In fact, the sometimes low upkeep has become such a source of embarrassment to the very companies that built the communities that they want to see an all round improvement in the state of affairs too.

The culprit, they say, are the local councils who either have a lackadaisical approach towards maintenance, or have not kept themselves abreast of the latest methods.

"They have to clean up their act," said Mah Sing Properties Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Lim Ching Choy. "Otherwise, they should outsource the maintenance aspect back to us as we will be committed to preserving what we built.

"We have much to lose if the standard of cleanliness in our developments continues to decline, especially when the landscaping we have worked so hard to create becomes unkempt, or garden refuse is allowed to pile up by
the roadsides.

"Poor maintenance not only damages the image of the community as a whole, but also puts a dent on the reputation of the developer concerned.

"Furthermore, it could also cause a plunge in property prices."

Existing local council regulations require developers to maintain the public areas they are building until the project has been completed and Certificates of Fitness for Occupation have been obtained for the individual units. Thereafter, the developers are required to hand the built infrastructure and amenities to the local council, which will charge residents an annual assessment fee for upkeep.

However, Lim said, in spite of the assessments collected, many developers still find themselves having to pay for certain aspects of township upkeep, such as landscaping.

Acmar International group managing director Datuk Steven Tee is in agreement and cited his frustrations with Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK) over poor local services in his Bandar Baru Klang township in Selangor.

He complained that MPK was doing a poor job in Acmar's flagship development and attempts to iron out the problems with the council have brought little result.

He now intends to submit a proposal to MPK in which "the council would continue collecting the annual assessments, but pay us to manage and maintain the area."

"To be honest, even if the cost of carrying out the task is higher than what (MPK) pays us, I wouldn't mind as it is for the good of the community that we have built," Tee said.

Metro Kajang Holdings Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Eddy Chen blamed the inefficiency of councils in monitoring maintenance work as the root cause of the problem.

"Local councils do outsource the maintenance function, but to contractors of their choosing. While it might not be right to say these companies do not have a genuine interest in keeping common areas clean, I must say they fall short in supervision and enforcement."

He said local councils should also be more transparent in hiring contractors and not hesitate to dismiss those that fail to provide an efficient service.

While some developers might not mind upkeeping the common areas themselves, Chen said it is important to recognise that there are difficulties and limitations in doing so.

"Such developers might find enforcement a difficult task as they do not have the authority to penalise people who don't adhere to rules, or the resources to educate residents on hygiene and cleanliness.

"These matters can only be tackled with the full support and assistance of the local authorities."

A possible alternative would be for neighbourhoods to set up residents' associations, similar to those in strata titled properties, where the committee is tasked with monitoring maintenance and ensuring that the community is proactive in its efforts to keep public areas clean, he said.