'Submit Form 7F'
warning
NST 21/04/2001 By Patrick Sennyah
KUALA LUMPUR, Fri. - Housing developers have been given a final
warning to inform the Housing and Local Government Ministry of the
progress of projects and financial standing or risk a fine or jail
sentence.
Those who fail to submit Form 7F containing the details could face a
fine of up to RM100,000 or three year's imprisonment.
Housing and Local Government minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said
although 1,846 developers or about 70 per cent of the total number
of developers in the country had submitted the forms, the ministry
was still concerned over those yet to do so.
"I have repeatedly warned these developers to submit their Form 7F
on time and despite these warnings there are still those who have
failed to do so," he said after officially launching the Kuala
Lumpur and Selangor House Buyers association.
Those who fail to submit their forms once every six months could
face a fine of up to RM100,000 or three years' imprisonment.
'I will be meeting the relevant state Government on better methods
of enforcement over these developers," said Ong, adding that this
ministry's enforcement unit received a total 1,823 complaints
against housing developers last year.
From this, he said 1,213 had been taken to court.
Among the offences committed by those taken to court were not
possessing a housing developers license (one), no sales permit
(two), failure to abide by conditions in the sales and purchase
agreement (five) and overcharging buyers (two).
Ong said the amended Housing Developers Act which had been renamed
the Housing Development Act, and the Building and Common Property
(Maintenance and Management) Bill had been submitted to the
Attorney-General's chambers and were expected to be tabled at the
next Parliament session.
Among the proposed amendments to the HAD, aimed at giving better
protection to buyers is the setting up a housing tribunal to
arbitrate disputes between buyers and developers.
"I have instructed my officers to give me weekly reports on the
progress of the Act and Bill and we are confident they would be
tabled at the next Parliament sitting."
The Building and Common Property Bill regulates the maintenance and
management of high rise residential and commercial buildings.
It tightens loopholes in the transition period between the time when
apartments and condominiums are occupied and when buyers received
their strata titles, while also proposing the setting up of a joint
committee comprising developers and buyers to oversee the services
and maintenance of buildings during the transition period.
The HBA, a non-Governmental organization, was formed on Oct 16,
1999, with the primary task of ensuring existing housing laws be
amended and giving sufficient safeguard for the protection of house
buyers' rights and interests.
With a slogan "Striving for buyers' rights and interests," the
formation of the HBA was motivated by innumerable complaints of
dissatisfaction from disgruntled house buyers who found developers
deviating from the terms of their contract.
The association chairman is Datuk Zainuddin Bachik with Kapt ® Mohd
Shah and Chang Kim Loong as vice-chairman and secretary-general
respectively. |
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