PETALING JAYA: Malaysians lack the right mentality to live in high-rise buildings, said Land and Mines Department director (strata titles section) Dr Azimuddin Bahari. 

“They are staying together and sharing the same facilities but many do not understand that this involves shared responsibility in looking after the facilities there. 

“House owners need to be educated about the kind of responsibilities living in high-rise buildings entail,” he said, adding that part of the fault for poorly managed condominiums and apartments lay with residents. 

Dr Azimuddin said owners who rented out their properties had the tendency also to not care about paying the monthly service charge. 

EYESORE: An apartment resident looking at a toilet that was built under one of the staircases of the apartment in Kuala Lumpur. The window on the left is part of an extra room that was constructed by the management. The room is rented out to a nearby business which uses it as a storage facility.

“The caring attitude is not there for such non-resident owners as well as for the tenants who rent the property because they feel it isn’t their concern,” he said. 

Real Estate and Housing Developers Association president Datuk Jeffrey Ng said that if given the choice, most developers would prefer not to get involved with the maintenance and management of facilities in condominiums or apartments. 

“It is a chicken-and-egg situation. House owners will complain about the appointed managers, but if they do not pay their fees, how would developers carry out their job? 

“This is not to say that all house owners don’t pay their fees, but those that don’t will affect the flow of funds for the developer,” he said. 

Ng said developers were left with no choice but to step in as the pro tem management committee. 

Under the law, condominium and apartment owners cannot appoint their own management companies unless they have obtained the strata titles to their properties. 

Ng said the Housing and Local Government Ministry would be tabling a Bill that would entail the involvement of house owners at a much earlier stage. 

“The legislation will be in effect for the time period when the Certificate of Fitness is delivered up to the time the strata title is issued,” he added.