Selangor's Pre-MCs the way to go
by G.Umakanthan, NST Property Times 2006
Pre-MCs are crucial to the maintenance and management of a stratified
residential project for the period between the issuance of Certificates
of Fitness for Occupation and the issuance of strata titles, said HBA
secretary general Chang Kim Loong.
“This interim period is one of ambiguity, resulting in frequent feuding
between developers, their appointed property-managing agents and the
owners or occupants, all due to the management of the property and its
facilities,” he said.
Selangor’s move is a “positive transitional solution,” he added,
especially since the Ministry of Housing and Local Government has not
moved on addressing the issue since it met with market players and the
HBA some four years ago to discuss the proposed Building and Common
Property (Maintenance & Management) Act.
Introduced in March last year for all multi-storey housing units in
Selangor, Pre-MCs are management corporations formed by residents and
the developer to manage the stratified residential units and common
areas until strata titles are issued.
Once these titles have been received, residents can turn the Pre-MC
into a full-fledged Management Corporation, or even hire a company to
look after the maintenance of the building, the common areas and other
needs of residents, such as security.
In the case of squatters moving into a low-cost apartment, the Selangor
Government recently issued a directive that they must form a Pre-MC
from the onset, to ensure that the overall maintenance of the units is
taken care of until strata titles are received.
Besides just solving maintenance issues, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk
Seri Dr. Mohamad Khir Toyo also wants Pre-MCs to tackle social problems
as well.
According to him, improvements in a building’s maintenance system
“should be in line with the needs of the community, so that the young
generation are not left aside to grow in an imperfect environment”, as
this would lead to their involvement in social ills.
HBA’s Chang called on the Housing Ministry to give the Building and
Common Property Act some urgency as it can further alleviate the
maintenance and management problems “that have become a way of life in
stratified properties” by providing the regulatory framework on
building management. However, since the law has yet to take off, he
said Selangor’s proactive move should be lauded and emulated.
“The management and maintenance of a sub-divided property is important
to ensure the continued value and enjoyment of the property and its
common areas by all residents,” Chang said.
“Selangor is the only State that has promoted a vehicle (the Pre- MCs)
that can provide for transparency and accountability between owners and
developers or their managing agents,” he said.
The spirit of the Pre-MC, he added, is to let owners or residents
participate in the effective running of the building and common
property and to act as the “check-and-balance” in the maintenance and
management of the building.
This model would also eradicate the frequent feuding and mistrust
between developers and buyers.