Our hearty thanks to Mr. Gopinath(calls himself the AGM of Sales) for showing his true colour and for showing us the true nature of how Lancor Holdings will treat its customers well before we paid the token advance. We were so close to finalise our purchase at Lancor Alutra(Block C) but we escaped narrowly. Phew! Thank God for his grace:)
Below is a detailed review(rant?). Pls read at your leisure:D
It all unfolded when we asked for a breakdown / split-up of~13 Lakhs mentioned in cost sheet as “Other Charges”, for which he spoke so rudely and said it can be revealed only after we book our flat by paying 1 Lakh advance. This is similar to a jewellery shop owner saying “I will reveal the metal used in a piece of ornament, whether it is copper or gold only after you buy that ornament”:D
This kind of response coming from the AGM of Sales immediately started ringing alarm bells in my head making us question their commitment towards “transparency” and “open communication”. He also expressed his worries that had to put his head down in front of his management to get us the best price(poor guy, looks like he forgot the fact that he is the AGM of sales and his core job is to sell the apartments to customers, but instead made it sound as if the whole process of selling as a favour done to customers:P)
Also they said the maintenance cost is around Rs. 2.95 per sq.ft(2.5+ 18% GST, wherein this amount is technically not entitled to be coming under GST) but we later realised that for water usage another 2.5 per sq.ft is being collected(Thanks to an existing customer living in Block A). In total, it is 5.45 per sq.ft. Pls note, club house usage charges are extra
@1000 per house(for a clubhouse that is not even functional). In total for a 1000 sq.ft house you’d be shelling out 6450/- p.m towards maintenance and amenities alone(which will certainly increase in the future)
As per RERA documents(downloadable from TNRERA website) the apartment unit we were considering to buy already has an ear-marked covered car park pre-allotted but they were demanding an additional 1L rupees to provide a covered car park.
Coming to the review
PROS
850 meters from OMR
Many existing apartments are located and many new projects such as Casagrand Royale, DRA D’elite, Radiance Sapphire, Prestige Courtyards are coming up in this neighbourhood. In total, both existing and upcoming projects combined around 2000 households will be in this vicinity
Basic needs like supermarket, ATM, salons, shops are in walkable distance
Very close to Babaji school, Village school and a well maintained Subhramanya temple
Situated opposite to a large lake(which can be seen either as a Pro or a Con). Pls note, the lake is under some litigation
The podium is well landscaped and the swimming pool is compact but functional
Vehicle free podium area is an added advantage and is safe for kids
CONS
Very compact home. Tiny bedrooms and living room. After you lay all the furnitures you’ll have very less moving space available(not suitable for families with kids who like to run around). A 2.5 BHK having a carpet area of 750 sq.ft is impractical
Narrow corridors(~ 4.5 feet) and residents are installing footwear racks which makes it even more narrow
Congested layout. 335 apartments in~3 acres. Each floor has >10 units. Very less common area.
This neighbourhood has acute water shortage. Heavily dependent on Lorry water(hence the high monthly maintenance)
The access road from OMR is narrow(with no scope for future expansion) and fairly deserted for the first 650 meters
OSR space converted as a Miyawaki forest so no children play area possible(good for environment but bad for kids living in the apartment:P)
Namesake open play area. Not suitable for families with kids < 6 yrs of age
Common clubhouse named “Unwind” for all residents across all Lancor projects in the vicinity. “Unwind Annexe” is yet to be constructed which will also be shared by all residents across all Lancor projects. This is not exclusive to only Altura residents.
May have a risk of flooding during rains and lake breaches. Surrounded by Subhramanya lake in the west, Sholinganallur lake in the east, Raman Thangal lake in the south and Sholinganallur marsh lands in the north
Located behind Aavin factory, have heard about bad stench related complaints in the past but not recently
Not sure about the quality of construction and post handover maintenance(reviews found in mouthshut site is very scary to read) https://mouthshut.com/builders-and-developers/Lancor-Holdings-Chennai-reviews-925104423
Hidden charges and extra charges are way too many
Very high effective price per sq.ft(i.e, Total net cash outflow by RERA carpet area). It is around 9785/-(this is higher than projects by Appaswamy builders etc)
Block by block construction. D block is not even started. This shows the lack of funding with the builder
Last but not least, transparency-less approach and rude communication with prospective customers, money-minded attitude shows the true nature
Once again a big thanks to Mr. Gopinath for saving us all the trouble:) You have sacrificed a potential buyer with a strong intent to buy with your “friendly-sales” approach and saved our money. Your lack of transparency and arrogant approach made us to research more about this project and think twice about our decision to buy
- Thank You! We appreciate your effort.
