Amendment to Strata Title Act will overcome problems in strata title applications

The proposed amendment to the Strata Titles Act 1985 will overcome problems in the applications of strata titles, especially for old buildings, according to Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

He said with the amendment, the process of issuing strata titles would be much easier without the need to prepare certain documents for application and approval purposes.

"When the amendment is passed in Parliament, approximately 300,000 cases for apartments built in the 1970s or 1980s but have yet to get their grants or strata titles, could be solved," he said, adding that the amendment would be tabled at the Parliament next year.

Wan Junaidi said this to reporter after visiting the Federal Land and Mineral Director General Department here on Friday.

He said the amendment would also enable specific action be taken to an individual without involving other occupants of the building.

The minister said the proposed amendment was made together with the amendment to the Land Acquisition Act 1960 to facilitate the land acquisition process involving strata and staged development schemes.

He said the amendment would reduce the construction cost and would not affect occupants who were not involved.

Wan Junaidi said 1.2 million strata titles had been registered so far, which made up 16.3 per cent of the overall titled land in the Peninsular Malaysia.

At present, land offices in the peninsula were also in the midst of processing 229,000 applications for strata titles, while it was anticipated that 300,000 strata title applications had yet to be registered due to legal issues.