Editor's Note:

The story Rain exposes shoddy work at new apartments appeared in Metro Beijing on August 2.

It came almost two weeks after the capital was hit by its heaviest rain in 61 years in the July 21 storms - a disaster that claimed 79 lives and exposed safety concerns plaguing the country's government-subsidized housing for low-income families.

Government-subsidized affordable housing is only available to families with a total annual income of less than 88,000 yuan ($13,806). The program aimed to provide accommodation for 7.47 million low-income urban households from 2009 to 2011, but controversy has been fueled by suspicion that some ineligible candidates have benefited from the scheme due to their employment as civil servants or with State-owned enterprises.

The story:

Many residents of Tongxin Jiayuan, a new residential compound being built in Fengtai district that will have 3,000 households once completed, complained about the poor quality of construction that went into building their homes.

Many suffer leakages during rain and other structural problems from hollow bricks. Meanwhile, sinkholes have also emerged outside along unpaved, uneven sidewalks.

The residential compound's developer, Beijing Capital Development Holding Group, claimed the project has passed government inspections and meets relevant construction standards. 

However, the property management company confirmed with Metro Beijing that it has received complaints from half of the 800 households who have so far moved in.

The back story:

For many Chinese families, home ownership represents a long-cherished dream. But it's a dream that has turned into a nightmare for many residents of Tongxin Jiayuan, who live in houses of horror due to substandard construction.

A woman surnamed Cao and her husband bought their 70-square-meter apartment in the compound earlier this year for nearly 550,000 yuan. The couple along with their son received the key to their new home on July 11.

Cao's family spent all their savings and waited two years to buy their apartment. When Cao inspected their new home, she found the floor was slanted and the doorways to the bedrooms and kitchen were uneven in height. When the July 21 storm struck, rain leaked into the home.

"Aside from being told not to install an extractor hood in the kitchen, I was informed by the property management company not to install anti-burglar bars outside the windows since the retaining wall is too weak to bear such weight. I really want to know whether the building can actually bear the weight of people living inside," she told me.

"Although we paid lower than market value for the home, I regret having bought it due to its poor quality. I've tried my best to fix the problems, but we can't do anything."

Arriving at the compound, I initially found it difficult to see the storm's toll. But there were several sinkholes filled with water and the buildings' new façades appeared already faded from the rain.

Other problems included the use of hollow bricks in non-load-bearing walls, and missing vents in some kitchens to discharge steam.

At one building, I noticed a large sinkhole at the foot of the structure that was at least 10 centimeters deep. I couldn't help but share residents' concerns that the buildings could one day collapse.

I asked a homeowner surnamed Liu about the flaws as she entered the building. She agreed there were many problems and invited me into her home for closer inspection.

Two construction workers were carrying out renovations as we entered. They told us at Liu's request that most walls were hollow, which made their job of installing doors difficult. They also told us they had found some gaping holes in walls, exposing pipes and wires.

Liu admitted she had been unaware of the home's poor construction and the building's other serious flaws because she had been immersed in work.

"Buying a house is like playing the lottery. I've read some news reports about the poor quality of affordable housing in China, but I never knew it would affect me," she said.

Remarkably, the foreman of a construction crew surnamed Wang told me that the structural quality at Tongxin Jiayuan isn't the worst he has seen in Beijing.

"There are no clear regulations that prohibit hollow bricks from being used in construction. Such materials are widely used in projects across China, including those for commercial housing," Wang candidly told me.

Asked how to solve the problem of walls unable to support the weight of doors, Wang mentioned that homeowners can pay extra to fill wall interiors with concrete to make them sturdier.

Tongxin Jiayuan doesn't represent the city's first affordable housing project scandal. As mentioned in Metro Beijing's August 2 story, six half-constructed buildings in Mingyuewan community of Daxing district were demolished in 2010 because cement used in their construction was substandard.

However, the string of these scandals begs the question: How can developers continue to get away with shoddy construction in residential housing projects?

I asked these questions in an interview with the Beijing Capital Development Holding Group's on-site manager for Tongxin Jaiyuan surnamed Sui. He neglected to answer them and only reiterated that the project had passed government inspections.

How such a flawed project managed to win approval from government inspectors remains unknown.

Aside from cutting corners in construction, other housing projects have attracted controversy due to allegations of corruption and favoritism. Much affordable housing is bought by civil servants and employees at State-owned companies whose total annual household income exceeds 88,000 yuan.

Tongxin Jiayuan seemed to be another prime example of this, with many cars including luxury sedans parked throughout the compound.

While buying a car might be much easier than purchasing a home in Beijing, it didn't make sense to me that so many residents could afford to buy a car and meet costs such as registration and insurance yet still be eligible candidates for government-subsidized affordable housing.

It didn't help ease my suspicion when the manager of the property management company, Lang Ping, informed me that half of the vehicles in the compound's car parks were owned by Tongxin Jiayuan residents.