Went for a pre-inspection, but where is the sink?..."Controversy over non-installation due to paid option"

Controversy Over Pre-Inspection of New Apartments in Cheonan
Sales Team: "Sink Is a Paid Option, So Not Installed"
City Hall: "Sink Should Basically Be Included"

Photo unrelated to the article. Source=Pixabay

A whistleblower’s story has come to light, revealing conflicts with the construction company ahead of moving into a newly built apartment.

JTBC's 'Incident Room' reported on the story of whistleblower Mr. A on the 7th. Mr. A, who purchased a unit in a newly built apartment in Cheonan, Chungnam, went for a pre-move-in inspection. However, the condition of the house was so incomplete that it was hard to believe the move-in was imminent. In particular, the kitchen showed clear signs of unfinished work, such as exposed gas pipes on the walls and a boiler distributor placed on the floor. Most notably, the kitchen lacked basic fixtures like the sink and upper and lower cabinets.

When Mr. A inquired about this, a construction company employee on site responded, "The sink is originally an optional item, and since you (Mr. A) did not select it, it is not included." Shocked, Mr. A protested, saying, "A kitchen (sink) is required for completion approval; how can a pre-inspection be conducted without a kitchen?" but the employee said there was nothing more to say beyond the previous explanation. Moreover, not only the sink but even the shoe cabinet at the entrance had to be added as an option. Mr. A lamented, "Move-in starts on September 30, but I wonder if the house was properly built when neither the sink nor the shoe cabinet is provided."

For accurate confirmation, Mr. A called the sales team. When he asked, "Was a pre-inspection conducted with the sink completely uninstalled?" the reply was, "There is an item called upper and lower kitchen furniture in the project’s optional items. Units that did not contract for this item would not have had it installed during the pre-inspection, and only the lower cabinet is scheduled to be installed at move-in." The sales team added, "Normally, the lower cabinet would not be installed either, but due to instructions from the city hall, we decided to install the lower cabinet."

Previously, Mr. A had selected paid options for the apartment at the model house but did not choose the paid upper and lower kitchen cabinets. He explained, "I thought it was an upgrade for the kitchen. I did not realize that not selecting it meant there would be no sink at all." He added, "If I had known it was a paid option, I would not have purchased this apartment. It is common sense that there should be a sink." There were about 80 other households in the same apartment who also did not include the sink as an option for the same reason. It is reported that posts opposing the completion approval continue to be posted in the apartment’s community. Regarding this incident, the Housing Department of Cheonan City Hall stated, "We have not seen cases of newly built apartments without sinks recently," and added, "Unless there is a negative selection option, sinks should be included as a basic feature."

Netizens who read the story responded with comments such as, "The pre-inspection should be redone," "Charging for the sink option is just too much," and "I have never seen an apartment without a sink in my life."