14 abandoned housing projects worth RM574.79mil restored in two years

KUALA LUMPUR: 14 abandoned private housing projects with a combined gross development value of RM574.79 million have been restored or completed in the past two years, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming told the Dewan Rakyat.

Nga, in a written reply, said the projects, which involved 1,901 homes, were addressed under the purview of a task force set up in 2022 to tackle sick, delayed, and abandoned private housing developments.

"This success reflects the effectiveness of the current policy.

"The ministry is committed to enhancing it further to achieve the goal of zero sick housing projects by 2030," he said.

Nga was responding to Abdul Khalib Abdullah (PN-Rompin), who asked if existing policies and laws were sufficient to address the issue of abandoned housing projects.

He said that a housing project is classified as abandoned if it is not completed within the timeline specified in the sale and purchase agreement and if construction work has stalled for six consecutive months.

Additionally, projects may be declared abandoned by the minister under the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Act 1966 (Act 118).

Meanwhile, Nga said the ministry is refining Act 118 as part of a long-term strategy to prevent housing projects from becoming "sick" and subsequently abandoned.

Proposed amendments to the Act include blacklisting developers and their board of directors to prevent them from leaving the country, he added.