Wednesday August 18, 2010
Landlords pay for tenants’ debts
By SHERYL CHIENG
newsdesk@thestar.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: Landlords are now saddled with problems caused by tenants who borrow money from Ah Longs and disappear, said MCA Complaints Bureau chief Datuk Michael Chong.
There have been 32 such cases this year, where Ah Longs turning on landlords and vandalising the premises instead of chasing after the guilty tenants.
“In four of these cases, landlords who removed their tenants’ belongings faced police reports and demands for compensation.
“These landlords not only had to compensate the tenants, they spent a few days in the lockup,” he told a press conference at Wisma MCA yesterday.
In order to remove a tenant’s belongings, Chong said, landlords required a court order which could take six months and cost up to a few thousand ringgit.
One of those affected is Chow Keen Seng who rented a unit of his three-storey shoplot to a tailor named Pong.
Pong disappeared in May, having locked the unit with her belongings inside, and the 28-year-old supervisor has been plagued by Ah Longs showing up at his doorstep ever since.
These Ah Longs had vandalised Chow’s shoplot, smashed pipes and pasted messages with “liar” or “con woman” all over the premises.
Chow appealed to the Ah Longs to look for Pong and not trouble Chow as he was not responsible for her debt.
Chong advised landlords not to enter their rented premises without a court order as they could be arrested for trespassing.
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