Saidia-concerns following inspection trip

[leemar]

Hello All,

I have just returned from a weeklong stay in Saidia. I am a buyer on RT1 (Magnum) and I felt compelled to visit the site so as I could inspect the progress and also so that I had the opportunity to meet face to face with Addoha/Fadesa to address the many concerns I have regarding Magnum and the site generally. I thought it would be useful if I passed on what I have learned from my visit.

It is disappointing for me to report that on leaving Saidia my concerns over VAT, the management structure of Magnum and access to hotel facilities were all left largely unresolved following several meetings with Addoha/Fadesa representatives. Quite frankly, I think Addoha/Fadesa themselves have not made any final decisions on these points and so are unable to provide buyers with definitive answers.

Whilst I left none the wiser on the above points, I am very glad I visited the site as these issues are now the least of my worries. My overriding concern is now the build quality of Magnum and other developments Addoha/Fadesa and other contractors are constructing. I was granted access to inspect several Magnum apartments including my own in Block 9 (which is far from complete), I stayed in AP6 and I also inspected RT2 which Property Logic are now responsible for and my fear is that both the internal and external build quality of many of these units are no where near satisfactory, albeit some apartments seem better than others and it seems somewhat of a lottery as to whether you get a good apartment or a bad one.

In my view Addoha/Fadesa are using cheap local workers who are quite simply not qualified to complete these projects to an acceptable standard. In the absence of any building guarantee whatsoever being offered by Addoha/Fadesa I find this immensely worrying. I will post photos later in the week which show visible defects relating to the build quality, however my major concern is that structural deficiencies may exist which may not be quite so apparent to the naked eye. Such deficiencies could cause significant and expensive problems following completion particularly as there is no building guarantee for buyers to rely on following completion.

I am now so concerned about the overall build quality on site that when I next return to Saidia early next year (the latest completion date for Magnum), I have pursuaded a friend of mine who is a qualified civil/structural engineer working for Laing O'Rourke here in the UK to accompany me. I am no longer prepared to complete on my own apartment until the internal and external structure of the building has been assessed by an independent third party particularly as before there is no building guarantee whatsoever. It will be on the basis of his evaluation that I will decide whether to complete my purchase or else seek a price reduction which recognises any structural deficiencies which exist and which will need remedying at my own expense in the future. Following my own physical inspection, I have decided that I need this added layer of protection before I am comfortable proceeding with my purchase.

If anyone else has similar concerns over the structural integrity of their own apartments please let me know and I can speak with my engineer and ask whether or not he would have capacity (for a fee obviously) to inspect your properties and issue you with a verbal or written report on his findings. The major barrier to this I suspect would be that Addoha/Fadesa would not be keen on having an independent third party assess the quality of their work.

On a more positive note, if my concerns over the build quality of my own apartment are allayed by my engineer and the on-going saga over VAT and the management structure are resolved to my satisfaction, I will have absolutely no qualms with proceeding to completion. This is because, aside from these issues, the fundamentals of Saidia are good and I remain confident that Saidia can still be a great success longer term. The location is quite simply stunning and the beach must compare favourably with the very best beaches on the Med. The newly constructed Marina area is also hugely impressive as is the golf course that I inspected.

There is no doubt therefore that Saidia has enormous potential. For me it therefore left a bitter taste in my mouth when it was time to leave Saidia that Addoha/Fadesa seem intent on jeopardising such potential by sacrificing build quality for profit margins and also by their general approach to customer care which in my own experience is non-existent hence the need for me to have made the trip in the first place.

[crusoe]

Hi Leemar

I too share your concerns about the quality not only of the apartment blocks but of the hotels, Medina, Marina, roads, pavements and sewage pipes having witnessed many leaks (or should I say lakes?) and damaged blockwork.

Have you instructed a surveyor?

[Cloister]

Hi, this is worrying stuff about the build quality. We are buying an appartment in RT1 block 10. Leemar, have you had a chance to go back since your inspection trip, your post was very educational. I guess we are all getting close to crunch time & I also wonder if anyone has been to the hotel now that it is open, I will try & go next month.