Woes over for high- rise owners
14/12/2006 Daily Express Sabah
 
Kuala Lumpur: The Building and Common Property (Maintenance and Management) Bill 2006 passed by the Dewan Rakyat Wednesday will provide greater protection to owners of common property such as high-rise and commercial buildings.

In winding up debate on the Bill, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said the legislation was aimed at solving problems pertaining to maintenance and management of property with strata titles.

The Bill provides for the post of Commissioner of Buildings (COB) to be established to oversee the maintenance and management services provided, he said.

Ong said developers should be responsible for maintenance of property and could be penalised for failing in that duty.

Speaking at the Parliament lobby later, Ong said many property owners had lamented the need to wait for a long time to obtain their strata titles.

"This Act will ensure that developers cannot escape their responsibility to maintain buildings. The buyers and developers are required to form a joint management body within 12 months," he said.

The body would fix the charge for the maintenance and management of the buildings.

Ong said the law would cover condominiums, flats, gated housing, service apartments, mixed development property and industrial buildings.

He said developers had to open a building management account by applying to the commissioner of buildings to finance property maintenance and management.

Developers who failed to hold their first joint management body meeting within a stipulated period can be fined up to RM20,000 and if they failed to audit the maintenance account they can be fined up to RM100,000.