On Tuesday, the High Court here dismissed an application by IRMK’s joint management body (JMB) to stay an award made by the strata management tribunal in April last year pending a judicial review.
The JMB wants the court to nullify the IRMK management corporation’s first annual general meeting (AGM), held on Dec 23, 2023, which elected a committee to administer the property.
Proprietors told FMT the COB’s office appeared to be distancing itself from issues surrounding the property.
In a related case last week, COB officer M Palaniappan reportedly told the tribunal his office could not take a position on the AGM’s validity due to the ongoing court proceedings. The tribunal is expected to rule on the case on March 10, according to Utusan Malaysia.
The JMB has also brought a related appeal to the Court of Appeal and has filed another stay application. Both have yet to be heard.
Despair
The COB’s reluctance to intervene has left unit owners and residents of the luxury condominium in a state of despair
They say it has been reduced to the status of poorly maintained public flats, with creeping vines, mouldy interiors, poorly lit walkways, tiles held together by cellophane tape, leaking rooftops, overgrown weeds, malfunctioning access cards and poor security.
Tee, a resident, moved into her home in 2017 and pays RM600 in monthly maintenance fees. She has been shocked by how the property has deteriorated.
“The ceiling below the swimming pool is leaking, and we have no idea how extensive the damage is. The building is badly maintained.
“Residents have filed numerous complaints to the COB but have not received a favourable outcome,” she told FMT.
Tee said despite the management committee’s appointment 14 months ago, the JMB has yet to hand over control of monies, assets, books and records relating to the property to allow for its proper maintenance.
Ex-JMB committee member Dzulhilman Sulaiman said substantial sums have been spent on the property with little to show for.
“The JMB spent RM2.5 million painting the building but the work seems to be substandard as a large portion of exterior metal surfaces were not painted. They also upgraded the rooftop area at a cost of RM600,000 with substandard materials,” he told FMT.
He further said the complex’s rooftop garden looks worse off than before it was upgraded recently.
When contacted, the COB told FMT that it was unable to comment due to the ongoing court cases.
Deteriorating facilities
Property manager Wong Yew Peng, hired by the management corporation in December last year, said complaints about the property’s condition have piled up.
“It is shocking to see what the residents have been putting up with. The residents own million ringgit continental sports cars but the ceiling above their units is leaking. Their complaints have fallen on deaf ears.
“In just two days, I have attended to and engaged a contractor to repair leaks at four apartments and a car park. Fire doors are broken and access cards don’t work, leaving doors unsecured. Outsiders can just walk into and out of any unit,” he told FMT.
He also said the sauna is out of order and the swimming pool lights do not function at night, leaving the area in darkness.
Residents desperately want to experience the luxury lifestyle they should be entitled to, he said.