"Useless"
vacant possession, if CF not given July 2001 Utusan Konsumer
Change
laws to protect buyers July 2001 Utusan Konsumer
Sold useless houses July 2001 Utusan Konsumer
Law protects developers, penalizes buyers July 2001 Utusan
Konsumer
Call for probe into TCF issue
02/07/2001 MM
THE House Buyers Association secretary-general,
Chang Kim Loong, said the Housing and Local Government Ministry should investigate
why the Temporary Certificate of Fitness (TCF) was issued for the Villa OUG
condominium. He confirmed that water supply and functional firefighting equipment
was a prerequisite to the issuance of the TCF.
Double trouble at condo 02/07/2001 MM
FROM a `villa' to a death trap. Inadequate water supply has turned the Villa
OUG condominium in Taman Yarl, off Jalan Klang Lama, into a death trap.
Low-cost plan on hold
04/07/2001 NST
THE low-cost housing project by Prisma Development
Sdn Bhd, involving 460 units in Taman Subang Indah, has been put on hold,
pending changes to the building plan. Subang Jaya State Assemblyman Datuk
Lee Hwa Beng said the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) had been forced
to delay the approval due to failure to adhere to certain guidelines set by
State Government, one of which was density.
Condo still a fire hazard
04/07/2001 MM
INSPECTED - and still found wanting! The Fire
and Rescue Department carried out an inspection of Villa OUG in Jalan Dandan,
Taman Yarl, and established that the fire protection system at the
condominium is far from adequate.
'Client's
account' to gain confidence
04/07/2001 The Star
A developer of a service suites project in Penang has introduced a client's
account whereby payments made by purchasers are monitored by a legal firm
and only released according to the construction progress.
Minister defends City Hall
approval for housing project 05/07/2001 NST
MINISTER in the Prime Minister's Department in
charge of the Federal Territory Datuk Pandikar Amin Mulia has come out in
defence of City Hall's approval for a housing project on a piece of land adjacent
to the Taman Beringin landfill in Jinjang. He said obtaining a development
order from City Hall was not that easy as it involved a long process and most
projects went through the Cabinet's scrutiny.
SP Setia: Proof of a promise
06/07/2001 NST-PROP
SEEING is believing - it is easier to make a choice based on visible proof
rather than on promises spelt out in brochures and advertisements, isn't it?
Especially when you are going to invest your life's savings to buy something
that will take the next two decades to pay off. That is the premise property
developer SP Setia Bhd has banked upon to spur sales of properties in three
of its major township developments. In a shrewd strategy to give potential
buyers a taste of what's in store for them, the Setia Group's first step in
the development process is to build a large-scale landscaped park, a show
village and site office.
Water cheer for Villa OUG residents
06/07/2001 MM
AT last, the pleasure of having running water
is evident on the faces of these young residents of Villa OUG in Jalan Dandan,
Taman Yarl. Here, resident Nicholas Chong, 11 (picture, left), is given a
`shower' by his father, Gary Chong, and neighbour Ong Jia Kee, four, who is
holding a water hose.
Property overhang may
remain for another 2 to 3 yrs 06/07/2001 www.theedgedaily.com
By Michelle Kuan
The Real Estate and Housing Developers' Association Malaysia (Rehda) has warned
that the current RM29 billion property overhang could remain for another two
to three years if developers continue building. "If the (sales) margin is
not there, the current RM29 billion property overhang might stay for another
two to three years," Rehda's president Datuk Eddy Chen Lok Loi said.
Help for house buyers with
grouses 07/07/2001 MM
THE House Buyers Association (HBA) of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor will work
together with MCA Public Services and Complaints Department to help house
buyers who encountered problems. For a start, the department will organise
a workshop on July 14 from 9.30am until 12.30pm at Wisma MCA, Jalan Ampang,
Kuala Lumpur
Just who is looking after interests
of Villa OUG folk? 07/07/2001 MM
WHO is looking after our interests? This is the question on the minds of homeowners
at Villa OUG in Jalan Dandan, Taman Yarl, after their pro-tem committee met
with officials from City Hall yesterday.
`Strange dealings' over green lung 09/07/2001 MM
IT is the last straw! The alleged scheming and manoeuvrings to get hold of
a piece of green lung in Taman Wangsa Cheras is more complex than a con artist's
game. And residents have had enough!
Alarming approvals
09/07/2001 By Nicholas Mun and Zoe Phoon
Local authorities need to be more selective when granting approvals for new
housing projects in the light of the RM6.61 billion overhang of residential
properties that currently exists throughout the country.
Thinking of buying a house? 10/07/2001 MM
TO ensure that you do not become a victim of
the many housing swindles reported in the newspapers, here are some guidelines
to be followed when buying a house. You should take the precaution of checking
up on the property and the housing developer. The Housing Developers (Control
and Licensing) Act, 1966 (Revised 1973) and the Rules made thereunder only
covers a licensed developer.
Residents deprived of clubhouse
facilities 10/07/2001 MM
"WHY is the clubhouse being used as a maintenance
office?" asks JAGGARAO SIMANCHA of Shah Alam. He bought a unit of a Mediterranean-styled
apartment in Taman Seri Muda as he was impressed with the facilities offered,
including a clubhouse
Certificate of Fitness cheer
for developers 11/07/2001 NST
THE Kuala Lumpur City Hall has some good news
for developers who are awaiting certificates of fitness (CFs) for their completed
buildings. To clear the backlog, City Hall has decided to issue CFs for buildings
which were given temporary CFs.
Endless woes at new home
11/07/2001 MM
A NEW house not fit to live in! That is the dilemma facing couple Luqman Zulkifli
and Sarimah Zahar as their dream apartment at Riverdale Park in Bukit Antarabangsa
has turned into a quagmire due to an indifferent developer.
Only two extensions
allowed 11/07/2001 MM
ONLY two extensions. That is the maximum to be given to developers issued
with the Temporary Certificate of Fitness (TCF) by City Hall.Its deputy director-general,
Ruslin Hassan, said City Hall was not in favour of extending TCFs although
they are renewable every six months.
Plan for streamlined land
law covering all states 11/07/2001 The Star
Kuala Lumpur: The land laws in the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak may be
merged into the proposed National Land Act. Land and Co-operative Development
Minister Tan Sri Kasitah Gaddam said yesterday.
Rallying to save green lung
12/07/2001 NST
RESIDENTS of Taman Wangsa Cheras, Km14, Jalan
Cheras rallied together to save the football field which was the area's only
green lung. They were protesting the attempt by a developer to turn a land
near a reservoir situated on top of a hill into a playground and its plan
to build three blocks of condominium on the football field.
The rights of purchasers
12/01/2001 MM
LEGISLATION passed by Parliament are in most cases meant for the protection
of the public. Undoubtedly the Housing Developers (Control and Licensing)
Act 1966 is intended to "protect purchasers." Just look at the cases that
had been decided by the courts since the 1980s. The 1980s saw several leading
cases where developers were prevented from escaping liability by relying on
some standard clauses in the sale and purchase agreements as provided for
the in the legislation. In SEA Housing Corp Sdn Bhd v Lee Poh Choo ([1982]
2 MLJ 31) the purchaser Lee Poh Choo sued SEA Housing for breach of contract
and for the title to the house which was purchased from the developer. There
was a five-month delay in the completion of the house.
Thin fine line
13/07/2001 NST-PROP
I'M dreaming I'm standing on a precariously narrow fence separating two formidable
camps, hands flailing haplessly in the air to prevent myself from falling.
Below me to one side is a pool teeming with property developers, all looking
for help to deliver them from the ills of the 90s, which caused the phenomenon
called property overhang. They're moaning in pain from buyer and profit deprivation
- a side effect that occurs when the drugs on which a boom economy is powered
become short in supply. To cope, they need support to make adjustment to the
deprivation that much more bearable. On the other side of the fence are wilder
beings. They are jaded property buyers who have sunk hard earned cash into
a project only to see it become abandoned, built with unacceptable quality
or worse. They are seething with anger at being "done in" and are looking
for that soapbox to voice their fury. To them, justice is an annoyingly slow
cure that requires large doses of amendments to current legislation before
consumers such as they can be fully protected.
Novel way of moving house
13/07/2001 MM
USING a construction crane to shift into your
condominium may a be a little unorthodox, but two Villa OUG owners said yesterday
that they had little choice. This is because the lifts in the building at
Jalan Dandan in Taman Yarl have not been operational since homeowners began
moving in March this year.
Help for developers with CF
problems 13/7/2001 The Star
DEVELOPERS facing problems obtaining CFs for their projects will get City
Hall's help. Datuk Bandar Tan Sri Kamaruzzaman Shariff said the backlog was
due to developers not fulfilling certain criteria.
Hard hit by faulty lifts at
condo block 14/07/2001 NST
RESIDENTS of Block C of Villa OUG condominium
in Overseas Union Garden, Jalan Kelang Lama, Kuala Lumpur are having a hard
time moving their furniture into their units as the elevator has not been
operational for the past seven months. In early January, when the developer,
Brisdale Project Sdn Bhd, handed over the keys to the house owners, it gave
them an assurance that the faulty lift would be repaired but until yesterday
nothing had been done.
Pemaju lepas tangan, rumah terbengkalai 14/07/2001 BH
PADA Jun 1996, saya menandatangani satu perjanjian pembelian rumah dengan
Koperasi Pembangunan Kampung Tradisional (Pekatra Tasek Berhad) di Seberang
Prai Selatan, Pulau Pinang. Saya tertarik untuk membeli rumah berkenaan kerana
pemajunya yang saya rasa mampu untuk melaksanakan projek mengikut tempoh masa
30 bulan dari tempoh perjanjian.
Upset over loss of monsoon
drain MM 18/07/2001
WHERE is our monsoon drain? This question comes from residents in Jalan SS26/16,
Taman Mayang Jaya in Petaling Jaya to the developer whom they claim have taken
their monsoon drain to erect hoardings for its project.
1,000 unresolved
housing cases compiled 18/07/2001 The Star By Celeste
Fong
THE House Buyers Association (HBA) of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor and the MCA
Public Services and Complaints Department has compiled at least 1,000 unresolved
housing cases.
Strata Title Board for all
States in October 19/07/2001 NST
PENANG, Wed. - The long-awaited Strata Title
Board will be set up in all States on Oct 1, Deputy Land and Co-operative
Development Minister Dr Tan Kee Kwong said. He said the setting up of the
board as provided for under the Strata Title Act 2001, would, among others,
resolve disputes between the management of highrise buildings and their tenants.
Set up Strata Title Board, states
told 19/ 7/2001 The Star
Four states need to urgently set up Strata Title
Board to act as arbitrator to resolve disputes between property owners and
management corporations. Deputy Land and Co-operative Development Minister
Dr Tan Kee Kwong said Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang and Johor have the highest
number of high-rise residential buildings.
Building trust
20/07/2001 NST-PROP By Andrew Wong
THE answer to the question of whether the chicken or the egg came first can
be gleaned from looking at the property development industry and recognising
the way houses are sold before they are built. If we say the embryo of our
home ownership aspiration is conceived when we sign on the dotted line before
even the first brick is laid, then surely the egg must have come first. Gads,
I knew I should have been a rocket scientist. Trouble with this conjecture,
though, is that after a gestation period of 24 months for a house on land,
and 36 months for a unit in the sky, what could materialise is a property
farthest from our dreams. Never mind if the reality could be in a different
colour than that snazzy Disney-hued artist's impression that tempted purchase;
forget it if promises of panoramic views became blocked by another block.
There are greater problems in paradise and they have to do with tilting walls,
shoddy workmanship and sinking foundations.
Six-month solution to water
quandary 21/07/2001 NST
TO end the water supply quandary at the Kepong Entrepreneurs Park, Kuala Lumpur
City Hall has issued a Temporary Certificate of Fitness (TCF) to all the 32
light industry factory owners. This will enable them to re-submit their applications
to the Selangor Waterworks Department (JBA).
MPPJ to decide on developer
of low-cost houses 21/07/2001 MM
MEMBERS of the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council tender committee will soon
decide on the developer which will undertake the RM30 million low-cost housing
project in Petaling Jaya Selatan 1. MPPJ president, Datuk Emran Kadir said
they were finalising tender details before inviting developers to bid for
the 744 units of low-cost flats to relocate squatters in the area.
Car parks may be listed as
a common facility 21/07/2001 The Star
The Penang Municipal Council may consider amending the building by-laws to
include car parks of highrises as common facilities.
Championing buyers' rights
22/07/2001 SUM
HOUSE buyers must be made
aware of their rights so they are not taken for a ride by unscrupulous
developers. It was with this in mind that the House Buyers Association (HBA)
was set up and registered in July last year.
Puncak Alam's RM14m compensation
for Felda settlers 23/07/2001 MM
PUNCAK ALAM Housing Sdn Bhd, the developer of Bandar Baru Puncak Alam township,
recently gave RM14 million to 281 Felda settlers in Bukit Cerakah. The company's
managing director, Saharuddin Abu Samah, presented a mock cheque for the amount
to Tuah Sejagat representative Azmi Hussein, last July 6.
PM: No more bailouts for housing developers
24/07/2001 www. theedgedaily.com By Thomas Soon
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad has warned housing developers
to buck up as the government may not bail them out again because of their
own shortcomings. Real Estate and Housing Developers' Association Malaysia
(REHDA) president Datuk Eddy Chen Lok Loi said the prime minister gave the
warning at the Budget 2002 dialogue session in Putrajaya recently.
Predicament of property purchasers
needs looking into 26/07/2001 NST
I WOULD like to highlight the ignorance of the
Ministry of Housing and Local Government with regard to the predicament faced
by purchasers of property from housing developers. Firstly, the ministry should
issue guidelines as to when a housing project is considered abandoned.
Rehda: 'Termite' law not
necessary 26/07/2001 The Star
DEVELOPERS say education on the right chemicals and techniques for soil treatment
will be more effective in tackling the termite problem on project sites than
introducing a law compelling them to treat the soil. Real Estate and Housing
Developers Association (Rehda) Penang chairman Datuk Ong Gim Huat said such
a law was not needed as there was "no logical reason" for not treating the
soil if developers knew it was infested. "We have a responsibility to treat
it and responsible developers will do it with or without a law.
RM346.1m worth of overhang property in Negri 26/07/2001
NST
SEREMBAN, Wed. - Fifty two developers in the State have registered a total
of 3,537 units of overhang property worth RM346.1 million with the State Government.
Menteri Besar Tan Sri Mohamad Isa Abdul Samad said the overhang property comprised
2,905 houses worth RM199.3 million, 420 commercial units (RM114.2 million)
and 212 industrial lots (RM32.6 million).
`Give developers
time to apply for strata titles' 27/07/2001 NST By
Bhavani Krishna Iyer
APARTMENT and condominium owners have been advised to give developers sufficient
time to apply for, and obtain, strata titles. Land and Co-operative Development
Deputy Minister Dr Tan Kee Kwong said the developer could only start applying
six months after being given the full certificate of fitness, and that if
everything was in order, the strata titles could be processed in about a year.
Surreal estate
27/07/2001 NST-PROP
WHEN is a bungalow not a bungalow? Answer: when
it is a semi-detached bungalow. It's understandable that in the hands of the
crafty members of a property developer's marketing department, houses no longer
fall into the neat categories of bungalows, semi-dees and terraces. But semi-detached
bungalows? This is ground-breaking stuff. The word bungalow is currently being
used to denote a detached house that is fairly large in terms of its built-up
area and the land it sits on, which pretty much goes against the dictionary
definition of a small, single-storey house or cottage. That's language, constantly
evolving through usage.
Inspirational growth
27/07/2001 NST-PROP
WHICH comes first, the cart or the horse? Looking
at our development landscape, it can be argued that it is the former, and
that we have placed more emphasis on improving our physical environs than
our selves. As we gaze at the awe-inspiring super-highways, bridges and icons
of progress, we must remember that there are squatters living in squalid communities
also staring in awe at the very same things. As we study highrise residential
blocks sprouting up from what was just 20 years before innocent idle land,
let us acknowledge that in almost every one, there are ongoing conflicts between
developer and owners over issues of services and promises not kept. As we
visit five star hotels, we should take note of the widening social gap between
the masses as we wipe footprints off toilet seats.
Developing Johor, the Seri
Alam way 27/07/2001 NST-PROP
BEING a large and reputable developer paves the
way to wonderful things. Buyers don't question whether their purchases will
be completed on time, contractors don't need to undertake rigorous background
checks to find out if payment will be promptly made, and banks gleefully rush
to become end- financiers. In the case of Seri Alam Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary
of listed United Malayan Land Bhd (UM Land), even more wonderful things happen.
For instance, banks also go out of their way to offer exclusive mortgage facilities
comprising a first year interest rate of zero per cent, while Bank Negara
steps in to buy low-cost housing land from the developer so it needn't have
to exhaust its resources by undertaking this aspect of development.
More than RM100,000 lost in
housing scam 28/07/2001 The Star By Hamdan Raja Abdullah
MUAR: More than 20 people here are believed to have been conned into paying
deposits totalling more than RM100,000 to a man who offered them medium- or
low-cost homes which do not exist.
Pemaju jangan selalu minta
insentif 28/07/2001 Utusan Online
KUALA LUMPUR 27 Julai - Syarikat pemaju perumahan diingatkan
supaya jangan asyik meminta pelbagai insentif daripada kerajaan sedangkan
mereka sendiri tidak bersedia untuk memberikan yang terbaik, kata Timbalan
Menteri Kewangan, Datuk Chan Kong Choy.
Selling unsold properties 29/07/2001 NSUNT
ANY piece of property that has been completed
and remains unsold is a waste of productive resources and thus a property
glut should not be allowed to be prolonged. Every effort must be made by those
involved in the property sector to accelerate the offtake of the unsold properties
that are lying idle in the country. It is timely that Deputy Finance Minister
Datuk Chan Kong Choy has made the call for property developers to come out
with more attractive pricing packages to ovecome the property glut.
Educating housebuyers on their
rights 30/07/2001 MM
A HOUSEBUYER
must be aware of his or her rights to avoid being cheated. Having seen over
the years how people ended up short-changed by unscrupulous housing developers,
ex-civil servant Datuk Zainuddin Bachik and a group of concerned citizens
set up the House Buyers Association (HBA) last year to protect the interests
of purchasers. HBA also aims to work with the Government, particularly the
Housing and Local Government Ministry, to strengthen consumer protection.
Cloud over Felda millionaires 31/07/2001 MM
IT was a dream come true for 360 Felda settlers
of Cahaya Baru, a Felda scheme not too far away from the Tanjung Langsat industrial
zone in Johor. Their success story was the envy of practically every Felda
settler throughout the country. And why not? They were going to be paid an
amount not unlike a windfall of sorts for their 1,477 hectares land, over
which they have given the best part of their lives for the last quarter of
a century. Each one of these lucky settlers will in due time receive more
than a million ringgit as consideration for giving up his agricultural land
to be developed commercially. A development company known as Cahaya Baru Development
Berhad (CIDB) was formed. And each settler was paid between RM140,000 and
RM200,000 as first part payment.
30 property buyers hand memorandum
to Khir 31/07/2001 The Star
SHAH ALAM: A group of 30 buyers of properties
at West Port Tech Zone and North Port gate-crashed a state government function
here yesterday and handed a memorandum to Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad
Khir Toyo seeking his intervention to solve their dispute with the developer.
