Update on the card access

It looks like the implementation of the card access system at Prima has become a reality. I was invited to attend an interview with two short listed companies which are going to supply the security system but I attended the interview with only one of the companies. The two companies involved in the tender exercise are YL Systems Sdn Bhd and Transync Telecommunications Engeneering Sdn Bhd. One is using the Bosch system and the other the Entrypass system. Both the companies have projects with some public listed companies. I would say they are not those fly by night companies. I told them that the cost is not the main factor but a system that can last and with the least maintenance. I told them that we are going to inherit the system in the future and supporting services are important.

After the interview, I can conclude that the system that is going to be installed at Prima can be considered as a high tech one. All transactions will be recorded and any acts of vandalism in the lifts or at the lift lobbies will be captured by the cameras . The culprits will be made to pay and their photos would be displayed on the notice board. As for the visitors, they may have to swipe their Mycards through the cardreader at the guardhouse. Their open data like the names, the I.C. numbers and their addresses would be stored in the computer .

By involving the R.A. in the tender exercise showed that the management is transparent. I should compliment UOA on this basis. I shall leave the appointment of the company to carry out the project to the management. I feel that they know better. We were given copies of the quotations. Before I left, I told them to make detailed preparation for the implementation. Ample notice must be given. Proper procedures must be worked out and this should involve the R.A. because we are the affected parties.

Thank you and have a nice day!

Building and Common Property ( Maintenance and Management ) Bill 2006

What does it mean to us, the owners of Prima Setapak Condo? I am sure many of us are in the dark over how this bill will affect us. Does it benefit us? Does it protect our rights as property owners? Well, the answer is definitely, a big yes. I shall try to enlighten you what I know about this bill. We do not have strata-titles yet. Therefore, we cannot set up a management corporation to manage our own properties. It simply means that we do not have any management power at all. We cannot make any decisions for Prima. We can only propose and the final decision lies with the developer. The developer is the king although the properties are ours. This is where the bill comes in. The strata- titles takes years to be issued ( for some it's a life time )and this is the reason why the Bill was formulated. During the interim period, the developer shall manage our properties without any representations from the owners. This bill covers the period between the vacant possession and the issuance of strata- titles.

How does the bill affect us? Under the bill, the developer ( Kumpulan Sejahtera Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of UOA ) will have to set up a joint management committee ( JMC ) comprising reps from the developer and the owners. The JMC is the corporate body to manage our properties. The JMC will have to be set up within 12 months once the bill is passed in the parliment and gazetted . The developer will have to convene the first JMC meeting within this period, failing which they can be fined up to RM 20 000 or a jail sentence imposed. For your info, the Bill was passed in the parliment yesterday. Our power lies through our representations in the JMC. The JMC is entrusted with the power through the bill to decide everything for Prima. The days when the developer can simply increase the maintenance fees without any justification is finally over. There shall be transparency and accountablity.

The bill will also provide for a Commissioner of Buildings to administer and carry out provisions under the Act. The days when the house owners can get away by not paying maintenance fees is also over. The bill provides for a fine of RM 5 000 if we fail to pay our maintenance fees. I think this is very fair simply because our properties cannot be properly managed without insufficient fund.

I shall put up some info pertaining to the Bill on the notice board.

Goodnight and have a nice day!

Dialogue session

The dialogue session which was held on 3 Dec 2006 went on very smoothly. There were no heated arguments and not many issues were raised. My only regrets was that the turnouts were poor. Most of the owners' concerns were whether they have to pay for the system or whether it would give the management an excuse to raise the maintenance fees or not. I assured them that there would not be an increase in the maintenance fees because the implementation of the system would not affect the operating expenditure at all. The fund used to finance the whole project comes from the sinking fund and the estimated cost incurred is about RM 300,000. Our reserve stands at about RM 1 000 000. which has not been utilized to date. I told the owners that it is not a prestigious thing to have this access card but we proposed it because it is necessary for our condos. This system can assist the guards to provide better security for Prima. We only need to share the feelings of those victims of break-ins to understand that nothing is more precious than our safety.

It's all system go now. We had met the target of more than 60%. More than 60% of the owners have given their consents. I will be handling over the lists of the signatures to Dats Management Sdn Bhd soon. For me, it is a big relief. The R.A.'s duty is over for now. The final decision still lies with the management. It is an irony that the money is ours but they make the decision.

Goodnight and have a nice day!

Update on the signature campaign

Today is the first day of the last month of the year. I was inspired to write something although I was really busy out there collecting signatures. I spent about two hours each night doing it and today is the sixth day. The genuine appreciation shown by the owners and their encouraging words really pushed me on. Some owners asked me, " Were you the only one going round from door to door? ' I told them that someone have to do it. If it's not me, then it could be others. No heated arguments, very few questions asked in my encounter with the residents. They just signed . This made my task very much easier and faster. Security is our priority and everyone knows it.

We are well on the way hitting the target. I managed to obtain about 260 signatures to date and I guess there are about another 150 at the management office. We need another fifty or so to achieve the target of 60% . This is not a problem at all because I could be getting another 30 signatures today. We hope to get another 20 or 30 signatures from owners who will turn up for the dialogue session this coming Sunday. The implementation of the card access and the CCTV should become a reality for Prima. By the way, I have made an additional request to Dats Management to install CCTV in the lifts too in view of the vandalism culture being practised at Prima.

Goodnight and have a nice day!