JOHOR BAHRU: More than 160 owners of a luxury condominium building here are up in arms against the management committee (MC) and the city council’s commissioner of buildings (COB) for being left in limbo since 2019.
The owners say the management committee has not held an annual meeting since 2019 and a requisition for an emergency general meeting last month was denied even though at least 25% of owners had agreed.
The owners accused the city council’s commissioner of buildings of not acting on their complaints on the management committee’s disregard for the Strata Title Act 1985.
A spokesperson for the owners, Fadzillah Abdul Rashid, said an AGM was called in September after much pressure, but it was declared null and void after owners pointed out that the meeting was constituted without following the law.
She said the owners then requisitioned for an EGM last month, agreed upon by 28% of the owners, but the management committee failed to convene the meeting as required under the law.
“The MC had called for an AGM on Oct 29, but it was not held, too. We have sent legal notices to the COB twice on this,” she told FMT.
Fadzillah said the MC controls a fund that amounts to millions of ringgit, but the annual audited accounts have not been approved as no AGMs have been held over the last four years.
“The owners are concerned that the MC now comprises only two members when it should be a minimum of three under the Strata Title Act. We have pointed this out to the MC and the COB several times but no action has been taken,” she said.
She said a group representing the owners had met the commissioner of buildings Norfarahdilah Ngaddemin in September to express their frustration, but she has not taken action.
“The commissioner actually told us that they lack manpower to handle the matter as there are many such cases in Johor Bahru,” she added.
Management committees which fail to hold an AGM can be fined up to RM50,000 and/or the chairman can be jailed for a maximum of three years.
Condominium owner Kelvin Yong said the owners have records of the commissioner having sent a warning notice to the MC last year for having failed to hold the AGM. Yong added that no date for an AGM or EGM has been given until now.
“The owners are also concerned that there are serious leaking problems, frequent disruption of electricity supply, and lift breakdowns. The MC has not got a comprehensive plan to overcome these maintenance problems,” he said.
FMT has reached out to the COB and MC chairman Roger Chua for comment.
