TLDR: My condo in Desa Petaling is imposing all sorts of rules, and strictly enforcing it by charging the owners with fines, and directly putting it into their bills and im not happy about it, and looking for advice.


For context, i am a first-time homeowner, previously living with my parents in a landed property and finally got my own home around 3 years ago. The condo i am mentioning is in the Desa Petaling area, Ill be honest, I am not the most active resident to attend those AGM meetings, but I will still read the minutes when i have the time, later on, i don't think i really am the kind of person that also fully utilize all the facilities, this is really more of a home to me, and i pay my monthly bills on time, every time. and currently, there is an outstanding of around RM50k+ from the defaulters.

But in the past AGM, they have changed their calculation of the sinking and maintenance fee, and my monthly fee got bumped up by around 30% +-, i tried to ask them where are they spending the additional funds in a whatsapp conversation with the mgmt, but given vague answers, i just told myself, whatever..i guess my bad for not attending the meetings.

Come past month or so, they brought up some issue on changing the traffic flow of the car park, and suddenly enforcing people driving through empty parking lots you get an RM200 fine, no car park sticker even if its your own lot, you get clamped, and a myriad of things.

and obviously, i got fine for driving through a car park lot, for context, my parking lot is the highest at the 5th lvl, i am turning up and down everyday, and my parking lot is strangely placed closer to the other block's lift rather than my own, and they have been very quick to work to directly place these fines into my monthly bill. My more selfish point of view is:

"I dont think im a trouble resident, i dont throw rubbish out of the balcony, no loud music at night, i keep the front portion of my unit clean, i am paying my part each month for the sinking and maintenance fee, when there is RM50k worth of money not collected, my car park is strangely far, and i have reached out to see if anything can be done to no avail, i have not been or caused any accidents, and am very careful when passing through the empty lot, and finally this is my home and i feel stressed even just going in and out of the parking lot"

Hence i am looking for some advice from more experienced homeowners here, to see if there is anything i can do? or there is nothing i can do but suck it up and pay these guys?

Thanks for hearing me out, and for anyone willing to shed some light on this.

This post has been edited by zryanz: May 22 2022, 12:17 AM

One way is to sell ur house and move to individual title property settle. 😂

renting beats buying

Every highrise will have problems and so is landed.

Get yourself elected to MC and change the rules

Follow rules if you don't want to get fined. Accident will still happen if others who follow rules knock on your trespassing car... One can be very careful when passing by those empty car lots, but, how about others, they may not know your car is suddenly exiting those lots... And, doing wrong "carefully" doesn't mean your doing right thing, u can throw rubbish carefully to your neighbour house, but does that carefully mean u r doing it correctly?

Whether u use those facilities or not, u still need to pay for it since u agreed to it when u first signed the spa. Else, sell it and buy invidual landed without security.

As above said, looks like your life style should be living in individual title. Maybe rent out this unit get and individual title property.

You should be knowing where your car park is, how far is the distance, how many ramps you need to go through, before signing the snp.

Using the facility or not is irrelevant at all to you getting a saman for passing through the car park.

In the end still comes back to the question , when you’re at a traffic light junction, if it’s red but no car, do you cross?

This post has been edited by Vic31: May 22 2022, 09:11 AM

Increase maintenance fee can't be avoided in high rise. I agree some rules are pretty tight but it's for own good. I hate people who drive pass car lots, it's very dangerous!

JMB is good. I hate people who drives pass empty lots. Imagine if you miscalculate and hit the car, that’s unnecessary I feel.

Also maintenance cost normally increases when management is passed to jmb from developer. More often than not, the quoted maintenance during selling is in the low side. Look at the audited accounts to see what they spend on

Not sure which project is this in Desa Petaling but parking lot if it comes with the unit, it should have been illustrated in the SPA. Unless you subscribe to additional parking, then it may just be the ones that were available for renting.

Cutting through parking lots, you are clearly in the wrong. Safety concern.

Management is ambiguous about the money spent, can group up with others not satisfied and launch petition to management. Also it helps being more active in JMB meetings and having good relations with neighbours. Easier to discuss for things like this.

Is buying a next house with JMB is sensible solution?

for the driving treepass, u call it troublesome when ntg happen....
if anything happen, u will say why didnt enforce earlier...
there are nothing perfect in this world...

like u go on the road...speed limit is 80....
u over then saman....will the police let u go if the road is empty?
same like ur parking treepass...
suppose is parking...doesnt mean u can go treepass when it empty...

well...
i dont mind jmb strict with the rule as long as they enforce it with integrity...
dont settle with under table later on....


for your parking far,
everyone wish their parking is near to the lift....
i not sure if anyone can know their car parking during the purchase of new property...but u can see if u buying from subsales...

as long as jmb using the fund & enforce with integrity, i dont feel any bad of they try to make a better environment for all the owner...
how could they make adjustment based on certain individual preference/benefit?

Newer condos have designated pedestrian lines/bicycle lanes in car park areas for safety purposes. For condo, tyremarks on the ramp dividers and paint scratches against concrete columns/parked cars at turning points are common. Such by-laws are enacted to protect everyone.

I guess yours is just a case of personal inconvenience/annoyance about making turns in a multi-level carpark. A personal attitude/mindset change will benefit you more.

Those residents in JMB they are owners too and they care more than you thats why they join JMB.
Condo have strata law and house rules. If no tighten the rules. The whole condo value will depreciate easily. They are protecting it.


I think you are more suitable stay in individual title in this case.

30% increase with current inflation and high costs of labour + materials is not unreasonable, especially if the fees have not been raised much in the past decade.

You want shortcut for personal convenience that potentially endangers others, then complain that you get served consequences? You realise car park area is usually also pedestrian area where people walk back and forth, imagine if someone walk past just as you turn in, habis la if you don't see and run over someone.

Your carpark in "strange" location, is unavoidable part of being in strata high rise, everyone want easy to reach car park but no choice if our lot happens to allocate far away car park. That's just how the cookie crumbles.

being a 'good resident' is not just pay maintenance fees and don't throw rubbish, but to not do selfish things that might compromise safety of fellow residences. Paying fees and keeping common property clean is BARE MINIMUM of human decency.

You talk about the defaulters as if you aren't breaking already established rules because you say it's more convenient to you, admit you aren't in AGM much, and you expect to be spoonfed information that during AGM usually breakdown properly, and you weren't even there to vote about it? You're just as much of a problem resident as a defaulter.

Seems like your best choice is either change your mindset or sell/rent out your property.

This post has been edited by DragonReine: May 22 2022, 12:56 PM

Compliance to the safety rules are very important and your management did the right thing.

You dont actually need to envy those defaulters, they are charged with high interest and inconvenience for not paying, and would have to pay one day.

allocated carpark will be made known and part of accessory parcel attached to SPA, when one sign on dotted line mean acceptance to it

quote=Darren,May 22 2022, 11:06 AM]
for the driving treepass, u call it troublesome when ntg happen....
if anything happen, u will say why didnt enforce earlier...
there are nothing perfect in this world...

like u go on the road...speed limit is 80....
u over then saman....will the police let u go if the road is empty?
same like ur parking treepass...
suppose is parking...doesnt mean u can go treepass when it empty...

well...
i dont mind jmb strict with the rule as long as they enforce it with integrity...
dont settle with under table later on....
for your parking far,
everyone wish their parking is near to the lift....
i not sure if anyone can know their car parking during the purchase of new property...but u can see if u buying from subsales...

as long as jmb using the fund & enforce with integrity, i dont feel any bad of they try to make a better environment for all the owner...
how could they make adjustment based on certain individual preference/benefit?

[/quote]

I think you just need to summarize your explaination by just saying: "You breach the house rules and not willing to pay the fine, what can you do?"

House rules can only be changed during AGM/EGM, you need to raise it as a motion when you receive your AGM/EGM package. If majority residents okay to overwrite the rules, then it will be overwritten.

From your explanation, you are not following defined traffic rules within the condo and also not using car park sticker; Other condos are also having such rules and regulations. Your condo is doing a good job in executing the rules - while other condo may not.

You can try to follow the house rules accordingly or consider moving to lower end condo/ apartment that may have poorer management so you can breach any rules without getting caught or fined.

It is always hard for normal terrace house dweller switching to stay in strata property ... the house rules are meant for the entire community to live together in harmony. So if you decide to continue to stay in the condo, you need to follow the house rules like other resident not expecting the rules to be bent according to individual favor.

This post has been edited by p4n6: May 22 2022, 06:43 PM

wow didnt expect so many replies, and thanks everyone for that, i think there were many good points, and, it may be easy (and not saying is wrong) to bring out what the JMB is doing is good here, but personally, i do still feel quite troubled with the things here.

So i think in conclusion, guess i am not suitable for community living after growing up in individual title landed, maybe I am in the wrong and should look for an individual title next.

There are reasons why such rule was voted in. Could be due to accident or case happened before, so to avoid future accident, they need to set this rule.

Probably strata title is not suitable for your lifestyle. Can consider individual landed title. But bear in mind, there will be tons of cars parking around your house.

You bought your unit knowing very well where your car park is. Can't blame management if they enforce one way?

In my condo there are idiots driving against traffic just so that they reach their destination fast. One idiot almost knocked down a family because of blind spot and driving wrong way.

Don't be like them.