(Seremban, 28th)
The rented house was turned into a Bitcoin mining farm , and the owner was fined by the TNB.
The unlucky victim, Ms. Huang, not only has the upper floor of the house turned into a bitcoin mining farm by lawbreakers, and faced serious losses, but was also issued fine by the TNB due to the tenant’s behavior of modifying the meter to steal electricity for mining. A fine of RM600,000.
Repeated appeal, fine reduced to 129,000
She said that after repeated appeal, TNB finally reduced the fine to RM129,000 and stipulated that she must pay it back within 24 months, starting from May 2023.
"The fine of 600,000 ringgits is higher than my house price. Now it has been reduced to 129,000 ringgits and needs to be paid within 24 months. This is too difficult for me. Where can I find money?"When asked about the reason for the fine, she admitted that it was because she did not transfer the TNB account registered with the house to the tenant's name when she rented out the house.
A moment of negligence caused her to lose her wife and lose her army. Ms. Huang bluntly said that she was under a lot of pressure, and she was frequently rejected when seeking help from a lawyer because the case had no chance of winning.
Tenants modify meters to steal electricity
Ms. Huang said that she rented the house in Taman Saujana Tropika, Seremban New Town to a Chinese man through a housing agency in 2021. The Tenancy Agreement signed by both parties is valid for one year, starting from August 2021 Until August 2022.
However, in July last year, she received a notice from TNB, stating that the electricity bill for the house she rented out was owed for one month and had not been repaid.
"I was thinking at the time that maybe the tenant didn't want to renew the lease, so I didn't pay the electricity bill, so I asked the agent to go and have a look. At that time, the house looked like no one lived in it, but after a closer look, I found that there were people inside. .”
She said that before and after she went there, she tried to contact the tenant, but the other party was always unable to be contacted. Finally, she called the police and asked to break into the house, only to find that the house she rented out had turned into a bitcoin mining farm.
"The original structure upstairs has been severely damaged, and they should have soundproofed it to prevent people from finding out."
Afterwards, she also contacted Tenaga, and after inspection by the other party, it was found that the tenant had modified the meter to steal electricity, so the electricity bill was only in the hundreds of ringgits.To her surprise, TNB issued a fine in March this year, with a fine amounting to RM600,000, which was only reduced to RM129,000 after repeated pleadings, which left her at a loss as to what to do.
Tenant claims contract with unwitnessed lawyer
When Ms. Huang was interviewed, she bluntly said that she had never met the tenant concerned, and the entire leasing process was handled by an intermediary.
"The intermediary is my friend. I believe it was the tenant who came to her and asked to rent the house. The Chinese male tenant concerned said that he would rent it to his parents."
She said that in retrospect, there are indeed many suspicious things. Among them, the man in question claimed to be infected with corona virus when signing the lease contract, so the contract he signed was signed without witnesses and lawyers.
"The contract is stamped and stamp duty paid later, and all these procedures are handled by the relevant real estate agent."
She pointed out that because when the police called the police, the photos and videos of the house turned into a bitcoin mining farm were handed over to the police, so the relevant photos cannot be provided at present.
Due to work reasons, it is inconvenient for her to disclose her identity, but she hopes to warn everyone to carefully screen tenants through her story and experience, and hopes that this sharing will get attention and help.
https://www.sinchew.com.my/20230428/%E5%87%...%A860%E4%B8%87/A landlord risk.