ALOR SETAR: Housing developers who advertise their projects in newspapers without permits from the National Housing Department (NHD) risk facing legal action.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heungsaid he recently discovered that private developers were advertising their housing projects without the necessary permits.

“There are developers who have received notices from the ministry for breaching the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Act 1966 by not applying for the permits. If they are found guilty, they face a maximum fine of RM250,000.

“So far, no one has been fined,” he said after handing over keys to house owners of the revived housing project of Taman Sri Derga Fasa III here yesterday.

Chor also urged newspapers to be more careful and verify permits with the developers before accepting the advertisement.

He said Taman Sri Derga was the 113th out of the 178 abandoned projects in the country since 2009 which had been successfully revived by NHD.

Chor, who is Alor Setar MP, also said that of the 11 abandoned private housing projects in Kedah, six had been revived by NHD.

The rest were under rehabilitation status.

He encouraged developers to implement the build-and-sell concept by starting with small projects involving about 10 to 20 units of houses.

Earlier, Chor attended a briefing on Duties and Responsibilities for Licensed Housing Developers Northern Region organised by the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia Kedah/Perlis branch.

In his opening speech, he said the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Act 1966, which was approved by Parliament last year, was expected to be implemented early next year.

He also urged developers to be more responsible when undertaking housing projects as legal action would be taken against those who abandon the projects.

Source: The Star