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.