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By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Aug 28: Undeterred by heavy rain, a group of Tabuan Park residents who have lived in the neighbourhood without land titles for many years demonstrated their solidarity yesterday by holding a protest to express their dissatisfaction over a long-standing land title dispute with the developer.
The homeowners have filed a complaint, claiming the developer of the Tabuan Park residential area is demanding additional fees before providing them with land titles. The additional fees, according to the homeowners, were not mentioned in the Sale and Purchase Agreement (S&P) and the amount charged is also deemed unreasonable.
At a press conference held in the Tabuan Park residential area, spokesperson Chew stated that the original developer of the Tabuan Park residential area has been liquidated and another developer has taken over to complete the housing construction work, but the homeowners have not yet received their land titles.
He said that one of the residents had found out that the land titles had been issued. As a result, they decided to meet with the lawyer responsible for handling the agreement, who had been appointed by the former developer.
Chew disclosed that when they inquired about the costs they needed to pay, they were informed that an additional fee, which was not specified in the S&P, was required in order to obtain the land titles.
He further claimed that the additional fees are RM8,000 for a terrace house and RM10,500 for a semi-detached house, and that if the homeowner refuses to pay, an additional increase of RM500 will be imposed every six months.
In addition, Chew claimed that the S&P stipulates only the payment of legal fees and stamp duty.
“The reason for the developer to charge additional fees, (as stated in the letter), is because they repainted the shoplots at the front, cleared and cleaned up some of the units that were abandoned and overgrown with trees or vegetation, repaired and renovated some units, and arranged and put in place some community supervision to enhance the general security of the area,” he said, adding that the aforementioned should not be included in the homebuyers’ costs.
Chew said that he has sought the assistance of the people’s representatives, but to no avail; he has also appealed through lawyers, but there has been no response; and he has attempted to meet and speak with the developer without success.
He stated that about a hundred homeowners were affected, and that some homeowners had given in and paid the extra charge, and only then did they obtain their land titles.
“The majority of us wish to obtain our own land titles in accordance with our personal rights and we are unwilling to pay this unreasonable additional fee,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Public Complaint Bureau chief Milton Foo, who was invited to the press conference by the residents to better understand their situation, stated that he would do his best to assist in resolving the issue and seek a win-win solution for both the residents and the developer.
“I fully understand their (residents) feelings. Despite having fully paid the purchase price as stated in the sale and purchase agreement signed with the previous developer, the new developer is now demanding additional payment of between RM8,000 and RM10,500,” Foo said, noting that the neighbourhood has about 200 housing units.
He also stated that the issue had been brought to the attention of Sarawak Deputy Premier and Minister for Public Health, Housing, and Local Government, Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian. — DayakDaily
