Being a Malaysian, renovating your home is a rite of passage for any homeowner. Be it expanding your kitchen or re-tiling your car porch, we all have the architect in us to make our homes scream our personality.
Taking to Facebook, one netizen advises Malaysians to re-think their strategy of renovating their home. In his Facebook status Ahmadkhairul Sabirin writes, “When we perform illegal renovations, it is common to hear that proper documentation is not done due to its high cost and tedious process.”
“This does not include contractors egging you on to add a pool instead of paying documentation fees. Are you willing to take that risk?”
He adds that there are many reasons you should not renovate your home without proper documentation. The reasons include:
- It is harder to sell your house or your house will diminish in value over time. “When renovations are performed without permits and when you want to sell the house, the process becomes harder. Banks will question why the floor plan in the original agreement that differs from the new floor plan does not have the authorisation of the local municipal council. “Banks cannot place a value on illegal construction such as home renovations that were done without proper documentation.”
- You may face compounds from the local municipal council. “Compounds are not set in stone. It is slapped on to you based on the area you are renovating, which could creep up to thousands in value.”“If you think that paying a compound is the end of the road, you are wrong. After paying the compound, you are required to resubmit proper documentation which also includes an architect fee. Why not do it earlier on and save the hassle?”
- Structure may get demolished. “Local municipal councils may demolish any illegal structures. There are also instances where the local municipal council will file a court case to obtain authorisation and demolish a home they find, is done without proper documentation.”
- Encumbrance. “There are cases where homes without proper documentation are barred from entry by the local municipal council.”
- Void of insurance coverage. “Insurance providers will refuse coverage to homes that are renovated without proper documentation. Once I was put in charge of a renovation project that was burned to the ground.”“The inspection was very thorough, and the first they asked was whether the project had proper authorisation.”
- New owners will bear the burden. “For new homeowners, do not be shocked if one day the local municipal comes and slap you with a fine. It seems cruel but that is how things go.”“It is up to us to check all renovations made and ensure that documentations are in place.”
Truthfully, now that we think of it, renovations are simply not worth it sometimes. Safety concerns are among the main roadblocks as to why a construction needs proper documentation and authorisation.
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