JMBs and MCs advised to comply with SOPs during pandemic

PETALING JAYA (May 22): Joint Management Bodies (JMB) and Management Corporations (MC) should not use the current Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse for not performing their duties.

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Chur Associates founder and managing partner Chris Tan said the authorities can only exercise their discretion to not penalise if one cites the pandemic as a reason for not carrying out a necessary duty.   

Speaking as one of the guests on last night's EdgeProp.my Facebook Live Fireside Chat on 'Property management now and post pandemic : Woes | Legality | Reality', Tan noted that a JMB or MC or a property manager must not neglect required tasks such as ensuring the renewal of fire certificates and ensuring the lifts and other systems meet requirements.

“If you want the authority to exercise discretion, you have to be reasonable. If you are supposed to renew certificates within the MCO (Movement Control Order) period but you can’t do it, you need to show you had tried to do so and have the evidence to prove that for instance you contacted the authority via phone call, email or registered post.

“Don’t forget the government premises may be shut down but the mechanism is not shut down,” Tan shares.

He also stressed that it is important to follow the SOPs set by the authorities to protect oneself.

“Many have asked if the Housing and Local Government Ministry's SOP is law? I can tell you it is not a law but a guideline. However, one of the fundamentals we must do in property management now is that if there is an SOP, follow the SOP. If anything happens at the end of the day, at least you can say you have complied with the guidelines from the authority,” he said.

The fireside chat was moderated by EdgeProp Malaysia managing director and editor-in-chief Au Foong Yee and supported by Matrix Concepts Holdings Bhd and Panasonic Malaysia.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri! Stay safe and get more property insights at EdgeProp.my

For the full report on the virtual Fireside Chat read the May 29, 2020 issue of Edgeprop.my ePub.

Interested to know more about what’s happening in the property market? Click and watch our previous Fireside Chats:

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- The Malaysian property market picked up in 2019! Could this be its last hurrah?

- “Will Malls Be Empty In The New Normal?”

- "Will the Malaysian property sector survive this mother of all crises?" 

- “Undervalued Properties: Opportunities or Risk?”

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