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Ong studying management of flats
The Star 03/08/2002 By Wong Sai Wan
HONG KONG: The Malaysian Housing and Local Government Ministry is studying how the government here deals with
the management and maintenance of common property from the time buyers move into their flats until they receive their strata titles.
Minister Ong Ka Ting said the Government was worried about the long period between the handing-over of keys and
the issuing of strata titles as “it has been lawless” as to the rights of buyers to common properties in multi-storey buildings.
He said the study was an effort to protect buyers of high-rise units in Malaysia.
“There have been a lot of disputes between buyers and developers over shared properties like gardens and
swimming pools.
“The developers seem to have absolute power during this period when they manage the buildings without the
participation of the unit owners.
“Both sides will always accuse each other; while the buyers say the service provided is not good and thus refuse
to pay the maintenance fees, the developers say they cannot provide good service because the buyers refuse to pay the charges,” he said in an
interview on Thursday after visiting the Home Affairs Bureau here, which oversees the setting up of management and maintenance of private
buildings.
Ong said Hong Kong had more than 50 years’ experience in this matter, as living in high-rise buildings was a
norm in the island nation with over 90% of the people living in such homes.
There are 42,000 private multi-storey residential buildings in the territory and the bureau facilitates the
setting up of management committees among flat buyers through legislation and code of practices.
Ong said his ministry had already drawn up the Building and Common Property (Maintenance and Management)
Bill to govern the period between the handing-over of keys and the issuance of strata titles.
Earlier, Ong also visited the West New Territory Landfill – one of the biggest in Asia – to study how the
authorities here dispose of waste.
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