Form a JMB or
face the music, builders told
15/05/2009 The Star By EDWARD RAJENDRA
SOME 900 developers in Selangor who have yet to establish a Joint
Management Body (JMB) have been given until August to form the body.
Housing, building and squatters committee chairman Iskandar Abdul Samad
said the state government would give the developers three months to form
the JMB and if they failed to do so by August, they would face a immediate
fine of RM20,000.
If the developers still fail to form the JMB after the fine was imposed, a
RM500 daily fine would follow.
“So far about 250 have formed the JMB. Most of these high-rise projects
are in Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya and Shah Alam and we want the developers
to comply and not find ways to milk the buyers of the properties through
the building management fees,” he said.
Earlier, Iskandar who opened the Local Authorities enforcement seminar at
the Grand Blue Wave hotel in Shah Alam added that developers were easily
raking in RM2mil to RM3mil in management fees annually from the high-rise
dwellers.
Under the Building and Common Property (Management and Maintenance) Act
2007, a developer is required to form a JMB to oversee the management and
operation of the common areas at its high-rise projects.
Common grouses brought to a JMB committee are usually disputes over
sinking funds, maintenance charges, utility bills, insurance, house rules
and parking bays.
Iskandar added that once the JMB was formed it could pave the way for an
easier procedure to get individual water meters for high-rise buildings
thus each could enjoy the free 20 cubic metre water given by Selangor.
At the two-day seminar, 160 architects, enforcement officers, engineers,
town planners and legal officers from the local authorities were briefed
on laws related to local governments and how to enforce them.
“We need to educate our officers on the laws pertaining to the management
of the local authorities as at times poor understanding of the legal
aspects causes a miscarriage of cases brought forward,” said Iskandar.
