RESIDENTS in Kuala Lumpur are seeking answers as to their rights when house renovations by a neighbour prolong and start affecting both their lives and property.
They also want to know if a time limit could be imposed to ensure that renovations do not prolong.
However, in Kuala Lumpur there is no such rule.
Many houseowners who are renovating their property move out until the renovation is completed.
Therefore, they are not sympathetic to the plight of their neighbours who have to put up with the loud noises from drilling and hacking works.
StarMetro relates the plight of two families whose neighbour’s renovation works caused much damage to their homes and peace of mind.
What’s worse, there was nothing much the authorities could do to help them due to the absence of rules to safeguard the interests of these families.
A life of misery
It was past midnight and there was a thunderstorm.
Shirley’s (not her real name) grandson had woken up to go to the bathroom. A few seconds after he got out of bed, a large portion of the asbestos ceiling came crashing down on his bed.
This happened in Shirley’s double-storey terrace house in Kuala Lumpur last year.
Rainwater, which soaked the mattress and the room’s carpeted floor, continued to flow downstairs, flooding the hallway and damaging the furniture.
Electricity supply was also cut off due to the incident.
Shirley has blamed this on the extensive renovation of her next door neighbour’s house, which is an intermediate lot.
Each time it rained, water would trickle down the walls and flood the entire room.
Hairline cracks also appeared on some walls from which rainwater would seep through; this resulted in mould appearing on the surface of the walls.
Due to the constant hacking and drilling next door, Shirley, her husband, children and grandchildren would usually stay away from the house and return only in the evenings to sleep.
“The daily drilling and hacking next door started over a year ago and has barely finished.
“As the work drags on, the damage to my house is getting worse, ’’ she said, adding that sometimes her elderly husband would stay back to check on things.
“My family’s safety is threatened and I have had enough, ’’ said Shirley.
Another victim is the family of Betty (also not her real name), who is the other next-door neighbour of the house being renovated.
“I have been putting up with the drilling and hacking sounds for over a year, but I don’t think I can take it any longer, ’’ she said.
Betty said due to several infringements by the neighbour’s contractor, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had ordered the owner to demolish the illegal structures, but the process
resulted in more hacking and drilling.
“My car, living room, bathrooms, walk-in closet and balconies are riddled with cracks, and there is dust and cement debris everywhere, ’’ she said, adding that mould was also appearing all over her house.
Action by DBKL
Complaints received by StarMetro were later brought to the attention of DBKL.
A senior officer from DBKL’s Building Control Department instructed a team of enforcement officers to inspect the site last year, and a stop-work order was immediately issued under Section 70 of the Road, Drainage and Building Act 1970.
“There were multiple infringements, including deviating from the approved plans, ’’ he said.
He added that the Principal Submitting Person and the owner failed to supervise the renovation works and ensure that the appointed contractor built the house according to the approved plan.
The works carried out, he said, were not safe and clean, and there was little regard to safeguard the duty and care to the public.
A DBKL notice dated Nov 1,2019, was pasted at the house to inform the public that the stop-work order on renovations had been lifted.
Apparently, the houseowner had resubmitted fresh plans and DBKL allowed for work to continue as long as the infringements were demolished.
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