KUALA LUMPUR – A 65-year-old retiree is caught in a frustrating ordeal involving his newly purchased apartment in Cyberjaya.
Thavarasa Navaratnam, a former banker, bought a three-bedroom unit in Block J of Mutiara Ville for RM300,000 at a public auction on January 8, intending it for his son, Harinthiran.
But since April 14, he has been unable to take possession of the property because it is being illegally occupied by a family from Kelantan.
Despite lodging complaints with the joint management body (JMB) and the Sepang Commissioner of Buildings (COB), Thavarasa said no effective action has been taken to resolve the matter.
“We were shocked,” he told Scoop.
“A family was already inside. Their car was parked in our lot, but they didn’t have a valid access card.”
“We asked the management to clamp the car, but they did nothing.”
The JMB later told Thavarasa that the family had a valid tenancy agreement, but when asked for proof, they were unable to produce any documentation.
Thavarasa said the man initially agreed to leave by the end of April, but later demanded RM1,100 in compensation.
“Why should I pay someone who’s illegally staying in my home?” he said.
“Now I have to spend thousands on legal fees just to get him out.”
He has since escalated the matter to COB Sepang and the Local Government Development Ministry (KPKT), but said no enforcement action has followed.
“COB is the authority under the Strata Management Act. They should have done a surprise inspection or at least opened an investigation,” he said.
“Instead, I’ve been ignored. Calls, emails, WhatsApp – no response at all.”
He continues to pay RM330 a month in maintenance fees for the apartment, despite never having lived there. He also suspects the illegal occupants may be using a cloned access card – raising concerns about overall building security.
“Management told us the previous owner hadn’t paid fees in three years and their access card had been deactivated, so how is this family entering and exiting freely? Something is not right.”
Other residents have voiced similar concerns online, with Google reviews describing poor access control and unresponsive management.
Security concerns at Mutiara Ville escalated further after the murder of 20-year-old physiotherapy student Maniishapriet Kaur Akhara, whose body was found in Block A on June 24.
Police later revealed that many CCTV cameras were not functioning, hampering the investigation.
Three suspects aged 19 to 20 have since been arrested.
“If COB had investigated my complaint in April, they would have found the broken CCTVs, illegal occupants, and lax security,” Thavarasa said.
“The warning signs were already there.”
The Strata Management Act 2013 tasks COB with supervising JMBs, addressing owner complaints, and ensuring the safe, lawful operation of strata properties.
But Thavarasa believes the system has let him down.
“Why should owners be left to fend for themselves while still paying fees?
If this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.”
He now faces the prospect of spending RM15,000 to RM20,000 in legal costs to evict the illegal tenant – a situation he insists was entirely avoidable.
Scoop has reached out to Mutiara Ville’s management for comment and will update this article when a response is received. – July 6, 2025