Shop owners to get titles after 20-yr wait

10/02/2006 Daily Express Sabah

Kota Kinabalu: A total of 118 shoplot owners in the old Inanam township will get their strata titles in a month or two after more than two decades of waiting.

The assurance was given by Sabah Housing and Town Development Board (LLPB) representative, Michael Lansing, during a luncheon discussion between some 30 shoplot owners with representatives of local authorities, at a hotel, here, Thursday.

Before June this year, all the strata titles would be ready for issuance to the owners of Blocks A, B, C and D, Michael said.

Sepanggar MP Eric E. Majimbun chaired the discussion that was attended by City Hall Director-General Dr Chua Kim Hing, its head of Health and City Service, Michael Samuil, Menggatal Police Chief SI Nasip Sorudin, Public Works Department (PWD) district engineer for Kepayan area, Willis Ansoi, and KK and Assistant Collector of Land Revenue (ACLR) representative, Augustine Sapikit Bubod.

The Land and Surveys Department's (JTU) representative who was supposed to attend the occasion was on leave, Thursday.

According to Eric, the 118 owners were promised their strata titles in June last year. Due to some unavoidable problems, it was extended to September last year.

However, the issuance of the titles to the owners had yet to materialise. He added that applications for the strata titles were submitted to JTU in 1995 and approved for subdivision for the four blocks in July 4, 1998.

Michael explained the reason for the delay in issuing the strata titles to the owners.

"Since the last dialogue on Feb 21, last year, we (LPPB) swung into action to resolve the longstanding problem by sending all necessary documents to the JTU for registration of the titles.

"But we were informed that there was some missing information in the documents which made them incomplete. Hence, the process of sending the documents to JTU took time.

"Nonetheless, we handed all the documents on May 17 last year and we enclosed a payment of RM14,700 as the title processing fees to JTU, as required," he said.

Michael, who is LPPB Town Development Manager, told the owners that a written reminder was sent to JTU to register the titles as well as return them to LPPB for distribution to the owners.

"Between August and September last year, JTU had asked us to pay quit rent for the year 2005 totalling RM23,900 for the four blocks and we complied.

"After everything we had done, we believed that the JTU had taken action but may not be fast enough. Only this month, we were informed that the titles could not be registered as quit rent of the same amount for the four blocks for this year and needs to be paid in full and we complied," he said.

Now, he said, it is just a matter of time for the JTU Registrar to sign the more than 200 documents.

Michael also reminded the shoplot owners of a condition that was agreed to in the dialogue last year whereby they must settle all outstanding dues before the titles are handed to them such as assessment rates and quit rent to the agency and City Hall.

"Once the titles are surrendered to the owners, the agency will not be responsible for any subsequent quit rent. The Block Management Corporation (BMC) that is formed by each block, and registered in the Land Office, must collect the quit rent from the owners as required under subsidiary title law," he said, adding that the assessment rates can be paid individually to City Hall.

Meanwhile, ACLR rep, Augustine, said the amount to pay for the quit rent would be based on the Parent Title and not the strata title, and must be handed to them (ACLR) by the Management Corporation (MC) in accordance to the existing law.

He said the MC must educate the strata title holders about their role and functions in collecting the quit rent as many of them are unaware of such important information stipulated in the law.

He also advised MCs to use the Strata Title Act 1971 as their guide and reference to enforce action especially to those who fail to pay the quit rent to them.

When met after the discussion, Eric said only three blocks have their own BMC to collect the quit rent while the other block will establish one.