Following the tragic earthquake this morning, a few questions spring to mind.
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Do property developers know to what degree earthquake their buillding can handle? Have they tested sufficiently?
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When buying/renting an apartment, is it possible to obtain any engineering clearance that the building is built to withstand earthquakes up to Richter scale X? Shouldn’t this be mandatory in a place like Taiwan/Japan?
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Can you get earthquake insurance of any sorts?
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Surely buyers or home owners deserve to know how strong their property is and what it can withstand. Should/can the government provide info on which buildings are safe and which ones are a potential hazard? This will force people quicker out shoddy buildings and allow them to be torn down.
Can they force real estate agents to disclose any info such as the developer went bust halfway through buillding, used cheaper building materials, weaker rebar etc?
Just think that Taiwanese deserve a better deal. How does Japan do it? There must be a better way.
Thanks for any thoughts on the matter.