Kopitiam Group founder Lim Bee Huat is suing a building contractor over two adjoining bungalows along Whitley Road, claiming that incomplete and defective works left the properties unsuitable for his family to live in.
Lim, who is in his 70s, is taking Tiandi ACMV Engineering to the High Court for alleged breach of contract. He previously said that he spent more than S$9 million in total building the two houses, according to Lianhe Zaobao.
Tiandi denies responsibility for the alleged defects. It has also filed a counterclaim seeking about S$1.14 million that it says remains unpaid.
S$3.5 Million Contract Was Supposed to Be Completed in 2019
The dispute concerns two houses on adjoining plots at Whitley Road with a combined land area of 634.4 sq m.
Lim already owned one plot and bought the neighbouring parcel in 2012, with plans to build two new homes connected by a walkway. Construction initially began under Future Innovation & Construction in April 2016 before Tiandi took over the project in 2017.
The contract between Lim and Tiandi was worth S$3.5 million and provided for the works to be completed by 7 June 2019.
This is separate from the more than S$9 million that Lim has said he spent overall on building the properties.
According to Lim’s case, the project repeatedly faced delays. He told the court that one of the houses was occupied while substantial work remained unfinished at the other.
Lim Alleges Water Pooling, Exposed Wiring and Unfinished Work
Lim alleges that Tiandi ultimately failed to complete the project and rectify various defects.
Among the problems he raised in court were water collecting in parts of the houses, exposed electrical conduits on exterior walls, incomplete floor tiling and an unfinished walkway between the two homes.
He is seeking compensation for the cost of completing and repairing the works, as well as losses from being unable to use the properties.
The Straits Times reported that an independent expert assessed the completion and rectification costs at nearly S$456,000. Lim is also seeking loss-of-use damages based on a rental value of more than S$21,000 a month from mid-2022.
Lim also contends that he had already paid at least S$6.4 million through his employee, an amount exceeding the S$3.5 million contract sum, and argues that Tiandi’s counterclaim should therefore be dismissed.
Contractor Says It Completed Its Part of the Project
Tiandi disputes Lim’s account.
The contractor says it completed the work covered by its contract and argues that the disputed later works were carried out by another contractor. It claims there were two phases of construction, with Tiandi responsible only for the first phase that had approved structural and architectural plans.
Tiandi has further alleged that later works were carried out without approved plans in an attempt to increase the property’s gross floor area and avoid additional property tax.
Lim denied that allegation when questioned in court and denied trying to evade tax.
No finding has been made on either side’s claims. The High Court trial began on 14 September and is scheduled to continue until 15 October.
