Society

Japanese apartment provider finds more building defects

Feb 08 (Nikkei) - Rental unit provider Leopalace21 said Thursday that possible construction code violations were found in an additional 1,324 of its apartment buildings, a discovery that will require the relocation of roughly 14,000 tenants.

The company, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's first section, uncovered additional issues regarding fire resistance and noise insulation in a follow-up investigation of a partition wall problem that surfaced in May last year.

Affected buildings, built between 1996 and 2001, spread across 33 prefectures of Japan.

"The aim was to boost construction efficiency and not to save costs," CEO Eisei Miyama told a news conference Thursday, explaining the defects. Facing fierce competition, the company used materials not compliant with the building code to shorten construction times.

Leopalace21 will first notify 7,782 residents in 641 buildings with potential fire resistance issues of the need to relocate, offering to pay all related expenses.

Including those living in buildings with noise insulation issues, roughly 14,000 tenants are likely to be asked to relocate.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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