Shawn's Property Magazine

19/06/2020

2 Bedroom / 2 Bathrooms
Corner Unit with Large Balcony
Great Views of Bangsar and KLCC
Very High Floor with high end White Goods
5star condominium facilities with Gym, Infinity Pool, a Pool Room, Reading Room and more
Walking distance to Bangsar LRT
Easy Access to SoCar/GoCar and public transportation
Ideal for small sized families

With amazing and unobstructed views from a high floor, this corner unit overlooks the North West and North East with spectacular views of Bangsar and parts of KLCC and intermittent green lungs in between.

This unit is brand new and has not been tenanted before. Fully Furnished by the owner for intended own stay, this unit has a touch of home with quality furniture and furnishing.

On arrival at Nadi Bangsar, you are greeted with a water feature with an open waiting areas that is cool, breezy and somewhat fresh. The secured well decorated air-conditioned lobby is manned by a concierge throughout the day to assist and facilitate residents and guests alike. Whereby in the evenings, Concierge is manned by Security keeping security tight.

With walking distance to Bangsar LRT, Bangsar Village I & II, Jalan Telawi, and Lucky Garden, this property is in quick vicinity of public services, all sorts of amenities, and restaurants (from casual to fine dining). Further away there's Pantai Hospital, KL Sentral, Mid Valley Shopping Mall, schools, and even Bangsar Shopping Center in a five kilometer radius.

Nadi Bangsar itself features LJ Superfoods, an all day restaurant owned by the La Juiceria Group that specialises in healthy and organic foods that are affordable and strictly delicious.

Another feature of Nadi Bangsar is the current availability of SoCar ~ the app driven car rental program by the hour or day by the lobby, allowing a quick getaway to a distant place or not serviced by public transportation.

Other facilities include:
Sky garden
Jogging track
Sky gymnasium
Function room
Common gourmet kitchen
Swimming pool
Retail area
Covered parking
24-hour security
Playground
Games room
Laundrette
BBQ area

Nadi Bangsar literally translates to "the pulse of Bangsar", and Bangsar is in the heart of the Klang Valley with KL to its East and Petaling Jaya, Kelana Jaya, Subang Jaya, Shah Alam, and Klang to it's West.

25/10/2017

Q: I wonder if anyone could advise me on a lawyer to represent my interests in a small dispute over a defect in a unit? Or a contractor who is able to inspect a unit for building flaws that could have resulted in visible defects?
I live in a unit that has had countless problems due to shoddy construction and cheap materials. A crack has appeared in whatever this cheap plastic is that they've used for the kitchen counter top. There is a long, straight seam, that is obviously where they did a miserable job of connecting two pieces. From that seam, there is a deep crack that runs from the seam to the sink.
I immediately informed the property management agency as I soon as I noticed it in an attempt to help the landlord avoid an expensive repair. After sending out a contractor, they're now telling me that *I'm* to blame for it and am therefore responsible for replacing the counter top. They've accused me of standing and jumping on the counters which is absolutely ridiculous and is something I have not done and would have no reason to do. There is a clause in my contract that I am not responsible for repairs that are the result of "normal use". Considering that I have done nothing out of the ordinary in that area, I feel that this should be covered by that clause.
I've decided that, as it appears I'm going to lose the money either way at this point, I'd rather use it paying a lawyer to make these peoples' theft of money as difficult as possible than to spend it paying for an obvious defect that I know I am not responsible for having created. Any suggestions on how to proceed?
Thanks in advance!

Shawn: Hi Jonathan Neal, before things get stressful for you, just note that you are protected by this situation in so many ways because you are only a tenant and not the owner. Let me give you a different perspective so that you get to see a full 360 in resolving this situation.

It is always a landlord's prerogative to be informed of issues by the tenant and for the landlord to deal with it with the developer or management. The management is not responsible for the defects, it is the developer. The role of the management is to advise you and protect you of your interest. Should you feel that the management is acting irrationally or unprofessionally, find out their license number and make a personal case to their licensing authority. I am a licensed property agent and am governed by my board specifically for my type of work. However, property management agencies has two different boards so check which license they hold. And take it from there. Lawyers are not required unless this matter has hit the fan.

Also note that if in new buildings, a property management company may not have been established, and that role might be the developer. In this sense, I can better see why they are off loading the blame onto the tenant. In this scenario, again, the tenant is not responsible for anything that is within fair wear and tear, and most often outside abnormal circumstances. Remember this is not abnormal use, but abnormal circumstances. So for example if there was a counter top that is new and cracks appear, that could be worrying for the occupant, but if there are cracks on the wall, and a long list of other defects, this is a list of shoddy workmanship, that needs to be cataloged with dates, photos and a description. Your duty is to keep the landlord informed, and it is them to take legal recourse. You need not engage a contractor, as it is the prerogative of the Landlord.

Technically speaking, a tenant has no right of property, only use of property. So you may not even have locus standi for engaging a legal pursuit towards a developer or property manager, but only to your landlord whom you have a contract with. And that too for specific reasons, ie: quiet enjoyment, defects and rectification, and, security and access. If you have done your part, and the Landlord does not take action, then they have no right to withhold your deposits or blame your for it.

I hope this helps you. If you need more information or advise, just click on the message button below. If you have found this to be helpful, please like both the page (by clicking like above) and this article separately, thank you

26/09/2017

Q: Good Afternoon to everyone. We just arrived in KL and have to start finding our feet. Firstly we need to get local mobile numbers. I’m looking for advice on the best telephone companies for Pre-Paid and Post Paid services, which ones offer the best internet coverage and which ones to avoid? Any advice will be appreciate. TIA

Shawn: I take a different viewpoint. In our business we subscribe to 4 celcos (cellular telcos): Maxis, DiGi, Celcom, and U-Mobile. I can definitely tell you that no telco is better in its entirety than the other, but there notable differences between them throughout the country.

My best advice to you is if you are here with a family, get different prepaid cards from different celcos and try them all out. A signal maybe strong, but it may not give you the best call quality. A signal might be weak, but guess what there is less congestion. The fact is, your neighbours, or your work colleagues or your kids classmates may know the better for that area.

Sometimes, when you are in a basement of a mall or a condo, the lines are dead, but maybe just one celco got the contract for that building. So take an example of Seni (Mont Kiara) Maxis is crap throughout, but U-Mobile actually performs better. But next door at Kiaraville, Maxis performs well.

What do you need from a celco? Coverage, Support, Service recovery, affordability, and ... of course a good experience for what you pay and expect in return. So let's talk about that:

Maxis bought a telco a decade ago which has coverage throughout the North South Expressway (E1), so if you are on the road on that highway, you will get their network best. They are also strong in urban areas because they built their base stations very early on. So after the acquisition, they become big and a leader in the industry. But they lost the crown just many months ago, and your can blame it squarely on their CEO, who ironically was at a time with DiGi. They have gone from nothing can go wrong to we have got it wrong type of business.

They pride themselves to be a premium provider, but when something is not right, it is a premium not worth paying for. On average, you are paying 30% more than any other celco. Maxis operates on dual bands, and on post paid, prone to billing errors. Their prepaid Hotlink operates just the same, but again, at a premium. They have a good distribution of service centers, and many of them speak English well. But don't expect them to be best in service, as much as best in mis-advertising. They make things sound cheap, but frankly, they are not. In terms of ethics, they are questionable. As an example: we received a notice earlier this year, that they were revising their rates upward by RM28 per line and went ahead before we found out about it. Not much to some, but if you are keeping a lid on expenses, you need two eyes on Maxis! Our accounts with Maxis dates back as early at 1996.

DiGi on the other hand is more transparent, in terms of billing, ethics, pricing, and discounts. In 20 years of using them, we only had 1 issue with them when they terminated the wrong line. They are efficient at service centres. They call centers are less efficient than Maxis. They also speak English well. But they are rigid, and cannot resolve issues without going by the book. They are not cheap, but they are cheaper than Maxis. They now have 4G and now operate on multi-bands. DiGi is not my preferred service provider, because where we live and operate, they don't have the best network. But it is difficult to find faults in them. Pre-paid packages do have free calls to call groups.

(If you ever have a chance to compare the service centers of Maxis ~ which is always full of people, and DiGi ~ which is always quite empty or lesser comparison, you will realise that people generally have less issues with DiGi, not because Maxis is more popular!).

Celcom is the oldest hat, and have been around since the 80s. They have great coverage, urban and rural. Their service centers and call centers are poor in terms of training or communication. Great product, good pricing, but when you have an issue, you will pull your hairs out. But they are fair, because what you pay for is compromised and inefficient service, that people don't complain on Celcom, because the just expected them to be. Their modus operandi and playbook are more ethical than Maxis, and less rigid than DiGi. Their products appear less sexy, like K-Mart, so many find them lacking creativity in true product innovation, no matter how much they advertise themselves as innovators. However, they are a trend if not a pace setter in the celco industry. The minute they know they are slipping in market share or revenue, out comes a new product that is actually quite affordable and transparent. They always seem to have this fear of losing customers, because frankly, their back end systems are not well trained no matter how organised they are.

U-Mobile, till April this year was my preferred operator. Then they hiked their rates so as not to be seen undercutting, though I suspect an agreement was made to stabilize the crazy in 2016. They now are on their own, and not dependent on Maxis infrastructure. They are cheapest for Data, but now not necessarily cheap enough for an upcoming underdog network. If you had an old plan, it was golden. If you want to tweak the old plans you cannot but re-subscribe to their current new plans that is no different to what others now afford. They still have a good package for roaming, and that is worth checking it out, as you will use other networks.At least this is an operator that actually honest to say they are cheap because they are a young telco and still building up our base stations, so please bear with them. Their customer service is pleasant, but frankly the worse of them all. Communication or English is not really the issue. They hire fresh grads or those who seriously do not understand the concept of customer service. To be fair, in my experience they have always performed better than expected, no matter how dismal their service has been. They have been progressive innovators and highly respected disruptors to the industry. The underdog is leading change!

Yes mobile is a telco that is neither here nor there. Many will find it crap, unless you actually run a call center yourself, you will find their systems cost efficient; or when roaming, you will find them to be most practical. Very savvy in terms of marketing and sales, but in terms of product, they run their networks on a more limited band. They are famous for free wifi on the ERL (KLIA Express), because they also own that rail line. But who needs to subscribe to them when the wifi is actually free.They are so caught up with marketing, they have forgotten innovation. They wanted to be a game changer, but sadly U-Mobile did it.

Celcom also supports (like a wholesaler to) many other Tier 2 celcos not listed here that are usually niche market segment of clients that often pride on being cheaper. Worth the visit because if say Celcom is good in your area, then Tune and others are just as good, but cheaper, just as reliable. Different respective call centers, but they are not the big boys, so they have other limitations in being innovative.

Now with that overview, you can understand why it is not easy to pick the perfect celco partner. So it is a matter of trial and error, and depending on your footprint, your coverage may vary. Here are other reasons why you will find your selection confusing:

#1 In Malaysia, celcos own their own base stations, sometimes they are shared, and sometimes they are leased from other non-celcos. You may find yourself near a base station and that celco gives you a better reception, and at work it may be another celco.

#2 All of this utterly redundant, if your focus is on international calls, or for data calls. For International calls, calling cards are cheapest, and with dual sim phones, choosing how you call out of country is made easiest. A network signal strength is not necessarily a deciding factor to best pick which network data calls. Sometimes, switching from 4G to 3G might enhance signal strength depending on network congestion.

#3 Maxis, Celcom/Axiata, DiGi and U-Mobile are not just local domestic players, but part of their respective regional conglomerate that operate in Asia highly successfully. These are home grown corporates, so you would expect the better out of them.

#4 With Maxis, Digi, Celcom having extremely large market shares of millions of subscribers that rival each other closely, and now with U-Mobile catching up fast, you can understand that millions of people in Malaysia cannot be wrong in choosing one celco over the other and maintained their loyalty for years, if not decades. Celcos have a very high pe*******on rate in Malaysia, and there are more subscribers than the population itself. This is a market that has had cellular communications since 1983, and at one time had more than 8 major celcos with their own infrastructure. This is a mature if not saturated market place. The only difference here on forward is price. Everything else is never going to be the same.

So to wrap it up, buy a few prepaids and try them all out, and see which suits you before deciding which plan to go for. If you need to message me in private, click the message button below!

07/09/2017

Question: Are lease renewal fees to be paid by the tenant or by the owner? There are no mention of any lease renewal fees in my initial rental agreement but now owner's agent is requesting me to pay them. Can anyone confirm this is the way it's done here? And how much are these usual fees? Are they just the official stamping of the agreement or an agent''s commission too? Thanks in advance

Shawn: Hi Nathalie, I am a certified realtor here and you need to ask that agent to clarify "renewal fees". Is this a lease or a tenancy in question, and in Malaysia these are two different documents and different in the governing law. We assume here it is a tenancy (and not use the word lease to avoid confusion) and where the renewal process is the when the initial period comes to an end and you have an option to renew for a further term as provided in the tenancy agreement. The "renewal fees" needs to be clarified as does it mean (1) the intention to stamp again the renewed term? or (2) the preparation of a new document for a new term? or the collection of commission for the renewed or new term. That agent's English maybe poor, and as such gives rise to confusion.

Nonetheless, if it is renewed term meaning you have completed the first period, and now have an option into the renewed period, and that agent intends to collect fees to stamp the renewed term, then it is the right thing to do to protect your interest and therefore, you ought to pay those fees. The stamping fees would be the same as the first year, if the rent does not change. The stamping fee will increase or decrease depending on whether the rent in the renewed term has increased or decrease. Remember a tenancy agreement is a contractual document to ascertain rights of a Tenant occupying a premises for a period less than 3 years and therefore are not automatically protected under the National Land Code of the country. That is why most often Landlord's don't bother in requesting a Tenancy Agreement to be stamped during the renewed period. It makes no difference to them. But the tax authority puts burden on you to inform them of the renewal so that they know what the Landlord's obligation to tax.

In the second scenario, a new document is being prepared because you have completed your first period, and the extended period, and you have no options left to renew for a further period, then if you are being asked to pay for documentation and stamping fee, then it is a fair request. However, you can ask for the documentation side to be a token sum of RM50, as it is just a reprint of the same terms, but the stamping fee will be the same as the original stamping fee from the first document. More about documentation fee, please read another thread below.

However, if this is a request to make you pay for the commission on renewal of tenancy, then the agent in question has acted in bad faith, as the market practice is the Landlord/Vendor pays for all commissions, unless of an exceptional circumstance where it is shared. Their fees to the agent would be 50% + 6% GST of the value of 1 month's rent (as discussed in the article you read on propwall). But if the agent is asking you to forward them the first month's rent of the renewed term, then that is fair, as they can make the deductions for their professional fees as provisioned by our governing board and issue a payment to the Landlord for the remaining sum. As far as you are concerned you will have paid rent for that month.

I hope this helps you understand the position that is in front of you. If you have a private query, or any feedback, please message me directly!

03/09/2017

Worth a read!

2016-07-19 18:40:36 With rising property prices, many can only afford to rent a place to stay in nowadays.

29/08/2017

Question: Entitlement to withhold/set-off rent.
Have had an AIRCON issue now for three weeks. At first had a service man come in and check issue which landlord accussed him of causing the problem so serviceman walked out. Landlord stated he will get someone that he trusts and is professional in, which he did. Second serviceman also stated same issue as first guy. Landlord refused to accept second serviceman advice so ask to get a third opinion. Third serviceman has come in and also stated same issue which Landlord owner needs to think about before making a final decision as it will require three holes in the roof and lay new cooling pipe it. As this has now gone on for three weeks can I withhold rent until he decides to fix it. Aircon is in an area of the 3 year old apartment that does get used everyday. With a 6 month old becoming an issue. Think he and his wife are trying to get property developers involved as will cost a few thousand RM too fix.

Shawn: Generally speaking it would be a breach of tenancy if you withhold rent, as per your contractual obligations. Also to withhold their entire income for the unit for 1 air conditioning problem maybe out of proportion and that is why in arbitration, you will not prevail.

Your landlord ought to just compensate you for the inconvenience of that matter. That is what you and them ought to discuss what would deem to be appropriate.

Most landlords are not exposed to these issues regularly, so it is a learning and ex*****on curve for them. He maybe worried that after spending X amount of RM into rectification, that there maybe further issues or unforeseen consequential issues that may arise, and chances whoever they pick to resolve the first issue, may not be there to do it.

Liaising with the developers is a smart move, to ensure electrical, plumbing and other services that transgress the area of modification are not interrupted or damaged.

Building Management also ought to be consulted. Meantime, it would also be wise for him to rent a portable cooler/aircon for your convenience, because haste on this type of issues may not be to either their advantage or yours.

At least the landlords are already there trying to do something. Only time will tell if they were right, or wrong.

However, if this was an issue about mold or an issue that makes a dwelling in habitable, then you have cause to withhold rent!

29/08/2017

Question: I'm looking for recommendations for home insurance. The company we priced so far wants the original receipts for the items we wish to insure. Is that normal?

Shawn: the fact that they want original receipts is a good thing, and means that they will insure specific items which is a normal and is a better type of insurance to have if those specific items outweigh in terms of emotional, financial, and replacement value. Those type of insurers will be very specific in your needs, so don't feel that is out of the ordinary, in fact it is an efficient way of insuring your property. Having the receipts indicate the replacement value and the existence of your insured items.

High street home insurance like the ones found at banks and very cheap generally cover break-ins, floods, and unusual circumstances don't necessarily have great coverage, but typically covers the inconvenience of property theft, loss or damage. Remember this type of insurance is general purpose for home contents, and not to be mixed up with homeowner's insurance, where fire and special perils are included. This may not be efficient way for you, but it is a convenient type of insurance but have caps on their payouts.

Where an appraiser/adjuster comes to value the items, is always best, because once the item is sighted, valued and recorded into the list of items, means there is no doubt on the market value of your insured items, and you need to clarify is the payout full on market value, or a percentage of that value, like you do with car insurance.

There is also a term that is used here known as approved value, whereby the insurance firm has that particular item on their database, and will pay at full or percentage of their list value irrespective of the market value. They could be near replacement value, but generally higher than the market value, and of course the premium would be marginally higher. With an appraiser/adjuster, you can negotiate with them if you find they have under/over valued an item so that you have a healthy coverage at your budget.

Let me know if you have further questions!

22/08/2017

Question: We are planning to switch over to Time internet and ideally we want to set up a direct debit and to avoid paying the 500rm non Malaysian deposit... to do this on the website it wants a photo of our credit card and the photo page of my husbands passport along with a signed form. Any way to avoid this?? That kind of sounds like inviting them to empty out our bank account and max out our credit cards 😂

Shawn: Unfortunately, in this country, there is no way around it. The bank's won't accept direct debit instructions without a consent form and a photo ID attached to it. In fact, you will need to get used to this for any banking or payment instruction.

The good news is no one can actually max out your credit card, unless there was a billing mistake. And since all the billing activities are outsourced and automated, no one actually knows what you are billed except for you, and mistakes happen only when there is an unintentional human error, like change of service or change of address, or this or that.

There is a limit to the direct debit amounts. It used to be RM1000, but now I am unsure with the new rules and regulations, as they have become more stringent. Banks will ask the vendor what is the maximum a payee is expected to pay in a month and then multiply that by 2.5. Anything more, usually has to be authorised manually and not pre-authorised instruction.

Where privacy and security matters is when you sign up with these mobile booths, and not at the stores. Ensure that your photocopies are rubber stamped across the documentation, as no bank or agency will except documentation that has another vendor's rubber stamp. Everyone has to abide by the PDPA laws. Unfortunately, there are some who will like to sell name, telephone number and addresses for a quick buck to seedy agencies who sell data to tele-marketing firms. The photocopy passports, will be worthless, because of that rubber stamp, and banks won't authorise with proof of real actual ID.

There are some who would steal credit card details to buy things off the net. Unfortunately, you can't get a way from this trend, but fortunately, you are also safe from it. With a Malaysian credit card, you are protected from fraud, theft, or false use should you report it within a reasonable time. At maximum you are liable for RM250 for some reason you are found negligent.

So, the world of commerce continues nonetheless, irrespective of what happens to our data...!

22/08/2017

Dear Readers, our listings for residential properties are now over 200+ and spread across Peninsula Malaysia. We get a lot of requests for pictures and location, and unfortunately, we have had to stop this practice as there have been instances of other agents who have used them to market to unsuspecting clients.

As such, our property magazine would focus more on issues, and Q&As to assist in informing clients and other agents on how to better the industry on these areas.

If you have any enquiries for purchase or rental of property, please use the message button or the Get Quote button to let us know what you require. We will search into our listings and revert with a proposal. Thank you for your understanding!

22/08/2017

Question: Hello everyone, I'm leaving Kuala Lumpur soon and would like to register a power of attorney to give power to a friend to sell the things I still have here (apartment, car, etc) on my behalf. Where I have to go for this? fastest way please? I'm in Bukit Bintang/KLCC area. Thanks.
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Shawn: Hi Sergio, I am under the impression that a PoA ought to be prepared by a competent lawyer. So I would assume you ought to be looking for a law firm, and there are hundreds in the city to choose from, as this is a simple document.

The reason I would suggest a lawyer, is because you ought to have a Limited PoA for the very specific items that need to be executed in your absence as opposed to a General PoA which may not be advisable.

JPJ used to have a template for vehicle transfer, but you should check the rules specifically for foreigners since the new biometrics requirement were implemented in view of a PoA.

Looking to see developments in this thread, cheers!
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Sergio: Hello Shawn, thank you very much for your valuable and detailed comment. I have called a lawyer firm in Menara Boustead to ask about the details and the cost. I was shocked when they told me that it depends on the price of my property 😳 he said let me check with my partner and call you back. The he called me and the price it's "2500RM like that" is this consider normal? For me this is a robbery! For that price, I can flight in and sign myself. What should be a reasonable price please? Knowing that is just a property and possibly a car to established in the power of attorney. I really appreciate your feedback.
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Shawn: Sergio, unfortunately, I am not in authority to estimate the value of such documentation, but I am competent to advise as follows: If you PoA (limited or otherwise) deals with bank and/or the transfer of property, then that lawyer must be extremely competent in the various financial regulations and banking laws, and in the case of property conveyancing the National Land Code of Malaysia, otherwise your transaction may be nullified.

In most cases, the PoA is intended for the pro-longed absence of the first person, and is always seen a necessity and its cost to be a dime considering the value of any such property. And yes, lawyers have to follow a scale of fees as their industry is highly regulated to legitimise it.

In my opinion, if you can make yourself available for any of the transactions, specifically (real) property, then you probably only need to make 1 trip for that transaction, and to be here in Malaysia to sign the various paperwork is preferred. Because thereafter, leaving written instructions to lawyers to follow through is essentially having a limited PoA without the document.

As for the car, frankly, look for a car agent to source the best price for you from a dealer. You need to take a discount and that is usually RM5k-8k less than you will see that car back in the market. An agent will bring the dealer and the laptop with biometric scanner to your place and do the necessary transfer, with a banker's draft at hand.

Anyways, in your PM, I have forwarded you a lawyer I met today who unfortunately/fortunately a highly paid top litigator in town, he says basic PoA document starts about RM1500, but it depends on the instructions. I will also forward you of a car agent who 2 years ago had shortlisted dealers to view my pickup and make me a fair offer.

Hope all of this helps, and good luck!