Housing tribunal ready to hear cases

26/01/2003 Sunday Star
 

WE refer to the letter, “Tribunal a big letdown’’ (Star, Jan 19). 

We would like to refute the statement made by Yeoh Bee Leng that the Housing Tribunal can only hear cases regarding houses bought after Dec 1, 2002. 

We advise Yeoh and other homebuyers to check with the Tribunal Secretariat at Paras 2, Blok B (Selatan) Pusat Bandar Damansara, Peti Surat 12579, 50782 Kuala Lumpur, regarding the status of their case and their right to initiate and maintain an action against a housing developer even though the Sales and Purchase Agreement was signed before Dec 1. 

We would like to clarify that there were some inaccurate news reports which had misinformed the public that the tribunal can only hear cases from January 2005. 

This is absolutely not true, and it was never the announcement made by any spokesman from the Housing and Local Government Ministry. 

Although the amended Housing Development Act is effective prospectively from Dec 1, 2002, the amended Act does not stop the tribunal from hearing cases on houses bought before Dec 1, 2002, if they comply with Section 16N(2) of the Amended Act.  

W. Husin bin W. Hassan
Secretary, Tribunal for Home Claims