Floored by defects

The Malay Mail 16/1/2006

Place a ball or tin can horizontally at the entrance of any house at the Bandar Puteri housing estate in Klang and chances are, it will roll to the living room.

This is because of the uneven flooring and the problem is faced by almost 500 house owners since buying them about three years ago.

Yesterday, about 100 residents staged a protest against the developer, Malayapine Estates Sdn Bhd, for not heeding complaints by the residents.

They also displayed a banner bearing the words, "Kesengetan rumah-rumah di Bandar Puteri Klang" (Tilted houses in Bandar Puteri Klang).

Clerk Yee Yoke Yann, 31, has a never-ending story to tell. "My husband complained to the developer and our floor tiles was repaired. However, things remain the same," she told The Malay Mail during a visit to her house.

"We have not put any furniture in the house. This would be a misfit owing to the uneven floor," said Yee, adding that her husband had also complained to the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

Her husband, technician Lee Teck Guan, 37, even demonstrated how tilted their floor was by placing a tin can horizontally.

To our amazement, it rolled from the entrance of their living room to the kitchen.

Apart from the uneven floor, the couple also faces a slanted wall connecting the main hall of the house to the kitchen.

"I am not sure of the degree of the slant, but obviously my family is worried over it," said Lee.

Another resident, businessman R. S. Rajoo, 50, claimed that there were cracks in the walls and floor of his corner-lot house.

"The developer repaired them when we first moved in two years ago. Six months later, it cracked again," he said.

"I bought the house for RM222,000 with my hard-earned money. If this continues to happen, I feel we have all been cheated," he said.

The residents have forwarded their complaints to Sungai Pinang Assemblyman Teng Chang Kim.

Teng said he would write to the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) and meet with the developer’s engineers.

"We will ask them to come out with a full report at their own expense, and see whether these houses are safe to live in.

"We will also seek compensation and legal action, if necessary," he said.

The developer was unavailable for comment yesterday.