PETALING JAYA: Paying maintenance and sinking fund fees does not always solve the problems. This situation rings true for Farah, a condominium owner.
Farah, who bought her unit in Kajang four years ago, said repeated complaints about facilities and common areas went unresolved, with some defects remaining until the developer’s two-year Defect Liability Period (DLP) expired, which eventually left owners to bear the cost of repairs.
“One of the greatest challenges was before the Joint Management Body (JMB) was established. Owners repeatedly complained about facilities and common areas, but no action was taken.
“Eventually, the DLP ended and owners had to bear the cost,” the 36-year-old said.
Farah said even seemingly minor issues could add to residents’ expenses, citing parking and walkway lights being left on during the day and contributing to electricity costs paid through maintenance and sinking funds.
She said residents generally had avenues to raise concerns, with some issues resolved promptly with JMB’s help.
She said larger issues involving developers could take much longer due to lengthy approval processes.
“There must be greater transparency and clearer channels for owners to raise concerns over major repairs and decisions affecting their properties,” she added.
For another condominium owner, who wished to be known only as Aisyah, 32, the review should also examine how existing dispute-resolution mechanisms work in practice, particularly when disputes involve tenants of neighbouring units.
Aisyah, who bought a subsale property two years ago, said a dispute that began over issues such as water leakages and noise disturbances eventually escalated into what she described as harassment and bullying, including allegations made against her.
“While I think the review of the Act is a timely move, I hope stronger measures are put in place to ensure management can effectively resolve disputes between neighbours, especially when owners have to deal with tenants from other units who overstep their boundaries.
“There needs to be a clearer mechanism for management to respond firmly when a dispute goes beyond a normal disagreement between neighbours,” she said.
She noted that affected property owners often have little recourse when tenant disputes escalate, especially if unit landlords refuse to intervene.
She said stronger and more accessible dispute-resolution mechanisms would help prevent disagreements from escalating and give residents greater confidence that management bodies could maintain a safe and harmonious living environment.
“Strata management should not only focus on collecting maintenance fees and maintaining common property but also provide proper avenues for resolving disputes and appropriate consequences for repeated breaches before matters reach the Tribunal,” she said.
