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Cover News reporter Shi Wei

"The original two- or three-story small villa was added to and expanded to become a four- or five-story 'White House'. Some people even directly demolished it and rebuilt it in the name of repairing dilapidated buildings. In recent years, as if in a competition, dozens of illegal buildings have been built and sold online openly." Over the past six months, Mr. Sun, a Wuhan citizen, has repeatedly reported and complained about the illegal construction in the villa community of Wuhan Jinyinhu International Golf Club. Based on the clues, the Cover News reporter conducted an undercover investigation.

In April, the reporter, led by a real estate agent, entered the villa area several times to "view houses" and found that there were multiple buildings under construction in the community. The agent clearly stated that illegal construction would not affect the sale, "Don't worry about the area on the property certificate, just trade at the price of the whole set."

A man who claimed to be Manager Gao said he could help the homebuyers solve the problem of illegal construction procedures. "It costs 400,000 to build a floor. Give me the money and I'll get you a permit. I'll get you a quota for dangerous building renovation, and you can do whatever you want. Once it's built, it becomes a fait accompli and cannot be demolished."

In early May, a reporter from Cover News reported the relevant information to the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Center of Jinyinhu Sub-district Office in Dongxihu District. The staff said that the problem of illegal construction in the villa area was complicated and they responded after reviewing the materials and sorting out the data.

On July 26, staff responded to reporters that since 2016, 49 illegal buildings in the community involved have been demolished, totaling 1,185 square meters, and some urban management team members who violated discipline have been dismissed. "It has been a long time and the situation is complicated. It takes time to find the original files. Many houses have changed hands five or six times and the owners cannot be found. The next step will be to work with multiple departments to retrieve all the information and investigate the situation of all buildings."

The villa community has been illegally built for many years and is being sold online

Real estate agents say "transactions do not consider the area of ​​the property"

Wuhan Jinyinhu International Golf Club is located in Jinyinhu Street, Dongxihu District, close to Jinyinhu National Wetland Park, one of the largest urban wetland parks in Wuhan. There is a golf course in the community, which divides the community into East Garden and West Garden, making it difficult for outsiders to get a glimpse of the internal situation of the community.

On real estate sales websites such as Beike.com and Fangtianxia.com, there are many villas in this community listed for sale. In April, the reporter contacted an agent named Song through Beike.com and went to view houses with him many times.

To enter the community, you have to pass through two security gates. A villa next to the second guardhouse in Xiyuan is under construction with scaffolding. According to the agent Song, there are 109 villas in Xiyuan, which were originally two- and three-story buildings with an area of ​​200 to 300 square meters. The reporter saw that at least 5 buildings were under construction inside Xiyuan, and dozens of other buildings looked newer. Some of them were built to 4 floors, and their "waist circumference" increased several times, standing huge in the middle of the community.

Song pointed to two adjacent small buildings that had just been completed and had building materials piled up at the door and introduced that these were new buildings that were demolished and rebuilt by a pair of brother and sister owners, with a single building area of ​​nearly 1,000 square meters.

Song said that the owners of the community are all high-net-worth individuals such as company bosses, hospital directors, and bank executives, and the original buildings in the community are 20 years old and cannot meet the needs of new owners. "Everyone who buys a house wants to renovate it. Therefore, some landlords demolish the house and rebuild it before selling it. Others demolish the house and only leave a foundation pit, and then sell the foundation pit directly, which can also be sold for several million yuan. The transaction here does not look at the area of ​​the house, but is negotiated based on the entire house."

The reporter expressed interest in the Xiyuan No. 159 building, which was priced at 9 million yuan, but was dissatisfied with the poor lighting and small number of rooms. Song said: "It doesn't matter, you can knock down the wall, install glass, cut down the trees in the backyard, and build another floor upstairs. We will be responsible for finding someone to help you."

Song said that changing the exterior wall and building a fence is not a big problem, but adding floors and digging basements requires someone to "take care of it." "You can apply for a construction permit in the name of repairing a dangerous building. Generally, adding a floor or digging a basement to make a wine cellar or bar will cost 400,000 yuan."

The reporter asked whether digging a basement by yourself would damage the foundation and cause collapse. Song said: "No. You can find a professional construction and decoration company, or you can pay professionals in the community and they will build it for you one-stop."

"Manager" guarantees to handle the procedures for dangerous house renovation

“It cannot be dismantled if it becomes a fait accompli”

After viewing the house several times, the agent Song and his colleagues said, "We are not just doing business with you. We can definitely add a floor or a basement."

In order to dispel the reporter's concerns, they invited the reporter to the community to meet a mysterious man.

The man who claimed to be Manager Gao said,This villa community has a unique location. It is located in the heart of a golf course, surrounded by large trees and has a closed environment, making it very suitable for illegal construction."If you build illegally in a downtown area or high-rise area, everyone can see it, it will cause disgust among the people around you and you will be reported at any time. But if you build here, it will not affect anyone, and you will have good relations with the neighbors, and no one will complain about you."

Manager Gao introduced that he needed to be informed before any illegal construction started and the relevant drawings and materials should be given to him, and he would be responsible for completing the formalities."I'll get you the procedures for renovating your dangerous house. Even if the city management receives a report and comes to investigate, you can give them a reason and they won't make things difficult for you."

Manager Gao pointed to a renovated villa and said that he lived in the community and had done projects for more than a dozen owners. "You can pay someone else to do it, and I will just help you with the connections. Or you can leave it to me, and I will do it all for you. If you are worried, you can ask the owners about my reputation."

The reporter questioned the identity of Manager Gao and whether he had the ability to "get connections". Manager Gao said that he had been working with the developer for more than 20 years and had been helping the developer."Our relationship is very stable. If you are worried about the insecurity, I will get you a quota to build photovoltaic equipment. Give me the money, and don't worry about the other things."

Manager Gao also reminded the reporter to maintain good relations with neighbors to avoid daily complaints. "If you encounter complaints during construction, you may be stopped. Once it is built and becomes a fait accompli, it will not be demolished."

In early May, a reporter from Cover News reported the situation in the community to the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Center of Jinyinhu Sub-district Office. The staff said that the community has many historical problems and there are irregular inspections on a daily basis. They will investigate the situation reported by the reporter and get back to the reporter after obtaining relevant information and data.

Two "co-managed" properties cannot control illegal construction

Security guard at the booth: We don’t have the power to enforce the law. You found the wrong person.

On July 25, a reporter from Cover News visited the community again and saw that construction of several buildings had been stopped after completion in April, with remaining building materials piled up at the door.

When the reporter asked about the illegal construction in the community at the security booth, the security guard said that the interview needed to contact their company, Hubei Heji Investment Co., Ltd. When the reporter went to the company, the company's head, Mr. Li, accepted the interview.

"This plot of land was originally developed by a company called China Construction Group. In 2007, the two parties signed a share acquisition agreement, stipulating that we would invest 650 million yuan to acquire the shares of a company under China Construction. After paying 120 million yuan in advance, the other party attempted to terminate the contract unilaterally. The lawsuit lasted until 2016. After a ruling by the Supreme Court and compulsory execution by the Wuhan Intermediate People's Court, we obtained the control and management rights of the golf course on this land. The community part has always been an enclave." Li introduced that at present, the two villa areas of Dongyuan and Xiyuan have been managed solely by the original property company. The property staff dispatched by Wuhan Heji Company cannot intervene, let alone check the vehicles entering and leaving to transport illegal materials.

Li said that the existence of two property management teams led to management chaos. "The villa area still uses our main water meter, but the water bill has never been paid. Every time a complaint about illegal construction attracts public attention, our company will be dragged into it and accidentally injured. In 2017, the Hubei High Court dismissed the other party's lawsuit on the grounds of repeated prosecution. In 2019, they sued again in the Wuhan Intermediate Court, and the case is still ongoing."

Cover News reporter noted that in April 2017, Wuhan local media reported large-scale illegal construction in the community, after which the Dongxihu District government organized multiple departments to enforce the law on the spot. The person in charge of the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Center of Jinyinhu Sub-district Office said in an interview that some buildings were historical illegal buildings. According to reports, there are 9 current illegal buildings, 6 of which have obtained dangerous building appraisal certificates but have not obtained planning approval procedures. These illegal buildings have been ordered to stop construction and the owners have been ordered to demolish them within a time limit. If they refuse to demolish them, they will be forcibly demolished according to relevant procedures in accordance with the law.

The reporter returned to the community again and learned from the security guard at the second gate:The villa area is managed by another property management company called "Fubao Property Management". "We don't have the power to enforce the law. If you want to find the urban management department to handle illegal construction, you are looking for the wrong person."

In the villa No. 53 of Dongyuan, a person in charge of "Fubao Property" was telling his subordinates on the phone, "I heard a reporter is coming, keep a close eye on him." After the reporter revealed his identity, the person in charge said that he had not received any notice from the owner or relevant departments and could not accept the interview.

On July 30, there were still many houses listed for sale in this community on platforms such as Beike.com and Fangtianxia.com.

Urban management responded: A total of 49 illegal buildings have been demolished

The next step will be to investigate all

On July 26, staff from the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Center of Jinyinhu Sub-district Office met with reporters and responded to relevant questions.

According to the staff, the community involved is very old and there are indeed some existing illegal buildings. In the past two or three years, a special post has been arranged for duty. Some people have indeed complained about it, but they have all been dealt with in accordance with the principles. "Since 2016, a total of 49 illegal buildings with a total area of ​​1,185.14 square meters have been demolished. Twelve illegal buildings have been stopped by inspections and demolished on their own. The most recent demolition was in May. After receiving your media feedback, we have been strictly controlling it."

The staff said that some illegal buildings are connected to the main building, and some buildings are covered and thickened, which are visible to the naked eye. It is necessary to retrieve the original data and go through the procedures to identify the illegal buildings. "Which part is a legal building and which part is an illegal building requires authoritative identification. The planning materials of the year were all handwritten, and it takes cooperation from multiple departments to retrieve and compare them. Some houses have been transferred several times, and the owner cannot be found, so the investigation will take time.Grassroots law enforcement is indeed difficult. The property management company cooperates on the surface, but sometimes blocks us from entering the house on the grounds that the owner refuses. We have also punished Fubao Property Management, but they said that they could not collect property management fees and could not pay the fines.”

Due to the above reasons, the Jinyinhu Street Comprehensive Law Enforcement Center has not yet fully grasped the number of illegal buildings in the community.

In a local media report in April 2017, urban management law enforcement officers from the Jinyinhu Sub-district Office stated that in addition to ordering the demolition of nine illegal buildings, they also cleared out a number of team members who had left the team.

In this regard, the staff of Jinyinhu Subdistrict Office said that the district and subdistrict commissions had indeed conducted some investigations, and the law enforcement center had also cleared a number of members who violated the rules and left the team. "They probably dared not violate the rules again. Next, we will report to the district, work with multiple departments to retrieve files, and investigate and check all the buildings in the villa area."