Questions from participants of TheEdgeProperty.com Symposium on Property Management 2017 were forwarded to the respective speakers after the symposium on April 8. The speakers have tried their best to reply but due to the number of questions received, some need more time, hence Part 2 of the Q&A will be published next week. Please note that both the questions and answers have been edited for clarity. The answers reflect the personal views of the speakers and do not constitute legal advice.

Seeing the value of your property nosedive because of poor management could be an investor’s worst nightmare. And in order to avoid such a tragedy, property owners need to know their rights and responsibilities in the management of their properties.

Property owners have to play their part in ensuring that their property manager does a good job and that the property is well-managed.

The biggest difference between a local property investor and a foreign one is that the former is often present in the country while the latter is often absent.

It is no secret that stratified high-rise buildings are likely to form the bulk of new buildings in the future, especially in the city where land for development is shrinking every day while its population continues to grow.

Many homeowners or property investors think that once they have signed the Sales and Purchase Agreement or when a project they bought has been completed, that marks the end of their worries. However, on the contrary, it may just be the start of a new series of problems, warned DN Homeowners Bhd chairman Andy Khoo.

Many people think that their well-renovated homes which are secured with window grilles are a safe sanctuary for them to live in, but they may not realise that the fancy renovations and fixed grilles can kill them under certain circumstances.

Strata living is synonymous with service charge collection, but many homeowners are reluctant or even refuse to pay their service charges. The simple argument often given is — if they are not happy with the maintenance of a building or its management, they would not need to pay. Now, that’s a myth!

WOE betide a property that is managed under the wrong hands. How well a property is managed can make or break the value of the property, and the owners are the ones, who with some help from the developer and the property manager, hold the key in ensuring the property is in good condition constantly.

The new AEON malls are gaining traction.