Crackdown on leasees - Star

Oct 4, 2009 By IVAN LOH

THE Ipoh City Council will terminate the rental agreement of those found to be renting out their low-cost flat units, said Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim.

“The council will start issuing vacate notices from this month. The retracted units will then be leased out immediately to those who need them.

“We have received numerous complaints of leasees renting out their units to others,” he said after chairing the council’s full board meeting on Thursday.

Roshidi also lambasted the selfish leasees who failed to return their keys to the council after they vacated their units.

“The flats are meant for the poor and for those who cannot afford their own home,” he said.

The city council currently owns the Buntong Harmoni, Kinta Heights and Waller Court flats charging rental of between RM80 and RM140 monthly.

On a unrelated matter, Roshidi denied talks that the city council had increased the quit rent of several new housing estates.

”The city council has not increased the quit rent in Ipoh for the past 15 years,” he said, adding that the city council did not have the power to raise the quit rent.

He was responding to newspaper reports that residents in several housing areas in Ipoh were shocked with the hike in quit rent.

Roshidi explained that quit rent in new housing estates was adjusted accordingly in line with the value of property.

”All these while, the residents have been paying quit rent at empty land rates.

“Those who are not happy with the quit rent imposed on them should present their argument to the council within a month.” he said.

He also noted that as of October, the city council had identified about 10,300 people who had not been paying their quit rent.