DBKL prohibits partitions for added bedrooms in commercial-titled apartments

SHAH ALAM - The Council of Buildings (COB) of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has issued a notice forbidding landlords and homeowners from adding partitions (adding bedrooms) in commercial-titled apartments with strata status in Kuala Lumpur.

English daily, New Strait Times (NST) reports that the prohibition was effective from Aug 1, 2023, and it was communicated by the chairman of all Joint Management Bodies (JMB), Management Corporations (MC), and Sub Management Corporations (Sub-MC) in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Kamarulzaman Mat Salleh stated that the ban was provided to hinder landlords from converting living rooms and dining rooms into additional bedrooms in an apartment or SOHO unit.

"All service apartments and SOHOs with strata titles in the city are prohibited from building walls to create more bedrooms.

"This would be in violation of the original Development Order (DO) approved by the relevant authorities, including DBKL," he said.

Kamarulzaman pointed out that adding partitions would mean an increased number of occupants and insufficient natural light for the inhabitants.

"Adding more bedrooms would make it appear that they were being rented out for extra cash," he said to NST.

According to the notice, this prohibition is meant to avoid the existence of residential units intended for commercial use, such as hostels, as well as a rise in traffic and density, which would cause problems for the adjacent people.

The prohibition was issued on July 21, 2023, and it was made available for download on the DBKL's official website.