Managing High-Rise Residential Building in Malaysia: Where Are We? 

MANAGING HIGH-RISE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING IN MALAYSIA: WHERE ARE WE?

Associate Professor Dr. Tiun Ling Ta Ph.D. (Demography)

School of Social Sciences

Universiti Sains Malaysia

11800 USM, Pulau Pinang

ABSTRACT

High-rise residential property management sector in Malaysia is still at an infancy stage. Clear and standard qualification to determine a qualified property manager or managing agent and how to ensure that high-rise residential properties are managed in a professional manner has yet to be established. The management agents in charge of property management are also lacking in professionalism. However most parcel owners do not realize the importance of good property management until their building and common facilities are deteriorating, which are already too late. Based on surveys conducted in Johore, Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Selangor various problems continue to arise in the management of high-rise residential buildings due to lack of standard guideline and professionalism in property management.

Compared to the management system practiced in other countries especially in Singapore, Hong Kong or in Australia, the approach adopted in the management of high-rise residential property in Malaysia is outdated and still far behind those countries. In Malaysia, property managers have a free hand in managing properties under their care, thus the management practiced is based on their own guideline and standard since there is no standard guideline on property management. There is also no standard fee scale to be followed by all. This led to continuous and unsolved problems faced by most unit owner in the country.

Therefore the purpose of this paper is to present the research findings on the weakness of the high-rise residential management system practised in Malaysia as compared to the system practised in other countries. The factors found contributing to the problems are wide-ranging but this paper focussed on the main factors of lack of early planning, ignorance of buyers, lack of regulation on property managers, insufficient legislation and ineffective management practices.

Keywords: Property Management, Legislation, Management Practices, Authorities