PETALING JAYA - Residents of several low-cost flats are making extreme renovations to their homes in efforts to make them spacious, to the point of being excessive.
This issue was consistently shared on social media, garnering a multitude of reactions and criticisms from the public, who describe it as dangerous.
The actions of owners renovating their flats excessively around Taman Datuk Harun have been widely discussed among netizens.
Sinar found several lower-level homes in the flats had undergone large renovations, while houses on the first floor followed suit.
The Joint Management Body (JMB) in the flat admitted that these renovations were made over a decade ago without any approval.
However, they refused to comment further on the matter due to the possibility of threats to their safety and being accused of making a complaint to the media.
Yes, the renovations were made, but they were carried out a long time ago; we can't afford to do much now," the JMB representative said without revealing his identity.
He said they were 'attacked' twice by those involved, even though they did not make any complaints on the issue.
"They claimed to have received approval from the previous management body under different management in this area," he added.
The flat was managed by the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) until 2009 and was taken over by the Commissioner of Buildings (COB) Office in 2010.
The tender to manage the flat was opened, and JMB managed to secure it from 2016 until now.
The matter was reported several times in the media, and even the MBPJ did not hesitate to take strict action against homeowners who performed renovations without obtaining approval.
The act of renovating homes without approval brings unwanted risks as well as disturbing the peace and creating issues for residents.
It was based on the Strata Management Act 2013 (Act 757) and Act 133 (Street, Drainage, and Building Act 1974), where construction works to change or make additional constructions towards a building's structure must gain written approval from the local authorities.
If they failed to obey, legal action would be taken by local authorities, and it could be demolished.
The Klang municipal council (MPK) also did not compromise on renovations without approval.
Corporate Communication Director Norfiza Mahfiz said the actions to renovate a home without approval pose a threat if the building does not comply with the safety specifications set, thus posing a risk to other residents.
"Continuous enforcement will be done by all departments involved to ensure no party disobeys the orders set by MPK," she told Sinar.