PETALING JAYA (Nov 14): Developers and property managers who participated in the EdgeProp.my Fireside Chat on Strata Management Act 2013 review: When? found the event to be insightful and timely.

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One of the attendees of the session, JKG Land Bhd managing director Datuk Teh Kean Ming, said it was a good effort towards updating stakeholders on the latest developments involving the Act review.

“I think the approach to revamp the Act is necessary but we must not just regulate and kill the creativity of the developers, especially when times are bad now and creativity is badly needed,” he said.

He also agrees with the conclusion of the panellists that the formation of sub-Management Corporations (sub-MC) is the way to go as integrated developments will become more common in the future.

General manager of Setia Eco Templer Sdn Bhd Dianne Chan also feels that the session was insightful, and she wished the session could have been longer, to address more issues.

“One of my concerns is the provisional block. I hope this issue can be brought up to the government and challenges be addressed.

“Nevertheless, it is a good effort to organise the Fireside Chat. It gave me better insight. For example, I now know that many things are at its final stage of approval. I hope that things will move forward soon and grey areas will be cleared up upon the launch of the amended Strata Management Act,” said Chan.

Another participant, Henry Butcher Malaysia (Mont Kiara) Sdn Bhd director Low Hon Keong praised the event, as the information released from such initiatives which are attended by various stakeholders and associations such as the Real Estate & Housing Developers' Association (Rehda) and Malaysian Institute of Property & Facility Managers (MIPFM) are very important.

“The amendments will make the whole industry more mature, and address the loopholes,” he told EdgeProp.my after the session.

“More engagement is needed as it is very important for the stakeholders to come together and understand the problem. People might take advantage of, or be taken advantage of, and some stakeholders may feel they are unfairly treated,” he added.

He opined that the most important thing is that the strata management law has to be fair to all involved. One of the solutions is to calculate maintenance charges based on the principle of “you pay for what you are supposed to enjoy”.

Low also added that it is important to educate strata title property owners about their rights.

“We are thankful to EdgeProp.my for organising this event, to provide us with a platform to voice our opinions as strata owners,” Strata Property Owners Association Selangor secretary Kelvin Chong, who is also a committee member in the joint management bodies of four developments.

Describing the event as very informative, Chong agreed with Tan Sri Teo Chiang Kok (one of the panellists of the fireside chat), saying that while a flat rate might be applicable for a single-tower mixed-use development where all components are in one tower, different rates of maintenance charges could be more suitable for mixed-use developments with multiple towers since the components are separated.

“I dare say the problems we are facing today in fixing maintenance fees in mixed-use developments is a national crisis,” Chong stressed.

He also urged the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) to quickly amend the law.

The EdgeProp.my Fireside Chat on Strata Management Act 2013 review: When? was held today at Wisma Rehda in Petaling Jaya.
 

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