KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Democratic Action Party (DAP) has urged all management corporations (MCs) to comply with state laws and be transparent in their maintenance fees.
DAP assistant secretary Junz Wong, who is also KK Parliamentary Liaison Youth chief, said the party had received many complaints on MCs of condominiums and apartments, which were mostly from the Bundusan area.
One of the issues Wong raised was the failure of certain MCs to produce original receipts from insurance companies or a copy of the insurance policy that the owners had paid.
Wong pointed out that unit owners were only given a receipt by the MCs, but they did not know how much the insured sum was or what were covered in case of a fire.
In addition, certain MCs requested unit owners to pay quake land fee but did not receive receipts from the Land and Survey Department.
“Owners do not know the exact amount paid to the Land and Survey Department,” he said at a press conference here yesterday.
Furthermore, Wong said many residents claimed that there was never a maintenance agreement that specified the scope of services offered by the MCs and the fees charged.
“The residents feel that they have the right to know how the management corporations operate, and most importantly, they want to have an account statement every year.
Citing Land (Subsidiary Title) Enactment 1972 Act (Sabah No. 9 of 1972), Wong said it was required by law for MCs to be transparent in their spending and fees collected from residents.
He urged Kepayan assemblyman Datuk Edward Khoo and the Local Government and Housing Ministry to ensure that regulations regarding MCs were enforced and complied with.
“It is time for them (YBs) to ‘turun padang’ and deliver what has been promised to the people as the next general election is just around the corner.”
Meanwhile, Bruce Brand, 69, who has been living at Beverly Hills 2 since 1999, complained about the fees charged and job scope of the MC and the district council.
He argued that the MC or district council should not charge the full fee as the maintenance tasks, such as grasscutting, sewage system, garbage removal and drain cleaning, were split between the two bodies. For instance, the MC cleans the drain, cuts the grass, maintains the playground whereas the district council maintains the sewage system.
“They only do part of the work but claim the whole amount,” he stressed, adding that residents of the apartment are paying a maintenance fee of RM60 per month.
Brand stressed the need to have a clear distinction of duties and the fees charged, or lump up the expenses and let the government take over.
Also present at the press conference were DAP Petagas branch chairman Allem Kiong and DAP KK Youth Complaint Committee members Mitchell Tai and Nick Chak.