Ayumi Ishikawa and her daughter Niki said they were excited to become residents of White Rock and to be able to move into their new home at the new 26-storey Soleil building at the corner of North Bluff Road and Johnston Road.
Part of the appeal for them, aside from the luxury of the building itself, was the fact that the development is pet-friendly, which means their miniature Dachshund, Cody, can live with them.
But some four years after Ayumi paid a 20 per cent deposit on their lower-level condo – priced at $645,000 – they are still wondering when it will be ready for occupancy.
Contacted by Peace Arch News last week, someone who identified themself as a representative of the developer, RDG Management, had only a terse “I have no comment.”
A further attempt to reach RDG Management this week resulted only in a reporter being told “I don’t have the authority to speak to you,” with a suggestion to contact company president John Rempel, before the call was terminated.
At press time, a message left for John Rempel had not been returned.
Contacted by Peace Arch News, the city’s planning and development department advised that “because the permitting process is confidential, we can’t provide any specific information” and referred enquiries to the developer.
When the original purchase agreement was made in 2019, subject to the sale of their house in the Newton area, the building was announced for completion in July of 2022, Ayumi told PAN.
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When they were given a final walk-through tour of their condo, in November of last year, the completion date was supposed to be this month. No major modifications were required, the Ishikawas said.
Now they’ve heard from RDG Management that the soonest they can take possession of their condo is “sometime between April and July” – pushing four years after the original occupancy date.
“This is about the ninth adjustment there has been to the completion date,” Niki said.
Adding to their concern, the Ishikawas say, is that they have received no explanation for any of the delays.
“Our (real estate representative) tried to contact the developer, however, never received a reply back,” Niki said.
“We emailed Soleil for an explanation but the response we received was ‘pre-sale condos tend to be delayed’ – which is unusual, as extensions should not happen after the final walk-through.”
“I have a friend who works for a developer who said that after the final-walk through, the completion should be pretty soon – within a month,” Ayumi said.
“That’s common in the real estate market.”
They’re waiting on word of occupancy before paying the balance on the condo, Niki said.
The delay is not only inconvenient – it’s actually creating a hardship for the Ishikawas, they said.
The sale of their previous home was accepted in December of last year, but the new owners, recognizing their situation, delayed completion allowing the Ishikawas to stay on there until March 31.
But now Ayumi and Niki are faced with having to stay in their old home as renters, or finding new short-term accommodation – not an easy prospect with a pet.
“Soleil suggested we could find a B and B that would take us, but that’s not easy with a dog, particularly since we both work during the day,” Ayumi said.
“And we can’t tell anyone (we rent from) whether we’re going to need one month or two months, or what.”
She added that, whatever the case, it appears they will have to shoulder the cost of a short-term rental until they get into their condo.
“(Soleil) told us that it is our responsibility because we bought a pre-sold condo,”Ayumi said.
“But it shouldn’t happen that way.”