Homeowners to get grants

04 January 2012 | last updated at 12:58am
By Stephen Ng

KUALA LUMPUR: Property owners in Desa Jaya and Taman Ehsan in Kepong will soon have a reason to smile because their qualified titles have been converted to permanent titles or grants.
Both housing estates were developed in the 1970s and '80s, but for nearly 30 years, they were still holding qualified titles to their properties.

A qualified title (or a temporary document which carries the words: Hakmilik Sementara) is issued, pending a final survey to be carried out by the Survey and Mapping Department (Jupem).

In responding to a report in Streets on Nov 2, Bukit Lanjan state assemblyman Elizabeth Wong said  her office has been following up on the matter with the district officer of Gombak.

"We have received a reply from him saying that letters of notification to residents have finally been prepared," she said.

Wong had in July last year called a meeting between property owners in both housing projects and the Gombak Land Office.

The good news will be announced this weekend in two separate meetings, where property owners in Taman Ehsan will be able to pick up the letters from land office staff at  Taman Ehsan Community Hall on Saturday at  11am and at  Desa Jaya Community Hall on Sunday  at 2pm for Desa Jaya.

"We will also brief them on how they can obtain their final titles," Wong said.

"All that they need to bring with them this weekend is their identity cards to proof that they are the owners of the property."

Wong said she will also brief  property owners on how to extend their leasehold back to 99 years by paying a premium of RM1,000.

In another development, Kepong member of parliament Dr Tan Seng Giaw had called a press conference last week to brief property owners in Kepong Baru that they, too, will be receiving their final titles by March this year.

"This is the promise given by the Federal Territory Land and Mines Office," he said, adding that some 1,024 homeowners in Taman Kepong  received their  grants last year.

Both Taman Kepong and Kepong Baru were developed in the '60s and '70s, but the issue of qualified titles was left unattended until it was raised by residents a year ago.

Dr Tan said the issue of qualified title affects many housing projects nationwide.

"Efforts must be made by the land offices and Jupem to convert the qualified titles into final grants," he said.

"The longer the issue is dragged, the harder it will be to find the records. Some developers would have wound up by then."