Panel to champion cause of condo owners
The Star 4/11/2006 By K.W. MAK

THE All PJ Pro Action Committee (APPAC) is forming a sub-committee for condominium, apartment and high-rise property owners and tenants and is calling all interested parties to attend its first inaugural meeting tomorrow at 4.30pm.

Apartment owners will be hit with the maximum possible tariff increase because Syabas only reads the master meter for the property, which calculates the water use of all units in the apartments.
The committee, which will be chaired by APPAC committee member Tengku Nazaruddin Zainuddin, will be formed to address all prevalent issues affecting owners and tenants of high-rise properties like assessment, strata-titles and management companies.

“There is already a core group involving about 12 condominiums but we would like to extend an invitation to all others in other condominiums and apartments to join us,” said Nazaruddin, who stays in Istara Condominium.

“This first meeting will focus on water tariffs that will hit most condo and apartment owners,” he said.

Most condominiums, apartments and flats will be hit with the maximum water tariff increase regardless of the consumption of each household because the design of these apartments are such that only the master water meter is read by Syabas.

“Our individual water meters are used by the management companies to charge residents, but Syabas only reads the main water meter, and that reading will be the collective water use of all units in the apartments,” said Nazaruddin.

“Syabas has said in the media that they are willing to change all our individual meters so that the reading would be fair, but this requires the consent of the management companies.”


Lee ... will play an advisory role to the new sub-committee.
Francis Koh Kheng Hoon of Kelana D’Putra said that many condominium owners had doubts that the replacement of such meters could be done swiftly and wanted Syabas and the government to rescind the water tariff increase until this matter could be resolved.

In view of the numerous calls for assistance in the Klang Valley, APPAC chairman Edward Lee organised the gathering to allow owners to share their problems and to tackle these problems.

Lee will be playing an advisory role to the new sub-committee.

Residents who would like to participate in the forum can call Tengku Nazaruddin at 012-284 9146, Chong Cheng Lai at 012-230 3639, Koh Kheng Hoon at 03-7880 3084 and Mohd Umar Mohd Peer at 016-298 6710.

The meeting will be held at La Salle Hall, Jalan 5/15B, off Jalan Chantek 5/13 in Petaling Jaya.