Nine-year effort pays off
Yeoh (centre) witnessing the presentation of strata titles by Logisvarran to Tan (left). With them are SHRA immediate past-president Rosman Omar (second from left) and land surveyor Chan Keat Lim. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
Taman Sri Hartamas folk elated over finally getting strata titles
AFTER almost a decade of perseverance, residents of Taman Sri Hartamas townhouses are finally celebrating a milestone – the long-awaited issuance of strata titles for their homes.
At an event to mark the ocassion, Sri Hartamas Residents Association (SHRA) president Annas Tan Poh Tiang said 204 townhouse units received their strata titles, bringing 'a sense of security and pride to the community'.
The development, which comprised 360 townhouses out of 828 homes in total, dates back approximately 40 years – a time before the introduction of Malaysia's Strata Titles Act 1985.
'This marks an important milestone for the Taman Sri Hartamas community,' said Tan.
'Its success is a testament to the unwavering unity and perseverance of our residents and the dedicated efforts of our working committee.'
The process, which began in 2016, faced numerous hurdles, including missing original documents due to the developer's liquidation and procedural delays exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite these challenges, 282 units participated in the strata title application.
Approvals were granted in stages, with the first batch of 74 titles approved in March 2024, the second batch this April and the third batch this month, to make it a total of 204.
'Due to delays in some technical land matters, we expect approval for the remaining 78 units later this year,' said Tan.
Tan thanked licensed land surveyor Logisvarran Muniandy, from Jurukur Amanah, for guiding the residents through the complex process and personally covered a shortfall in strata survey fees in 2019 to avoid delays.
She also thanked Segambut MP and Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh for her intervention during a critical phase of the application in 2023.
Yeoh said it took an entire team working together, such as the government agencies, the residents association and the licensed surveyor, to deliver something as vital as strata titles.
Logisvarran said Taman Sri Hartamas case was particularly difficult due to the absence of original approval plans, and the fact that all townhouses were issued individual block titles further complicated the process.
'But my team and I took this on, not for profit, but as a tribute to our land-surveying profession,' he added.
Logisvarran also credited the collaboration of government agencies, including Kuala Lumpur City Hall, Land Surveyors Board, the Survey and Mapping Department (Jupem), the Strata Unit director's office at the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur Lands and Mines Office, and the Insolvency Department.
He said the November 2024 Census showed there were still 130,000 long-occupied high-rise residential units in the Klang Valley that have not yet obtained strata titles.
'We hope the government can increase and expand such efforts in helping to solve the problem of strata issuance difficulties,' he added.
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