Act can make living in flats more pleasant

07/08/2003 The Star By V.K.CHIN

WHILE more Malaysians are opting to live in high-rise flats, both for reasons of security and privacy, many of them are still having difficulty in adjusting themselves to this form of accommodation. 

The main setback is the lack of civic consciousness among the residents who have yet to understand the nature and culture of sharing and doing their bit to make their lives more comfortable. 

The most common complaint is that many residents, either owners or tenants, behave in a selfish manner and do not contribute towards the cleanliness of their surroundings. 

To some of them, what happens outside of their apartments is not their concern and this attitude has contributed towards the dirty environment and the breakdown in some of the services. 

Many of such high-rise apartments have management committees to look after the maintenance of their units where the residents are required to pay a monthly fee for this upkeep. 

However, some of the residents have refused to do so on a regular basis resulting in the shortage of funds for the proper maintenance of their buildings. 

At the same time, there are also some management committees that have collected the money but use it for purposes other than to keep all the facilities in good working order. 

But the collection of the monthly management fee is likely to be made easier with the proposed Building and Common Property Act whereby the defaulters could face action for non-payment. 

This is a big step forward in resolving this issue that has been around for some time, making life quite miserable for many of those who occupy such premises. 

What is of concern, however, is how the new guidelines are to be implemented.  

Unless the Housing and Local Government Ministry is serious in dealing with this issue, the law is unlikely to be effective or a deterrent to the defaulters. 

Once these irresponsible laggards know that the Government is serious in implementing the law, they will have to pay up or face the consequences or change to a new address. 

It is a legislation that many of the responsible flat dwellers will look forward to and it will certainly encourage more people to live in such accommodation, which is gaining popularity with certain sections of the population, especially the senior citizens and those who are more security conscious.