Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Be a Part of our Parliamentary Process

The next session of Parliament will begin on the 15th of June.

Do you have any questions which you hope can be asked in parliament?

Please write to me: Peter Chong pet_luc2002@yahoo.com

I will than pass on these questions to the relevant MPs so that they can put in their written questions to the concerned Ministries.

Be a part of the Parliamentary and thus the democratic process. Together, let us help build a Better Malaysia.

Please submit questions by the 15th of May, latest.

Thank you.

Developers given three months to hand over strata titles

By FAZLEENA AZIZ


DEVELOPERS in Kuala Lumpur have been given three months to hand over strata titles to the respective owners or they stand to face legal action.

According to Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail, the drastic move is one of the many measures to resolve the strata titles problem.

He said the decision was made after the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) discussed the matter with the Housing and Local Government Ministry and the Land and Mines Office.

The penalty for failure to adhere to the ruling is a maximum fine of RM20,000 or a three-month jail term.

Fuad said under the Building and Common Property (Management and Maintenance) Act, a developer had to give the strata title to an owner within a year.

According to Fuad, so far only 75,665 strata titles have been given for residential and commercial properties in KL.

Of the 44,168 developers in KL, 40% are still having the strata titles while 30% were given to the joint management bodies (JMBs). The remaining 30% of owners already have their strata titles.

“We will also talk to the owners about the management fees so that the operations can be carried out smoothly,” Fuad said.

“Developers should be aware of the legal requirements to expedite the handing over of the strata titles. The mayor acts as the commissioner of buildings in resolving the matter as stipulated under the law,” he said.

Fuad said the developers were fast in releasing the titles of low-cost units but slow with high-cost developments.

Under the jurisdiction of the DBKL, there are 236,421 high-rise units, of which 209,882 are residential and 26,539 commercial.

A Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Selangor will be resuming negotiations on water restructuring with the Federal Government despite past setbacks.

“The Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry and Selangor have agreed to work together to find the best solution in the restructuring of the water services industry in the state,” said the Mentri Besar’s press secretariat in a statement here yesterday.

Both sides had also agreed to set up a joint task force, headed by the State Secretary, to find an amicable solution to all pending issues involving the exercise, which would include takeover of water assets from the four water concessionaires by Selangor, the statement said.

The commitment to find a solution was made by both the new minister Datuk Peter Chin and Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim during their first official meeting in Putrajaya on Monday

Friday, April 24, 2009

CONDO UNIT USED AS NEPALESE GUARD HOSTEL

Anyone with ideas or have experience to share?

Mr Lim wrote:

My neighbour unit had been turned into Nepalese Guard
> hostel and worst still it is overcrowded with at least 12
> and above staying in the unit of 3 rooms.
>
> My unit is affected by this unit since their bathrooms and
> cooking area are near and directly facing my unit.
>
> I reported to the management but our house rules did not
> state the maximum person to stay in a unit.
>
> It is very annoying and I am worried of the health
> conditions that might caused by the unit.
>
> I am very fustrated and currently looking for help else
> where.
>
> Can you advise anything can be done ? Our JMB also told
> me the same answer.
>
> My condo's house rules is not as detail as other
> condominiums.
>
> Please advise.
>
> Need help

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Legal action against errant developers

By LIM CHIA YING


LEGAL action will be taken against developers in Selangor who fail to call for a meeting of the Joint Management Body (JMB) under the Building and Common Property (Management & Maintenance) Act 2007.

Selangor Real Property and Housing Board executive director Datin Paduka Alinah Ahmad said the Selangor Land Office had identified several developers who had failed to call for a JMB meeting within the stipulated 12-month period.


In focus: The developers of apartments will be under scrutiny if they fail to form the JMBs.

According to Alinah, the developers were required to hold the meeting within 12 months of the implementation of the Act if the properties were completed and vacant possesion handed over before it came into effect.

For other properties, the JMB meeting would have to be organised within 12 months of the vacant possession hand-over.

The Act was passed by Parliament in December 2006 and was implemented on April 12, 2007.

Alinah was speaking to representatives of about 50 JMBs at a dialogue organised by Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh, the Zone 1 Residents Committee (JKP) and the Subang Jaya Municipal Council.

National House Buyers Association (HBA) honorary secretary-general Chang Kim Loong, who was one of the speakers at the dialogue, advised all buyers of stratified property to lodge complaints with the Land Office if the developers failed to apply for strata titles within six months of the issuance of the Certificate of Fitness.

Chang said there were still some teething problems and loopholes in the Act. He pointed out that there were no regulations within the Act and that the Commissioner of Buildings (CoB) lacked prosecutorial powers againts defiant developers.

“Problems often crop up during the transition period after the CF is given but before the strata title is issued.

“We have asked the Ministry to issue strata titles together with the CFs or the Certificate of Compliance and Completion (CCC).

“A special focus group is working on this at the moment,” Chang said.

Alinah added that a Management Corporation (MC) would automatically be formed once the strata title book was open.

“However, an AGM of the MC can only be called when 25% of the strata titles have been issued,” she said.

Alinah said she would also ask the Land Office to send letters to inform the CoB once 25% of strata titles for a particular development have been issued.

Chang had earlier pointed out that Seremban already had a similar procedure in place.

During the dialogue, the JMB representatives also brought up various issues they faced within their properties.

Yeoh explained that the dialogue aimed to get all the experts in one forum to discuss and iron out the issues. She added that she hoped this would also help the owners find out about their rights.

Also present were MPSJ Zone 1 councillor Theresa Ratnam Thong who acted as the dialogue moderator and MPSJ CoB director Tee Siew Bee.