The National Building Review Board (NBRB) has released a comprehensive checklist designed to protect potential condominium buyers from fraudulent transactions and substandard properties.
The new guidelines aim to help buyers make informed decisions before finalizing any property purchases.
This comes in response to numerous complaints from buyers who found their apartments did not meet their expectations despite being influenced by persuasive advertisements.
The checklist was unveiled on Friday during a workshop organized by the NBRB at Silver Springs in Bugoloobi.
The checklist includes hiring a private professional company to inspect the building before purchase, ensuring the certification of fitness is endorsed by the relevant professional body, and verifying that a certificate of stability of the structure is signed and stamped by a registered structural engineer.
Additionally, buyers are advised to check if the property specifications match the descriptions provided by the sellers and this can only be confirmed by a private inspection firm, among other recommendations.
Steven Kasirye, the Manager of Information in the Office of the Inspector General of Government (IGG), reported that the IGG’s office had received over 30 complaints from individuals who had spent significant amounts of money on substandard buildings.
Herbert Zziwa, the Communications Manager at NBRB, stated that the board had received numerous complaints from condominium buyers, particularly in Kampala, regarding the standards of the properties they had purchased.
Zziwa said that when the concerns were reported to the IGG, it was decided that a checklist would be an effective tool to guide buyers before they commit their resources.
Zziwa noted that this checklist is part of the board’s broader efforts to safeguard the building environment.
He believes that; by following this checklist, potential buyers can significantly reduce the risk of purchasing substandard properties and ensure that their investments meet their expectations and legal standards.
The Review Board is mandated to Monitor building developments, oversee, inspect, and monitor the operations of Building Committees, and determine appeals from persons dissatisfied with the decisions of a Building Committee.
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