More than half of the residents of The Rise condominium at Jalan SP Chelliah here were dissatisfied with the poor condition of their unit and the facilities.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow today said that out of the 952 residents who have received the keys to their respective units, 500 of them have submitted their letter of complaints to the developer regarding the flaws and defects around the 1,048-unit condominium.

“Some of the complaints were painting work defects, dirty flooring, stains on windows, cracks on the doors, rusty doorknobs, debris, and so on,” he said in a press conference after a tour of the condominium.

Chow, who is also the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) chairman, said that 150 of the complaints had been rectified, but would allow residents to submit another letter of complaint to the PDC should there be any more issues regarding the property itself that needed to be resolved.

Earlier in a tour of the 15th floor, bright stickers and markings were scattered all over the corridor and units to indicate signs of defects, such as uneven surfaces, broken tiles, cracked walls and ceilings, as well as doors that were made out of different materials.

One resident, Henry Cheang, had bought the 800 sq ft (74.32 sq m) unit for RM200,000 and received the key by end of September.

The 33-year-old mechanic expressed disappointment when witnessing several flaws around what was supposed to be his first home.

“I expected much better than this … we shouldn’t be treated like poor people,” he said.

He showed the reporters some of the large cracks at the ceiling of the parking lot. A portion of the parking lot for the disabled had been turned into a water drain.

Another resident, Syahirruddin Sanul Hamid, was concerned about the methods used to resolve the property issues around the building.

The 29-year-old government servant had issued a complaint letter stating that the wooden fire exit door at the sixth floor had holes on it, but was later found that the holes were poorly patched with cement.

“What is ridiculous is that I live at the far end of the condo, but my letterbox was on the other end,” he said.