Selangor is grappling with a substantial property management crisis. According to state officials, 310 strata schemes across the district—representing approximately 35,817 residential units—currently operate without either a joint management body (JMB) or management corporation (MC). The situation underscores a persistent challenge in residential governance that directly affects the quality of life and property values for tens of thousands of homeowners in Malaysia's most developed state.

Datuk Borhan Aman Shah, who chairs the Selangor housing and culture committee, attributed this widespread administrative vacuum primarily to three interconnected failures within the residential property sector. First, strata schemes struggle with chronically poor maintenance fee collection rates, which create financial constraints that prevent the establishment and functioning of proper management structures. Second, weak governance practices and insufficient accountability mechanisms within existing building committees have eroded confidence in collective management. Third, and perhaps most fundamentally, many property owners lack both awareness of their responsibilities and the motivation to engage actively in safeguarding common facilities and shared spaces. This apathy, Borhan suggested, reflects a broader cultural challenge within Malaysia's condominium and apartment sector.

The scale of the problem becomes apparent when considering that these 310 schemes represent only a portion of Selangor's total strata-titled properties. Many such schemes likely suffer from deteriorating common areas, deferred maintenance of critical infrastructure, and disputes among residents that go unresolved due to the absence of formal governance structures. Building lobbies, lift systems, electrical installations, and water supply infrastructure in these units may be operating without coordinated upkeep, creating safety risks and contributing to accelerated depreciation of property values.

To address the systemic nature of this challenge, Selangor's state government has committed to a comprehensive, long-term strengthening of enforcement under the Strata Management Act 2013. This legal framework provides the foundational authority for establishing and regulating JMBs and MCs, yet its implementation has clearly faltered in a significant number of cases. The state's renewed focus signals recognition that regulatory tools alone cannot solve the problem without complementary capacity-building and cultural change among property owners and building management practitioners.

A cornerstone of the state's response involves enhancing the competency of existing JMBs and MCs through structured training programmes, professional courses, and facilitated engagement sessions. By improving financial management literacy among committee members and office-bearers, the state hopes to reverse the cycle of poor fee collection and financial mismanagement that has discouraged property owners from establishing formal bodies. Many residential communities in Malaysia have found that transparent budgeting, professionally-presented accounts, and demonstrable improvements in building conditions can dramatically improve payment rates and owner participation.

Beyond capacity-building, the state intends to launch targeted awareness campaigns designed to educate homeowners about their legal rights, obligations, and the tangible benefits of functioning management bodies. Many owners remain unaware that the SMA 2013 establishes their entitlement to demand formation of a JMB or MC, or that professional management directly correlates with property appreciation and resident satisfaction. The state will also introduce a star-rating system for strata schemes, creating a competitive incentive for buildings to improve their management standards. Such transparent rankings, if properly publicised, can motivate building committees and spur owners to participate more actively.

During the state assembly sitting at Bangunan Dewan Negeri Selangor in Shah Alam on August 12, Rajiv Rishyakaran from the Bukit Gasing constituency pressed authorities to clarify why the Commissioner of Buildings (COB) has not wielded statutory powers to appoint professional property managers to oversee problematic schemes. Under the SMA 2013, COBs possess authority to intervene in cases where buildings cannot self-organise, yet this power appears underutilised.

Borhan acknowledged that several schemes remain in limbo due to disputes with developers over handover procedures and lingering conflicts among residents—situations where COB intervention becomes necessary. Rather than leaving these buildings in administrative darkness, appointing qualified professional agents could ensure continuity of essential services and establish frameworks for resolving underlying disputes. Such intervention, however, requires clear protocols and adequate resources from the COB's office, factors that may have constrained deployment of this tool.

The state government has established an action committee to develop coordinated solutions to the management crisis. This multi-stakeholder approach recognises that no single lever—whether stricter enforcement, better training, or professional intervention—will resolve the problem uniformly across all 310 schemes. Each building brings unique complications: some may require developer accountability, others demand mediation between factions of owners, and still others simply need foundational guidance on forming their first JMB.

For Malaysian property owners and prospective buyers, the Selangor situation carries important lessons. A building's governance structure fundamentally determines its long-term maintenance, resident satisfaction, and property value trajectory. Purchasing a unit without first investigating whether the scheme has an active JMB or MC, and whether that body commands owner support and maintains transparent finances, represents a substantial risk. The existence of these governance gaps in a developed state like Selangor suggests that similar challenges likely exist throughout Malaysia's other states, raising questions about how enforcement and property management standards compare across the country.

The state's commitment to strengthen implementation of the SMA 2013, coupled with practical capacity-building and incentive mechanisms, reflects a mature understanding that building governance failures stem not merely from legal gaps but from inadequate training, weak owner engagement, and insufficient transparency. Successfully addressing this crisis could provide a model for other states confronting similar challenges in their strata scheme portfolios.