by eugene maha lingam, royce tan, gan pei ling, adrian cha n, jo timbuong
KUALA LUMPUR: Following a landmark court decision compelling late delivery compensation to house buyers, the Government gave its reasons for approving time extensions to developers.
Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar cited natural disasters such as landslides and floods as among the main reasons why developers were given extra time to complete housing projects.
Other factors included the developer being sued or issued stop-work orders, and even complaints by neighbours, he added.
“But it is not easy to get a time extension,” Noh told reporters after launching a Youth Outreach Expo organised by MIC Youth here yesterday.
The High Court ruled on Monday that the Housing Controller had no power to grant an extension of time to developers who had delayed the completion of housing projects without compensating buyers.
The judge held that the regulation, which empowered the Controller to modify terms of the contract of sale was ultra vires of the Housing Development, Control and Licensing Act.
The judge allowed the application for judicial review by 71 buyers of the Sri Istana condominiums in Jalan Klang Lama against the Housing Controller as well as the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister.
Noh said the ruling would be studied by his ministry before deciding the next course of action, adding that he would await the written judgment.
“I must know the facts of the case. I have asked my officers to brief me,” he added.
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