Recently, in the Guanping district of Guanshan Lake in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, a tenant of a commercial property smashed nearly two-thirds of a load-bearing wall during renovations, causing panic among more than 120 residents living upstairs. The property management company admitted to negligence in this incident, which quickly caught the attention of the public on the internet.
According to a report by “Concerned Citizens” on September 23, a dull sound was heard a few days ago in the Guanping district of Guanshan Lake in Guiyang City. Many residents got up to check by the window but didn’t notice anything unusual and didn’t take it seriously.
Shortly after, a message within the residents’ group shocked all the owners of the building. It turned out that during the renovation of two commercial properties on the ground floor of the complex, it appeared that nearly two-thirds of the load-bearing wall was illegally demolished, with exposed steel bars and scattered cement blocks on the site.
Some of the residents stated that the load-bearing wall was originally able to support 3000 kilograms, but it must have significantly reduced the load-bearing capacity now, causing worry among over 120 residents living upstairs.
Some residents accused those responsible for the renovation, saying, “You are the one doing renovations, you should understand best. When someone tells you to break a load-bearing wall, would you do it?” The individual responded, “If the owner tells me to do it and pays me, I will do it.”
The residents believe that the commercial property’s unauthorized demolition of the load-bearing wall should be blamed on the property management. Following the collective demands of the residents, the property management staff contacted the tenant and landlord of the commercial property on-site, but both claimed they couldn’t rush to the scene because of other engagements.
The property management company admitted to the lack of supervision during the commercial property renovation process and expressed willingness to cooperate fully with the relevant supervisory authorities, contact the tenant and landlord of the commercial property, and expedite the rectification of the hidden dangers.
A lawyer from the Yunchu Law Firm in Guizhou stated that the tenant’s demolition of two-thirds of the load-bearing wall affects the overall building safety and may infringe on the legitimate rights of other residents. The tenant should bear the corresponding liability for infringement. The landlord of the commercial property as the property owner also bears the responsibility and obligation for safe management of the property.
The lawyer further stated that the property management company has a corresponding obligation for the safe management of the residential complex, such as regular inspections and timely intervention upon discovering safety hazards. Failure to fulfill these obligations may result in additional liability.
This incident quickly drew widespread attention on the internet and became a hot topic on Baidu and Weibo.
Netizens commented, “The load-bearing wall is something that no one pays attention to usually, but once it’s tampered with, the entire building is at risk. Over 120 residents spent over a million to buy their homes, and just because of downstairs renovations wanting to gain a few extra square meters, overnight it becomes a ‘condemned building candidate.’ The math just doesn’t add up.”
Real estate blogger “Shen Fang Xiao Ge Loves Property Hunting” posted, “The load-bearing wall relates to the overall building safety, and smashing a load-bearing wall is playing with the safety of the entire building. Barbaric renovations must be stopped, and the property management should have inspections and approvals for renovations. Surely, removing load-bearing walls should not be an option during renovations.”
The author of the headline article, “Chen Pi Cang Xiang,” stated, “I remember many such incidents happening, mainly because the penalties are too lenient. If the load-bearing wall is smashed, the entire building will become unsafe, stringent punishment must be given, and all parties involved must be held accountable.”