Seri Kota Public Housing in Taman Mulia, is one of 5,500 strata schemes in Kuala Lumpur. Nearly half of such schemes have no JMB or MC.
NEARLY half of the 5,500 strata schemes in the capital city are without a management body, according to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) records.
DBKL Property Management and Valuation Department deputy senior director Zaleha Abdul Rahman said the majority of such schemes were low-cost flats.
She said these buildings were built before the Strata Management Act – which mandated the formation of a management body – came into force in 2007.
“In terms of enforcement, the Act is relatively new compared to these strata schemes which were built way earlier.
“Many owners at such residences are not keen to take up the management role due to a lack of knowledge.
“Although some schemes initially had a management, they are no longer active after the committee members resigned,” she said.
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According to official records, there are currently 5,500 strata schemes in Kuala Lumpur comprising more than 750,000 units.
Zaleha said this during a recent “Coffee Talk” session, a podcast series by DBKL to discuss issues involving strata residences in the city. It was moderated by the Commissioner of Building (COB) deputy operation director Siti Maizun Arshad.
Zaleha said DBKL, via the COB, could identify several owners of these strata schemes to hold an extraordinary general meeting.
“The meeting is to appoint new members to form the joint management body (JMB) or management committee (MC).
“If that fails, an agent can be appointed to manage the scheme,” she said.
She added that 30 had been appointed to date.
An agent does not receive payment from the COB but generates an income from the maintenance fee collection.
Zaleha stressed that apart from overseeing maintenance, the JMB and MC were crucial in resolving disputes among residents.
She pointed to common complaints at high-rises such as indiscriminate dumping, illegal renovations and haphazard parking.
“As a first step, aggrieved unit owners must file their complaint with the management for further action to be taken.
“The management can impose a RM200 fine at maximum against the offender.
“It is only when they fail to take action, can the owner submit their case to the COB,” she added.
For residents living at strata schemes without a management, they can submit their complaints directly to the commissioner.
On common nuisance such as noise, odour and pets, Zaleha said these were outside the parameters of the Act.
“But residents can take their case to the Kuala Lumpur Strata Community Mediation Centre to resolve their disagreement,” she suggested.
Launched in 2018, the centre had received some 5,000 cases as at last year with about 1,200 cases successfully resolved.
On a related matter, Zaleha said the commissioner had received some 5,300 reports as at last December.
“They mostly concerned maintenance and management issues,” she said, adding that there were also issues related to meetings and financial accounts.
