Gov't seeking compromise on buildings rule

The ministry also denied that Premier Wu Den-yih has switched position on the issue to benefit only apartment builders.

Debate has broken out over whether canopies should be part of the measurement of floor space in home sales.

Interior Minister Jiang Yi-hua said yesterday that there are presently diverse opinions over whether to include the overhanging awnings or other shelters onto the ownership certificates for houses or apartments.

He said the MOI will hold more seminars with experts, consumers groups, and construction organizations to strike a balance in three months.

Jiang also said that Premier Wu had already given instructions last week to hold more consultations with various parties to find a reasonable compromise.

He made the statements in response to criticisms raised by some scholars and Cheng Jen-hung, a member of the Control Yuan, who reiterated his opposition to the plan to including awnings as part of a housing unit's size, as is commonly done by builders.

Cheng and one of his colleagues asked the MOI last September to plug the loopholes in existing regulations to exclude awnings from the calculation of floor space. He stressed yesterday again that awnings should not be priced as part of the floor area of houses or apartments.

“We may subpoena the minister of the interior, or even his superior, for questioning if the ministry insists on allowing builders to count awnings as floor area and charge extra costs from buyers of housing units,” Cheng said.

In the government's administrative structure, the minister's superior is Premier Wu.

Cheng said he is not opposed to the ministry allowing builders to register the size of awnings with the relevant authorities. It is a general practice among local builders to include awnings in their calculation of the floor area of a housing unit.

Actual Size

However, this has caused many transaction disputes when buyers discovered that the actual size of the housing unit was smaller than what was listed in the sale contract.

The problem springs from differing regulations at two government agencies.

The Public Works Department, which issues construction permits, stipulates that a residential building cannot occupy the entire site on which it is being constructed. However, the department does not take into consideration the area of awnings or other overhanging shelters added to a building.

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