Hatten Land, a Singapore property developer with projects predominantly in Malacca, Malaysia, has addressed some of the allegations by dissatisfied purchasers of its projects.
Buyers had demonstrated in March at the ElementX mall, during which Hatten Land representatives spoke to them about their grievances.
MS News previously spoke to some of the buyers. Now, Hatten has come forward to answer questions regarding the steps and assurances that Hatten Land is taking to ensure that their projects are underway and on schedule. It also provided an update on the current status of its Harbour City and ElementX properties, which buyers have alleged are incomplete.
While the former is still under construction, Hatten asserts that ElementX is complete and has been handed over to buyers.
Addressing grievances, Hatten Land said that it “strives to maintain a high level of satisfaction and continuous communication with its property buyers throughout the entire journey and after-sales process”.
It also said that it has arranged regular Q&A sessions, guided tours of the construction site, and video updates using drones as visual evidence of the construction progress.
Hatten Land also refuted reports that an investment company, MFR Capital, ever bought 40 units at Harbour City, saying the deal never took place.
Buyers, including Mr Francis Ng who owns House of Seafood, had questions regarding allegedly incomplete projects such as Capital City Mall and ElementX Mall.
The Capital City Mall closed in February 2020 due to Capital World facing financial issues. The building has not reopened since.
Hatten told MS News that it is merely an investor in Capital City Mall. As the main developer is Capital World, Hatten asked to direct further queries to them.
“We merely provided some marketing guidance for the project,” Hatten said.
It also highlighted that in January 2023, Singapore retailer Mustafa purchased 591 unsold retail units in Capital City Mall in its maiden foray into the Malaysian market.
Meanwhile, Hatten faced allegations that ElementX, where the demonstration happened, still had bare and incomplete units when buyers acquired them.
MS News received images from Mr Ng from other buyers, who said their units appeared bare.
Image courtesy of Francis Ng
Hatten Land confirmed that according to the Sales and Purchase Agreement, buyers receive all commercial retail units’ floorings in a “cement/sand screed generally” state, which is apparently an industry norm.
Image courtesy of Francis Ng
It explained that some units may have had the flooring fitted out by property owners or tenants following the handover. This could have caused confusion among purchasers who may have thought their own bare units were incomplete.
Hatten Land invites property buyers who have queries on their property to reach out to their sales team at salesadmin@hattengrp.com.
Another property in Malacca which Hatten Land developed, Harbour City, remains incomplete to this day despite a 2020 deadline.
Source: SZ – Eagle Eye Studiors on YouTube
The development was described as “a cutting-edge mixed-use development project situated on the stunning island of Pulau Melaka in the Straits of Malacca” during its launch in 2015.
However, it has been dogged by numerous issues. Among them is a company, MFR Capital, claiming that it had bought 40 units in Hatten Group’s Harbour City Resort Suites project in 2017.
Reports from around the same period also stated a strategic partnership between MFR Capital and Hatten had been launched.
But when MS News asked about this, Hatten denied that such a partnership ever took place.
“Hatten seeks to clarify that it has no past or present affiliation with MFR Capital,” it said, claiming management is not familiar with the investment group.
“After obtaining feedback from others as well as online articles, Hatten became aware of a public relations event organised by MFR Capital, wherein it claimed to have purchased one level of Harbour City. However, Hatten refutes this claim and confirms that it had no knowledge of this assertion.”
However, the 2016 report from EdgeProp Malaysia included a statement from someone named Cassandra Tio, Hatten Group’s head of marketing and sales division. MS News understands from Hatten Land that she is no longer with the company. The company also doesn’t have any record of the amount purportedly paid by MFR Capital.
“Due to the lack of any records of the MFR Capital transaction, the company can only assume that the transaction did not occur,” Hatten Land said. “As Ms Tio is no longer employed by Hatten Land, the company denies her claim that the transaction was completed and that MFR Capital has paid a 10% booking fee for a bulk purchase, since no such funds have been received.”
Then came a dispute with the contractor, China Construction Yangtze River (M) Sdn Bhd, over financial issues. Construction has ceased since.
In 2020, after construction stopped, reports stated that Tayrona Capital was stepping in to fund the project. But Tayrona Capital has since collapsed. In Feb 2023, Hatten filed to terminate the agreement after Tayrona Capital failed to provide the agreed payments.
“With the termination of the agreement with Tayrona Capital, there are no other significant investors involved for the Harbour City project,” Hatten said.
With Harbour City still pending completion, some buyers have understandably been disappointed at a seeming lack of communication. Hatten Land said it is now gathering resources to resume construction, with contractor mobilisation and safety checks on its structure completed.
“Although only a minority of purchasers are dissatisfied, Hatten Land continues to strive and maintain a high level of satisfaction and continuous communication with our property buyers throughout the entire journey and after-sales process,” it told MS News.
Hatten Land says it has arranged regular Q&A sessions, guided tours of the construction site, as well as video updates. During these updates, it’ll use drones to capture the construction process as a visual guide for buyers.
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Featured image adapted from SZ – Eagle Eye Studiors on YouTube.
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