Low-cost strata committees struggle with upkeep, fees and rubbish collection
MANY low-cost flats across the Klang Valley are falling into disrepair due to dysfunctional or non-existent management bodies.
Severely underfunded by low maintenance fee collection and weakened by a lack of strata management knowledge, these bodies struggle with basic building upkeep and waste management.
Ultimately, these systemic management failures directly compromise the residents’ quality of life.
Management hurdles
In Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Flat Taman Kobena has faced a series of management hurdles since the keys were handed over to the owners in 1995.
Kobena Management Corporation (MC) 3 chairman Sathivel Kathiraveloo said the apartment’s developer initially handed over operations to a property manager, which ran the site for about three to four years.
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“After that, the management was passed to another company, which then requested us to form our own MC after about 10 years.
“However, only three people, including me, were willing to join the MC. The others were not interested,” Sathivel explained.
“The previous MC also didn’t properly hand over the management to us. When we took over, we weren’t even informed of the financial situation because the previous company refused to declare its accounts,” he said, adding that this made it difficult for his MC to properly manage the building.
According to Sathivel, the apartment’s upkeep was further jeopardised when many owners refused to pay the maintenance fees, which were only RM40 per month.
“Some of them are very stubborn. It’s not that they cannot afford to pay, as some of them own several cars.
“Throughout the years, I have been dealing with the previous property manager regarding maintenance issues, but many of my requests could not be fulfilled because the company claimed to have insufficient funds.
“Now that the two people who formed the new MC with me have also quit, I am doing this all by myself,” he said.
Sathivel noted that outsiders were also using the apartment’s rubbish chamber to dump their waste.
“I had pushed the previous property manager to instal closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to curb this, but again, my request was rejected due to a lack of funds,” he said.
When contacted, an Alam Flora Sdn Bhd supervisor, who did not wish to be named, said while domestic and bulk waste collection at the flat is covered by the agency, it has no power to prevent outsiders from using the flat’s rubbish chamber.
“Not long after Alam Flora collects the waste, these people come in to dump their rubbish again.
“Since this takes place within the flat’s compound, the management body will need to report it to the authorities,” he said.
Sathivel also said he had written to the Commissioner of Buildings (COB) seeking help, but no action had been taken so far.
A letter from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to the MC dated May 4, 2026 also stated that the developer’s failure to properly hand over management was the main obstacle to proper maintenance.
Absent leadership
In Balakong, Selangor, Flat Taming Jaya Kiri is in a dilapidated condition due to the lack of a management body to manage the building.
When StarMetro visited the flat on June 16, it found that the drains were clogged with rubbish, while many parts of the roof were damaged.
To make matters worse, many units in the flat are illegally occupied by foreign workers, which makes it even more difficult to form a management committee and collect maintenance fees, according to residents.
Ng Paik Lin, 64, said foreign workers from nearby factories had broken into empty units and occupied them.
“We have also lodged complaints with the COB, the latest being in May last year, to seek help in forming a management committee, but no action has been taken so far,” she said.
Another resident, Cheong Kim Seng, 72, said the foreign workers were disposing of rubbish improperly, causing a nuisance and raising hygiene concerns.
“It’s hard for us to lodge complaints with the authorities without a management body,” he said.
Vincent Raj, who lives in nearby Taman Bukit Belimbing and is helping the residents, said it is tough to form a management body because most units are occupied by foreigners.
“The unit owners should have taken the responsibility of monitoring their own units, but they don’t seem to care and we can’t even find them,” he said.
When contacted, Strata Owners Association Malaysia (SOAM) honorary secretary Kelvin Chong urged the residents to form a joint management body (JMB).
“It only requires a minimum of three owners. After forming a JMB, it can set and enforce rules at the flat, such as prohibiting owners from allowing foreigners to stay in their units.
“It can also fine owners a maximum of RM200 for each offence. More importantly, a JMB has a stronger voice when lodging complaints with local councils,” he said.
Refuse crisis
At Flat Seksyen 2 in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur, rubbish is piling up at the collection points under all five blocks because the management body has failed to move it to the main chambers for Alam Flora to collect.
Resident Carmen Lee said the uncollected rubbish emitted a foul odour that disrupted her daily life.
“I live on the first floor, so the smell is very strong for me.
“We have been paying our maintenance fees to the management promptly, but the rubbish is not managed properly,” she said.
Another resident, who wished to be known only as Zaidi, said he had complained to the management about the rubbish many times, but no action was taken.
“At one point, we had to fork out our own money to hire a rubbish collector to clear the waste because we could no longer stand the smell,” he said.
Community activist Andre Lai, who is representing the residents, said the flat has five main rubbish chambers covering five different areas, from which Alam Flora is obliged to collect rubbish.
“Within each area, the management allocated several spots for residents living in different blocks to dump their rubbish.
“These spots are not covered by Alam Flora. The management should have moved the rubbish from these spots to the five main rubbish chambers, but it has failed to do so, causing waste to pile up,” he said.
Lai also said the rubbish that had piled up at one of the spots near Block D10 was cleared on June 3 following his complaint to the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp).
“Alam Flora cannot do this forever,” he added.
StarMetro has reached out to the management body for comment but has not received a response at the time of publication.
