Forcing flat-owners to pay their dues

The Star 23/04/2001 By V.K. Chin

While the government has encouraged the construction of flats and other high-rise units to meet the housing shortage, the sad fact is that Malaysians are still not used to living in such accommodation.

With the shortage of land especially in urban areas, tens of thousands of such houses have been built in cities and towns where it is more expensive to buy landed properties.

Living in such high-rise units will require the residents to adopt a different lifestyle and since most of them have been staying at ground level all this while, it may some-times be difficult to adjust.

One key factor is that there must be good co-operation among the residents in order to make their environment more comfortable and healthy for the whole neighbourhood.

It is necessary to live and think like one family instead of individually as they encounter the new experience of sharing many facilities. It is regrettable that many of the residents have yet to accept this reality.

For those who have bought units in middle and up-market projects, they expect their environment to be conducive in keeping with what they have paid for their new homes.

They expect the developers to provide all the facilities promised in their publicity materials such as a swimming pool, gymnasium, security and most importantly a clean and healthy environment where everything works.

For this privilege they have to pay a monthly fee so that the developers can have sufficient funds to manage the property. This is a good arrangement provided the residents keep to their part of the bargain by paying the maintenance fee on a regular basis.

To ensure such regular payments, the government is introducing the necessary legislation to get the residents to meet their obligations. Once the law is approved by Parliament, the recalcitrant ones will have to pay a fine and even a daily penalty.

This is definitely a step in the right direction and the responsible owners will welcome the proposed amendments with relief as this would ensure that their property and the facilities will be properly cared for.

Of course the developers could be playing truant too and keep the money collected for this purpose to be spent elsewhere. This is tantamount to criminal breach of trust and stern action must be taken against the culprits to protect the house-owners.

It is quite sickening for house-owners to find their properties not well maintained due either to the residents' or developers' fault. The value of their homes could suffer a sharp drop if the apartments are not properly looked after.

Another flat-owners' common complaint is the failure of the developers to apply for the strata titles and this should be done as stipulated in the regulations governing such buildings within the specified period.

Owners of high-rise units will certainly look forward to the amendments becoming law as quickly as possible and hopefully it will end the discomfort and misery some of them may be facing at present due to the irresponsible attitude of their defaulting neighbours.