Building a Hospital

Plots are primarily classified into four categories: residential, commercial, industrial and amenity. Amenity plots are meant for parks, schools, colleges, universities and hospitals. Amenity plots are allocated by the relevant authorities and the procedure varies depending on the area the hospital will be located in.
The construction of a hospital should adhere to government bylaws. These include:
1) The plot allocation must be approved by the relevant Building Control Authority.
2) The structure and design must adhere to the Building Code, which is drafted by the provincial government.
3) Space for the emergency parking facilities for ambulances and visitors should be adequate. The size of the parking spaces varies according to the size of the plot.
4) If there are multiple storeys, separate elevators should be provided for visitors and patients. The visitors elevator should be large enough to accommodate a minimum of six people.
5) For staircases, the height of each step should not exceed six inches, and the width of each step should be a minimum of ten inches.
6) A working fire safety system, which includes a sprinkler system and emergency exits on every floor, should be in place.
7) All patients rooms should have windows and a proper ventilation system
8) For every 10 beds in a general ward, a separate WC and bathroom should be allocated, in addition to a separate wash basin and sink.
9) All solid medical waste should be classified by the hospital as either hazardous or non-hazardous and disposed of accordingly.

Graduating In Real Estate:Education In Real Estate

Although the real estate business in Pakistan grown substantially over the last two decades, the fact remains that the people engaged in the real estate do not possess the required training or the expertise. This has resulted in lack of transparency and unwarranted price fluctuations.

Ideally, local colleges and universities should offer real estate certification courses that provide students a practical knowledge of all aspects of the real estate business- from real estate economics, finance and law to community planning and urban development. Unfortunately, no such courses or degree are available in Pakistan.

As there is no regulation and no required licensing, almost anyone can open a real estate agency and conduct business; the business is unregulated and does not have defined standards.

For this sector to have a streamlined system and transparency, a few concrete steps must be taken. One way to tackle this would be to make it mandatory for all real estate agents to have a license or certification before stepping into the profession. Not only will this regulate the real estate business across the board, it will raise additional revenue for the provincial governments, which could then charge a licensing fee. Licensing and regulation, in turn, will help maintain property prices at realistic level.

Currently, property sellers seek advice from non-professional, unregulated property brokers who usually quote inflated prices instead of actual values, leading to market instability. This is best illustrated by the fact that in Pakistan, real estate prices have recently increased by anywhere in between 100% and 150%, in sharp contrast to the international real estate markets which have witnessed drastic falls in property price (by 50% to 70%)

Only when obtaining a license becomes mandatory will property transactions be streamlined and gain the transparency that it is lacking in the real estate sector.

Striving for better fire safety and protection:Tips for better fire protection

Many markets , bazaars, multistory public and private buildings are built without any fire protection and safety mechanics. The incidents of fire in the country are on the rise and there is need to introduce new fire safety laws and devise fire escape plans to ensure construction of buildings with emergency fire exits.
A recent incident was the electrical short circuit that occurred in a warehouse that stored fireworks in Shah Alam Market in Lahore in early February this year. The resulting fire engulfed 11 buildings, and the fire fighters faced severe difficulty in putting it out as the fire engines were unable to reach the site due to congested streets. How can such incidents be prevented?
Here are some precautions landlords and tenants should take:
1) Ensure that the electrical wiring can bear the required electricity load,. Have the wiring checked by a qualified electrician at least every six months to make sure that it is functioning properly.
2) Take necessary precautionary measures when it comes to storing flammable material such as firecrackers and cigarette lighter fluid. Use fire-resistant cabinets and bins and ensure adequate ventilation.
3) Never leave a smoldering cigarette, as electrical appliance or a lit stove unattended.
4) Make sure that all electrical equipment is maintained properly and checked frequently.
5) Fire exits should be marked clearly so people can evacuate the building in an organized manner; fire extinguishers should be placed in prominent places.

6) Have a fire alarm system, or several smoke detectors installed for early detection.

Unfortunately, there is no mechanism in Pakistan that ensures regular inspection of all buildings for fire preventive purposes. A possible solution to this would be if the urban development. police and fir service departments worked together to ensure that construction bylaws are not violated by builders and developers. The government should also enforce and introduce modern construction rules for the safety of buildings from fire, so that commercial buildings and warehouses meet the required international standards.

Buying Fertile Land In Pakistan

In Pakistan, currently over 6 million families work on 50 million acres of land; 94% of the farmers are considered "Survival Formers"  and occupy less then an average of 12. acres. These farmers work on large private holdings or government land and have been farming for generations. Recently the Government of Pakistan has put fertile land on sale to encourage foreign investment.

The United Arab Emirates(UAE) has purchased 324,000 hectares (800,000 acres) in Punjab while Saudia Arab and China have also expressed their interest to buy fertile land. Foreign firms investing in Pakistan fertile land have been offered 50 year leases, renewable for another 40 years; investors will retain 100% proprietary rights, while enjoying a tax holiday for 10 years.
To safe guard the interests of small farmers, here are some suggestions which the Government should consider:
1) No land should be sold to foreign buyers which may have oil or other mineral reserves.
2) Barren land only should offered for foreign investments, in which the equity of the Government should be 51%; foreign buyer(s) should be asked to raise 49% of the value of land according to open market rates for development purposes.
3) Local farmers should be trained modern technology methods aimed at making barren land fertile thus giving them the means to continue to earn a livelihood.

Beaware Of Bogus Housing Schemes, Housing Development, Housing Projects, Housing Benefits & Housing Associations

The last decades has seen countless housing schemes surface promising luxuries living to unsuspecting investors only to be declared bogus after millions of rupees have been collected from them. The modus-operandi of bogus housing societies is to publish attractive advertisements in the print and electronic media in order to lure people into buying, and after collecting the money they disappear.

Over the years the Awareness and Prevention Division (A&P) of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has advised investors to check all details prior to investing in any housing scheme.
Unfortunately, beyond warnings no legislation to protect investors from bogus housing schemes Housing Development, Housing Projects, Housing Benefits & Housing Associations has been forthcoming from the federal or provincial Governments. In such a scenario, it is imperative that investors not risk their hard earned money without conducting their own investigation into the legitimacy of any new housing scheme.
Here are few points to keep in mind before investing in any housing scheme:

1) Obtain a copy of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the management of the Housing Scheme and confirm its authenticity with the competent authority, i.e KDA, CDA, LDA.
2) Find out from the concerned office of the City Government who is the owner of the land on which the project is to be built, and whether proper lease documents exist with the area registrar.
3) Inquire from utility companies if they have agreed to provide utilities to the scheme.
4) Find out if there is any ongoing litigation involving the land where the scheme is being built.
5) Examine the details of the plot you are interested in. Make sure the exit plot number, street number, sector phase number as well as the development charges and payment schedule are clearly highlighted prior to signing the purchase agreement.

Obtaining The Right Value Assessment: Property Prices

One of the most common misconceptions that property owners have is that property prices will keep rising regardless of the effect on the market of factors such as the political and economic situation in the country. The reality is that after every boom in the property market, property prices go through a period of 'correction'; they adjust to actual values rather then speculative ones; the span of such corrections can last for a very long time.
As a result, most property owners have no idea what the current market values of their property is and end up consulting a number of estate agents who in turn provide their own assessments of the property's value. In most cases there is a wide gap in the estimates provided by different estate agents, which adds to the confusion of the property owner in terms of what price to demand and they end up listing their property with the estate agent who quoted the highest value. Yet, a number of estate agents deliberately and incorrectly quote higher prices just to ensure that the owner lists the property with them. This is a unethical practice which does nothing more than make property owners happy for a short period of time.
1) Ask the estate agent to give the current property price assessment on company letterhead; but be prepared to pay a fee for this service.
2) If you plan to have an assessment done from different estate agents, do not look only at the highest value; rather consider the lowest assessment given to determine the actual value of the property.
3) Any estimate that is over two to three years old is no longer valid as property prices fluctuate depending on a number of factors which in turn end up keeping investors away.

Kick-Starting Mortgage Financing:Mortgage Rates In Pakistan

Mortgage Finance makes up a significant portion of the loans given out by banks in developed countries. In Pakistan, however, they remain unpopular primarily due to two main factors.
1) Interest Rates as high as 16 to 20% per anum makes the monthly repayment installments quite high (usually about four to six times the rental value of a property).

2) Average Monthly Income of salaried individuals is 20,000 rupees, rendering them ineligible to apply for a mortgage.
Another reason for the major dip in mortgage financing was the 2008 properly slump; investors have backed out of the market and the general public is reluctant to buy property in the hope of a further dip in prices.
To revive mortgage financing and bring some life to the real estate market, the following measures are suggested:
(i) The tenure for mortgage financing should be extended to 30 years (as it is in the U.S) so that monthly repayments are reduced to almost twice the staring rental value of the property. This can only happen if the State Bank and/or international institutions intervene in the market.
(ii) Early in 2010, the State Bank Of Pakistan suggested the formation of a company in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which would extend long-term loans with terms exceeding 15 years. The Government of Pakistan has agreed in principal offering to buy 20% equity in such a venture. Currently, commercial banks don't offer long term loans which limit the number of people willing to invest in the property market. If and when this company materializes it will increase the variety of mortgage products available in the market.
(iii) A national database for real estate documents with current titles )name of owner) should be put in place. This would help banks authenticate who the actual owner of a given property is and allow them o increase the number of areas for which they offer mortgages. Currently, most banks are willing to lend only in specific areas where there is a surety that title documents are authentic.
(iv) To facilitate low income buyers, the Government should enter into public-private partnerships with reputable developers and provide land at low cost.