Sarawak: Compulsory monthly maintenance charges for strata unit owners

KUCHING (Nov 5): Strata unit owners in Sarawak will have to pay compulsory monthly maintenance charges for common facilities “in and around” their properties.

This is because the Strata Management Bill 2019 was passed by the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly yesterday.

It was reported that the new legislation is aimed at regulating the management and maintenance of strata building in which among others it would make it mandatory for owners to pay monthly maintenance charges for routine maintenance of the common facilities in and around the building, and not less than 10% of such monthly charges shall be put aside as sinking fund for major repairs/replacement and repainting works.

State Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian said the mandatory charges would also apply to each of the unsold units which would be borne by the developer, reported Bernama.

He said the bill also made it mandatory for strata development to form a management body responsible for the management and maintenance of the subdivided building or land.

“There will be a management committee, members to be elected amongst the unit owners at a general meeting. Meeting and voting procedures are provided for under the Schedules.

“More importantly, the management body is also responsible for the maintenance and sinking fund accounts, and such accounts need to be audited annually, in order to ensure that the monies collected are properly managed,” Sim explained.

The Borneo Post also reported the minister saying that the Bill also clarified “other duties and powers of the management body”, such making and enforcing by-laws and recovery of unpaid maintenance charges.

The Bill also called for the formation of a Tribunal to settle disputes between parties of the strata building community.

“The Bill would also allow for the formation of a subsidiary management body, which has the same duties and powers of the main management body, to maintain and manage non-subsidiary non-residential common property in the case where strata development is a mixed development such as residential and commercial,” Sim added.

In his winding-up speech, Sim said the Bill would benefit both the purchaser and developer as it would give confidence to purchasers when they buy strata units.

“This in effect would boost the demand for strata property, and this is good for developers in the sense that when they decide to do strata development, there will be eager buyers for the development,” Borneo Post reported him saying.