The developer had collected six months' worth of maintenance fees from the residents when handing over the keys to the units in January.

However, the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) had only issued the certificate of fitness (CF) for the four blocks of five-storey walk-up flats on Sept 15.

Councillor K. Tharmalingam brought up the matter at the full council meeting, saying that as such, the new flats owners should be exempted from paying maintenance fees until next March.

"With much difficulty, these people from the longhouses in jalan Kem, who are low-income earners, had forked out RM240 each to settle the maintenance fees as billed by the developer," he said.

He added that actions like this would give a bad name to MPK, as people would think that the council had delayed the CF as the developer had given the keys.

The longhouse residents were formerly squatters from Taman Sri Berembang, Sungai Aur and Taman Kem.

"It is only fair that MPK inform the developer's management corporation to resume charging the maintenance fees only from April 2005 onwards.

"We have to do this in accordance with the Mesra Rakyat practice," said Tharmalingam.

MPK president Datuk Mohd Sharif Yusof said he would instruct the planning department to advise the developer not to repeat such a situation.

"The maintenance fees that had been collected should be taken as advance payments and no charges should be made until March next year," he said.