The HCM City Real Estate Association (HoREA) has urged the Government to ensure condotels and officetels are not used primarily as apartments, warning that would cause problems for urban planning and infrastructure and transport.

HoREA chairman Le Hoang Chau said there are no design standards for projects that include both apartments and officetels-condotels.

There are no regulations on the number of occupants at these projects either meaning there would be unbearable pressure on infrastructure and transportation, he said.

The association suggested to the city Department of Architect Plans that the size of officetels should be 25-50sq.m while condotels should be of similar size as a room in a hotel or resort.

In terms of population, HoREA said it must be capped at half of that of a pure housing project.

In projects combining apartments and officetels-condotels, the latter should be in a specific area and separated from the apartments, it said.

Apartment projects with condotels or officetels have seen strong growth in the city in recent years.

They have been approved by the Ministry of Construction, but it is difficult for authorities to manage them since there are no regulations related to their planning or design.

Tran Vinh Tuyen, deputy chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, was quoted by Tin Tuc (News) newspaper as saying that condotels and officetels are new products but there are no projects with officetels only. – VNS