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Tackling errant developers
02/01/2002 MM
A HARDER approach should be adopted to counter the lackadasical attitude of housing developers and contractors in building quality homes. Difficulties in wielding the `big stick' aside, Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk M. Kayveas yesterday said that something could and should be done to arrest the matter.
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Teachers' houses unfit for occupation
03/01/2002 NST
KUALA TERENGGANU,
Wed. - A hundred units of houses for teachers in Kemaman cannot be occupied as the authorities have not issued the certificate of
fitness. State Education director Razali Ismail said the delay could be attributed to the failure of the contractors in meeting
the specifications when building the houses.
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SPN ready to take over construction of teachers' quarters
03/01/2002 BT
SYARIKAT Perumahan Negara (SPN) yesterday expressed its willingness to take over the construction of 10,000 units of teachers' quarters which are facing delays if asked to do so by the Government. SPN chairman Datuk Zahid Hamidi said the company has the capacity and expertise to carry out the task based on its current performance and its future and current projects.
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Selangor sets up State Housing Board
04/01/2002 NST-CITY
THE Selangor Government has set up a State Housing Board, which will be modelled along the lines of the Singapore Housing Development Board. The board will study the strategies used by its Singapore counterpart (HDB), and draw up master plans and regulations aimed at tackling housing problems in the State.
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Association: Supervise construction
work well
05/01/2002 NST
KUALA LUMPUR, Fri.
- Architects and engineers must supervise the work of construction workers to overcome the problem of sub-standard workmanship and
materials used in the construction industry. House Buyers Association secretary-general Chang Kim Loong said the workers should
not work independently as architects and engineers were entrusted with the task of supervising their work.
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New Housing Act kicks in on Feb 1
07/01/2002 NST
KUALA LUMPUR, Sun. - The Housing Development Act 2001, with stronger safeguards for house buyers, will come into force on Feb 1 when it is gazetted. Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said the new Act would better address problems faced by house buyers.
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Buyers: Stalled
mall project yet to resume work
08/01/2002 The Star
PENANG: Shoplot buyers of the stalled Bayan World
Megamall are upset that work on the RM75mil project
has yet to resume after nearly four years.A
spokesman for the purchasers, Ang Thean Hock, said
the five-storey megamall project was only 60%
completed although the Penang Develop-ment
Corporation (PDC), which holds 30% stake in the
company, had set a new deadline for its completion
in December this year.
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CFs for Semenyih houses
08/01/2002 NST-CITY
SOME 2,000 families living along Jalan Semenyih will receive their certificates of fitness once their water supply problem is solved, thanks to a RM45 million main
water-pipe project from Kajang to Beranang, Selangor. The project, carried out by the Selangor
Waterworks Department, will provide
enough water pressure to supply water to houses along the 13- kilometre-long road.
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Developers urged to set aside land
for halls, basketball courts
09/01/2002 NST
MALACCA, Tues. - Local councils and developers have been asked to allocate ample land within their project areas for the construction of multi- purpose halls and basketball courts. Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said such facilities would help foster racial harmony and enable everyone to lead a healthier lifestyle.
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Why RM1.2b teachers' housing project
delayed 09/01/2002 NST
SHAH ALAM, Tues. - The company awarded the RM1.2 billion project to build 10,000 units of teachers' quarters said the delay in completing the work was due to difficulties in raising funds. Other factors were it had to ensure that the 109 sites identified by the Government were suitable and also it had to fulfil requirements imposed by relevant agencies.
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No sinking fund to repair lifts
09/01/2002 MM
THE lifts at Block 8 of the Taman
Miharja Flat off Jalan Loke Yew, break
down frequently, resulting in residents
being forced to climb the stairs. One of
the residents, MANI, says the lifts have
not been working since Deepavali last
year.
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Thumbs up from young executives
10/01/2002 MM
THE Selangor State Government's proposed House Ownership Scheme For Young Executives, scheduled to be introduced by April, has been welcomed with a big sigh of relief. Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo announced the scheme after the State's Exco members weekly meeting at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah building in Shah Alam yesterday.
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Selangor offers 50pc cut for strata title applications
10/01/2002 BT
THE Selangor Government is offering between 30 and 50 per cent discount to property owners and housing developers applying for strata titles, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo said yesterday. He said discount on the fee charged for the transfer of qualified title to final title will be in force for six months effective February 1.
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Ensuring all high-rise buildings
switch on decorative lights
10/01/2002 NST
KUALA LUMPUR, Wed. - The Cabinet today decided that all new high-rise and big buildings must be installed with decorative lights when the Uniform Building by-laws are amended. Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said the new by-laws, which would come into force by the end of the year, would ensure building plans incorporate lightings as a condition for approval.
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Buyers not interested in reviving
abandoned projects
11/01/2002 MM
SOME buyers of abandoned housing projects have no interest in reviving them. This was what the government discovered after conducting in-depth studies into such projects. Of the 156 abandoned projects that were looked at, about 20 per cent of such projects in Peninsular Malaysia fell into this category. Most of the buyers who declined to have the projects revived had only paid the 10 per cent deposit. This is in contrast to those buyers who have paid up to 80 per cent of the purchase price. These buyers undoubtedly were keen on having the projects in question revived. The study also revealed that only 52 abandoned projects were still viable.
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National Conference on Building
Control
10/01/2002 MM
ALTHOUGH the role of building surveyors
has not been highlighted much, players
in the industry agree that the
profession is beginning to gain
recognition from the government and the
broader property industry as being an
important source of knowledge and
expertise to address the issue of
quality in development. As such, the
upcoming National Conference on Building
Control on Jan 22 and 23 this year
organised by the Building Surveying
Division of the Institute of Surveyors
Malaysian will benefit among others
building surveyors, building control
staff from local authorities, engineers,
architects, design consultants,
construction managers and contractors,
building and facilities managers and
even lecturers and university students.
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`Flats need management bodies'
14/01/2002 NST
BUKIT BERUNTUNG, Sun. - It is necessary
to set up management corporations to
cope with the growing number of
high-rise apartments in the State and
Kuala Lumpur, Hulu Selangor District
Council president Zainal Abidin Arshad
said. It was important for flat owners
to understand that on top of the
assessment fee they paid to the local
authority, they would be required to pay
another fee for maintenance
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Problems
with strata titles the main complaint
15/01/2002 The Star
KUALA
LUMPUR: Problems with strata titles have replaced shoddy workmanship as the new menace for housebuyers, according to statistics
compiled annually by the House Buyers Association (HBA).In its tabulation of complaints received last year, strata titles was the
main grievance against developers, comprising 26% of the 1,260 grouses from buyers.
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Customers unite!
16/01/2002 MB By
Johnson Pang
MY attention was drawn to a recent
report in a local daily. According to
it, a group of enterprising and
concerned bank customers have formed a
pro tem committee for the Association of
Bank Customers (ABC), which `aspires to
be an effective non-governmental
organisation (NGO) championing the
interests of bank customers and
increasing awareness of their rights ...
customers unhappy with the local banking
service or dissatisfied with some of the
rules imposed by financial institutions
now have a proper avenue to channel
their grievances to ....' Having been
actively involved in the banking and
finance industry for umpteen years, I
can understand the disappointment and
frustration encountered when a customer
meets with a problem/issue and does not
appear to be able to get a satisfactory
response or solution. Thus, this is
another good avenue to turn to and it
deserves our strong support!
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Two-year wait ends for bungalow
buyers
19/01/2002 NST-CITY
DESA Subang Permai
Phase 1 and 2 bungalow house owners in Section U2, Shah Alam, will soon get their houses as the contractors have given their
undertakings to deliver the houses by end of April. The project, which began in November 1998, was supposed to have been completed
by November and December 2000 for Phase 1 and 2 respectively, but due to "technical matters", construction was stopped.
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Consumer rules
19/01/2002 NST-PROP
A sure sign of a progressing
nation is the ability of its people to comment upon and yes, even criticise their environment. Their dialogue, as long as it's
constructive, should be applauded, while any silence should be deemed not as the sound of fear, but as quiet nods of agreement.
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Championing buyers' rights
19/01/2002 NST-PROP
BUYING a home is an important event in a person's life; it is the single
biggest capital investment that a person will undertake in his or her
lifetime. You would expect, therefore, that such an experience would bring
a sense of achievement and joy to those who pursue it. The reality,
though, is different. We've all heard first hand accounts or read in the
newspapers about house buyers ending up with the short end of the stick
when the housing projects they bought were abandoned, delivered late, or
of poor quality. Many house buyers suffer in silence and are further
bewildered when they are let down by the relevant authorities who were
supposed to have enforced the law to protect their interest.
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Housing Development Act to be gazetted Feb 28
21/01/2002 NST
BANTING, Sun. - The Housing Development Act drawn up to afford more protection to housebuyers will be gazetted on Feb 28, Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk M.Kayveas said today. The Act which had been earlier approved by Parliament replaces the Housing Developers Act 1966.
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Adopt common customers' charter, ministry tells depts
23/01/2002 The Star
PETALING JAYA: All departments and agencies under the Housing and Local Government Ministry have been directed to adopt a common customers’ charter to ensure effective public service, said its minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting. This would be possible with the implementation of the Guideline Process on Building Plans Approval.
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City Hall to meet public twice a
month to solve woes
23/01/2002 BT
KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has set aside the two working Saturdays in a month to meet the public to resolve their problems, Datuk Bandar Datuk Mohmad Shaid Mohd Taufek said yesterday. He said "Meet The Clients Day" will start this Saturday from 9am to 12 noon at the City Hall building in Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur.
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Maintenance fees collected but no
services
25/01/2002 NST
I STAY in a low-cost flat
in Taman Cengal Utama. My problem is that the developer has demanded RM600 upfront annually for maintenance fees. This will be
equivalent to RM50 per month. I understand the responsibility of paying such fees but I also understand that the amount to be paid
must be justified with the facilities and
service provided.
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Power to change
26/01/2002 NST-PROP By House Buyers Association
THE Housing Development (Control & Licensing) Act scheduled to be gazetted
next month gives the Ministry of Housing and Local Government vast powers
to control, license and to take action against irresponsible developers.
The Minister of Housing and Local Government has been vested with the
powers to make rules and regulations governing the industry. The House
Buyers Association urges the Minister to exercise these for the benefit of
house buyers, who have long been at a disadvantage. This includes looking
into the standard sale and purchase agreement, or SPA (Schedule G for land
and building and Schedule H for subdivided buildings).
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Ministries to hold monthly open day
27/01/2002 NSUNT
KUALA LUMPUR, Sat. - The Housing and Local Government Ministry today launched its "A Day With Customers" programme. Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said the programme was similar to an open day and involved all departments and divisions. It is to create awareness.
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No end to their water woes
28/01/2002 MM
WATER containers and pails are a common sight at
Bandar Rinching Phase 2, a housing estate where water shortage is a regular problem. And for the last three weeks, there has been
no water supply.
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What sells a house
28/01/2002 The Star
By Lim Lay Ying
BESIDES location, what would actually
prompt people to pay top dollar for a
home? Are house buyers convinced by
square footages and/or number of
bedrooms and bathrooms to pay a premium
in today’s marketplace?
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What's standard definition of
built-up area 29/01/2002 NST
WE are a group of
purchasers of double-storey houses in Puchong. When we bought the properties, it was clearly stated in the sales form that the
house would have a built-up area of 1,820 square feet.
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Interest increasing due to loan delay
29/01/2002 MM
INTEREST charges for a housing loan taken by KALAI is increasing by the day and she claims that this is because the EPF has
delayed payments. KALAI says she submitted a form to EPF on Dec 12 to withdraw some money from her savings to purchase a house.
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Tough going at Taman Jasmin
30/01/2002 NST-CITY
FOR six years, residents of Taman Jasmin at
Jalan Semenyih, Kajang, have been living without town services like rubbish collection, streetlights, grass-cutting and
maintenance of drains. The residents, said to number thousands, have been waiting for certificates of fitness to be issued by the
Kajang Municipal Council (MPKJ) since they moved into the homes.
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Bangunan mesti ada Perakuan Bomba mulai Ogos
30/01/2002 BH
KUALA LUMPUR, Selasa - Mulai 1 Ogos ini semua bangunan baru dan lama diwajibkan mempunyai Perakuan Bomba (PB) bagi memastikan kelengkapan keselamatan kebakaran mencukupi dan berkeadaan baik. Menteri Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, berkata pemilik bangunan yang gagal mendapat perakuan itu boleh didenda RM5,000 atau penjara tiga tahun atau kedua-duanya mengikut Seksyen 33 Akta Perkhidmatan Bomba 1988 (341).
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Council link for residents 31/01/2002 NST-CITY
TO strengthen ties between the Subang Jaya Municipal Council and residents, a special Internet portal will be set up for the 23 housing estate committees in the municipality. The link to the council (MPSJ) website acts as an alternative communication channel between the council and residents.
