BE Lim KL MAH chairman
The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH KL) Kuala Lumpur lauds the action of the various joint management bodies and committees in upholding their roles to regulate by-laws of residential condominiums as provided under Section 32(3) of the Strata Management Act 2013.
MAH KL fully supports such actions and hopes that more and more of residential condominium management bodies in Kuala Lumpur will regulate short term rental accommodation (STRA) in their by-laws.
As recently reported by a leading daily news portal dated November 5, 2023 titled ‘Guests’ of condo units in Ipoh left in the lurch as management bans short-term rentals”, “ JMBs of many residential condominiums in various states are doing rightly so in executing their roles in the absence of the long awaited national STRA guideline still under development since 2022 by KPKT and MOTAC. In fact, owners of such units found in breach can be fined by the management under the purview of the Act” said B.E Lim, MAH KL chairman.
He added that “such commendable action by the management reassures peace and allays security concerns of many residents who purchased their units meant to be homes under residential title”
MAH with other hospitality stakeholders maintain that Short Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) must be regulated, registered and licensed to provide a level playing field to all tourist accommodation premises. STRAs do not contribute to the large revenue gap as well as do not collect SST and Ttx (Tourism Tax) much needed for the government plus the underlying serious safety and security risks posed.
Lastly, MAH KL hopes that the National STRA Guideline will be finalized immediately in order to prepare for Visit Malaysia Year 2026 announced by the government. We hope that patrons and tourists that visit KL during VMY 2026 will be able to experience Malaysian hospitality commensurate with quality, regulated and safe accommodations our capital city has to offer.
He also added that many people from Kuala Lumpur often travel to cities like travel to Ipoh on weekends to visit family and friends there.
Tony Wong MAH Perak chairman
In the meantime, Perak MAH chairman, Tony Wong supported the move for some form of regulation on the STRA operators.
“People taking up these short term rentals are prone to safety, cleanliness or to be even fleeced by the operators as they do not meet or even see them.
“As all of the transactions are made online, there is no avenue for patrons to seek to make good or refunds. They do not even pay for the various licenses like the hotels do,” said Wong to Penang Hyperlocal.
In this context, it is noteworthy that the Penang state government has taken the lead to ban all forms of Airbnb in the state.