising erected on rooftops.(7) Outdoor advertising which violates regulations, as reported by property owners or community management committees.Most of these 7 types of illegal advertising interfere with public safety, public transportation, and city appearance; therefore any advertising identified as any of the 7 types will be notified for make-up applications or removal within 20 days of notice; or alternatively fined NTD 40,000 with forced removal. Other illegal outdoor advertising not mentioned above will be photographed and listed for inspection in sequence.

If the noise reaches intolerable levels, you can dial 1999 to report to the Environmental Protection Agency.

1.Sales of houses in the public market: location, number of households available, floors, scope of public facilities and so forth.2.Verification of pre-sale house advertisements in accordance with the approved license.3.Land use zoning and floor occupancy purposes.4.Basement property rights.5.Parking lot location.6.Project commencement date.7.Project progress.8.Scheduled date of completion.9.Information of applicants, supervisors and contractors, and other non-privacy, non-price related issues.

If the building has more than 6 floors, a review of interior decoration will be required if you wish to replace partitioning walls or a ceiling regardless of the dwelling’s floor location. For detailed application procedure, please dial Building User Permit Section’s service line ：1999 (For callers outside of Taipei City, please dial 02-27208889) ext. 8387 and our staff will be more than pleased to serve you.

Simply visit Construction Management Office’s website and click check the “Building interior decoration” section (including the 50 questions of Q & A) for more information on interior decoration.

The Statute is drafted during the meeting of all the owners in the district. A resolution may only be reached when 3/4 of the attendees agree to pass the motion during the first meeting (with no less than 2/3 of the owners in the district attending the meeting). If the number of attendees during the first meeting were insufficient for a resolution to be reached, the convener may reconvene another meeting at a later date. The second meeting will only require 1/5 of the owners to participate and a resolution can be reached as long as 1/2 of the attendees agree to pass the motion. The proposed motion will be printed in written form and distributed to all the owners in the district; opponents to the motion will have seven days to submit their written objection. If the number of objections is less than 1/2 of the total number of the owners in the district, the proposed motion will be deemed as passed.

Pursuant to Apartment Building Management Organization Application Procedure, the chairperson of your apartment building’s management committee or manager is required to prepare relevant documentations stated in Clause III and report to the Office. You can download the list of required documentations from the Office’s website.

You can visit our website at http://www.dba.taipei.gov.tw (Chinese version) and click popular searches -> Apartment Management Registration to find out if the proprietor of your building has filed for approval.

Both parties should try to mediate privately beforehand and if attempts at mediation fails (i.e. both parties refuse to combine their land for construction or have differing views on land use), one may submit relevant records to the Office for mediation.

There are no restrictions on the number of mediations or formats and mediations can be done via conferences, phone conversations or personal visits. However, mediation contents must include clearly stated opinions from owners (should the mediation fail, you can compile the records and submit the case to the mediation committee).

You are permitted to put up barbed wire less than 2 meters in height on a vacant lot or a railing fence of less than 2 meters in height on a site with brick concrete foundations below 60cm. License application is exempted if 70% or more of the fenced area is open. For cases of other circumstances, one will be required to apply for a miscellaneous license.

The Taipei City Building Management Self Government Ordinance has clearly laid out relevant provision on the dimensions and construction of building arcades. Placement of any obstacles in an arcade is prohibited.

When a building is damaged by new adjacent constructions, the claim can be resolved through civil litigation. Alternatively, the proprietor of the damaged building (or client of the proprietor) may request for assistance from the Office.