A video recently appeared in TikTok. The TikToker voiced his surprise (the unpleasant type) when he was barred by the authorities from renting out his 4-room HDB (Housing Development Board) flat in Singapore for a period of three months. The offence was that the number of tenants in the flat, 24 altogether, far exceeded the maximum allowable of only six.
That means a loss of passive income to the landlord. Serious cases of infringements may even lead to compulsory acquisition by the HDB.
This penalty shows their firmness and sternness in ensuring that everybody toes the line.
The situation is different in Malaysia.
Our authorities do not seem to enforce existing laws. We have yet to hear of any similar enforcement on similar cases in Malaysia. This definitely does not mean that Malaysian landlords and tenants are law-abiding. In fact, they may not even be aware of such limitations or more likely, chose to ignore these limitations.
DBKL does have laws and guidelines on living space for individuals.
But when I walk around my KL neighborhood every day, I could see the tell-tale signs of excessive number of tenants in three-room townhouses, and four-room double-story link houses. Lines of laundry hung out to dry, piles of footwear, and over-flowing Alam Flora rubbish bins are some of the tell-tale signs. I have even come across chicken coops at the backyards. Most of these houses are not well-maintained and badly in need of sprucing-up. It is hardly surprising as the tenants do not want to spend money unnecessarily and the landlords are motivated only in ensuring that they receive their rental proceeds in a timely manner.
The problem used to be more prevalent pre-Covid times. Fortunately it has somewhat reduced after many foreign workers left the country due to closure of businesses which employed them, and other reasons.
Our local authorities should be more by-proactive in enforcing the law on maximum tenants per household. Reports from neighboring residents and the Residents’ Associations should be taken seriously and acted upon. This would ensure that the problem is nipped in the bud before it becomes difficult to control, like in the past, pre-pandemic times.
So, if you are a landlord, do be mindful of your neighbors' feelings. The same goes if you are a tenant and employers have a role to play in ensuring that their workers stay in amenable living conditions.
Eric Copley is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav.
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