Property

Deathtrap call strikes chord

An outspoken real estate agent has been congratulated for criticising an Auckland apartment block he called a deathtrap.

Saturday, August 21st 2004

But a rival agent has hit back, saying her firm is proud to sell the units.

Martin Dunn, head of apartment sales specialist City Sales, said industry feedback had been positive about his criticism of the 209-unit Harvard on Hobson at 147 Hobson St.

He said his firm would continue to refuse to sell tiny units off the plans.

In a hard-hitting address to a Property Council's Fisher & Paykel multi-unit dinner, Dunn criticised narrow walkways and low handrails at the block opened only a month ago and developed by Robert Holden's Conrad Properties.

But Holden said this month that the block was safe, had a full code compliance certificate and was almost full.

Dunn claimed his criticism sparked interest.

"I have been congratulated by a wide range of interested parties for speaking," he said. "We consistently refuse to sell projects like Harvard off the plans - we will not work for Conrad full stop.

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