Avoid middlemen

Residential house owners keen on constructing extensions should stop going through middlemen to get their plans approved, Seberang Prai Municipal Council president Farizan Darus said.

He said the owners should deal directly with the council to avoid paying large amounts of money to the middlemen.

“Just get a copy of our Housing Scheme Extensions Guidebook and pick the type of extension that you want to do.

“The book contains pre-approved plans that you can select and include in your application form, together with your premises layout plan,” he said.

The council would process the application forms in less than seven days at a fee of RM200.

Farizan said many house owners often engaged middlemen to submit extension plans and applications, as they were ignorant about the council’s procedures and processes.

He said the guidebook, which was exclusive to each house owner, would be returned to the applicant once his or her application was approved.

However, he said, the guidebook was only meant for small-scale renovations and extensions, noting that separate applications were needed for those keen on constructing two-storey high renovations.

He noted that there were many house owners who completed their extensions first and later sought the help of middlemen to get their plans approved.

“Those who carry out illegal renovations or extensions, would have their illegal structures demolished and their renovation materials confiscated, besides being slapped with a compound fine,” he said.

Farizan, however, advised those who had constructed their extensions illegally, to submit necessary applications to the council immediately for consideration.

“We will give due consideration to process such applications via a fast track approach to avoid enforcement against their completed structures,” he said.

He said warning notices were recently sent to 10 house owners in Seberang Prai for carrying out illegal extensions on their units without approval.

By DERRICK VINESH (The Star)

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