KUCHING: Residents of Tabuan Park here claim they are under threat of losing their land titles if they do not reimburse the housing developer’s costs and expenses.
A representative of the residents said the developer, Bayu Sempurna Sdn Bhd – which took over from the previous developer which was declared bankrupt – has yet to justify the reasons for the need to reimburse the costs and expenses.
The representative said they were advised by lawyers to pay only for the legal fees and stamp duties to get their land title, based on the sale and purchase agreement (S&P).
“The new developer took over the area from the previous developer and has cleaned and refurbished the vacant houses and its surrounding areas in Tabuan Park, including the shoplot.
“However, they want us to pay RM8,000 (for terraced houses) and RM10,500 (for semi-D houses), in addition to our legal fees and stamp duties.
“Our lawyer friends have looked into this matter and said we should not pay for the extra charges,” he told a press conference at Tabuan Park shoplot yesterday.
The residents claimed the developer refused to meet up with them to give a clear explanation, and that the developer can only be communicated vis his lawyer.
They claim that the matter has been dragging on for past three years and the residents have been sending several letters to the developer for an explanation.
“We want to get the land titles without having to pay the RM8,000 and RM10,500 charges; we will only follow the S&P agreement.
“We even reached out to the land owner, the Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA), for explanation but the authority refused to entertain us,” they claimed.
The residential area comprises nearly 200 units of terraced and semi-D houses but only about 100 units are affected.
The residents sought the help of Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Public Complaints Bureau chief Milton Foo to resolve the longstanding issue early August.
He said since the previous developer went into bankruptcy, the new developer came in and signed an agreement with LCDA sometime in 2017 to “solve the housing problem including the land title and other matters”.
“The residents here approached me for help because they cannot get their land titles. The issue is that they are told to pay extra money above the legal fees and stamp duties for the memorandum of transfer.
“I understand their feelings … they have fully paid the purchase price under the S&P that they have signed with the previous developer,” said Milton, adding that the residents have also reached out to Demak Laut assemblyman Dr Hazland Abang Hipni.
Foo said he had also informed Deputy Premier Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian, who is also Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government and SUPP president.
“I believe the residents have the right to know why they need to pay the extra money and the developer must justify the figure,” he said.
