High quit rent hike puzzles apartment owners

Owners of units in Selangor high-rise residential buildings are experiencing a drastic increase in quit rent charges this year.

The Star reports that this is following the conversion of quit rent to parcel rent last year.

Stratified buildings, commercial or residential, have seen hikes of 5 to 8 times the previous total. 

The publication quotes Petaling Jaya resident Peter Foo, 76, who said he has to pay RM292 now, nearly 8 times the previous amount at RM34.11. His unit is categorised as a commercial development. 

“As citizens, we accept that the government should raise rates once in awhile but it should not be this high. If the rates are reasonable, we can accept it,” he was quoted as saying.

Residents are concerned over the effect of the increased cost of living, especially for retirees faced with this increase.

Khaw Tee Joo, 90, now has to pay RM358 for parcel rent up from RM41.86 previously. Florence Wong must pay RM272 a year now, up from RM31.78 for her 82sq m unit.

She asking her joint management body (JMB) about the sudden increase yielded no response, nor did asking when she made payment.

The publication reports that she also said the parcel rent bill was not delivered to her home address.

“I received it from my JMB when I paid maintenance fees. My address is on the bill, why was it not sent to me?”

Residents are unclear as to how Selangor Land and Mines Office (PTGS) came up with the amount. 

One anonymous resident said: “Previously, we would pay a total of RM800 for the bulk quit rent, which amounted to around RM6 per unit. But now, residents are being billed RM40 per unit.

“Many were confused about the change and there were problems with the payment method as well.

“Some had to go to the land office just to clarify issues as there was no information on their website,” she said.

The publication reports that Meng Yew Choong, a JMB member of a condominium in Petaling Jaya, questioned why parcel rent bills were being sent to the building management.

“I feel PTGS should send the bill directly to owners as their addresses are already printed on the bill.

“The land office is the one collecting the quit rent, not the JMB. It is not appropriate for PTGS to treat the JMBs as the post office, more so when a JMB is in charge of hundreds of units or even more than a thousand,” he was quoted as saying.

Over 900 bills had to be sent to owners, some of whom do not stay at the condominium, he said.