When house buyers complain, more often than not they are met with indifference. When they take the matter up with the authorities, they do not seem to get much further. Something has to be done to sort out the longstanding problems buyers face with developers. The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) has suggested a monitoring mechanism to ensure developers build quality homes. Fomca says the authorities should check construction sites periodically before developers collect progress payments from buyers. Such ideas are worth looking into.

There are perennial problems related to delays in issuing certificates of fitness (CFs) for properties. Developers must not be allowed to give keys to house buyers before CFs are issued. Developers can just shirk their responsibility and wash their hands off any defects and poor work once the keys are given and the buyers move in. Delays in CFs can cause hardship to buyers who cannot move in but, at the same time, still have to service their bank loans.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting has made a welcome announcement that CFs would have to be issued within 14 days of documents being submitted, adding that the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council would be the first local authority to implement this. There must be close monitoring to ensure that the 14-day period is enforced and sustained.

A house means more than just a piece of real estate which appreciates in value over time. Owning a home gives the owner a deeply-felt sense of security. However, buyers are vulnerable to unscrupulous developers. This has to stop if we are to become a developed nation which cares for the well-being of its people.