ON
friday
OCT 11, 2013
byMeera Ammani
The
term ‘Gated and Guarded’ or
G&G often invokes images of an
exclusive enclave of the rich and
famous. A residential havenwith
spacious, expensive houses equipped
with exceptional security features
such as 24-hour patrol services,
guardhouses with sentry guards on the
alert, and gates or high fences at the
entrance of the area with rigid rules
and stringent regulations for entry and
exit systems. Don’t forget the state of
the art CCTV surveillance and even
perimeter fencing with laser detectors
– some prisons even lose out on tight
securitymeasures as this.
While this may be true in some
cases, inMalaysia, G&G developments
are not just catered to the super
wealthy but middle class wage
earners too.
appeal of
G&G developments
These days, it seems near impossible
to flip through the newspaper without
reading a harrowing story about a
robbery or break-in. Crimes are
ubiquitous and people are getting
more cautious andwilling to pay for
their peace of mind. Many property
buyers are specifically seeking out a high
level of security when searching for their
homes. “Guarded and gated developments
have become popular largely due to the
high crime rates,” says ChanWai Seen,
executive director of JS Valuers Research
&Consultancy.
Due to this increasing demand in secure
housing, property developers have to
constantly evolve their builds in order to
keep upwith these buyer’s desires.
Mah Sing Group Berhad is one such
developer catering to this need. Their G&G
townships come with perimeter fencing, a
single ingress and egress point at the
security guardhouse, 24/7 patrol guards,
CCTV systems (some even offeringmotion
detectors) and a smart home relay system to
the guardhouse tomonitor visitors and to
provide security feedback.
Within homes, there is a Smart Home
system apart from the regular home alarm.
There is another point in the smart home
relay system linked to the security
guardhouse, which allows security feedback
andmonitoring of movement within the
township. Mah Sing’s groupmanaging
director and group chief executive, Tan Sri
Dato’ Sri Leong Hoy Kum explains,
“Both locals and foreigners buy
gated and guarded properties in
Malaysia as these developments
afford an extra layer of security.
“In addition to the multi-tiered
security system, purchasers of
gated and guarded residences often
choose such schemes because of a
host of facilities and amenities,
which prior to the passing of the
Strata Title (Amendment) Act
2007, were only commonly found
in condominiums,” he said.
These facilities include central parks and
children’s playgrounds, swimming and
wading pools, clubhouses with gym
facilities, multi-purpose areasor halls,
suraus and amenities such as F&B sections,
shops and other services that meet the daily
needs of the residents.
“Having amenities and facilities located
in a central place within a gated and guarded
community provides convenience to the
residents, who do not have to leave the
enclave. They can get all that they need
within the neighborhood,” Tan Sri adds.
Worth it or not?
G&G developments come with their share
of nay’s and yay’s. More often than not,
there are drastically different views in
regards to them.
A research paper by AsnidaMohd
Suhaimi from the Faculty of Law,
University of Malaya (UM), entitled
‘Divide and conquer: The aggravation of
social segregation by gated communities’,
has highlighted the success of G&G
developments in lowering the crime rate
in several areas when compared to non-
G&G developments in the same area.
However, the paper did also highlight
reports from a small percentage of
respondents that suggested that break-ins
still take place within secure walls,
many of which have been suspected to be
linkedwith security personnel within the
developmentitself. The paper also stated
that these developments were seen by
residents as encouraging a stronger sense of
community. There were also positive
perceptions of safety amongst those living
within their protected perimeters.
Besides this, the research highlighted
the apparent constraints of gated living
that have been found in researches
elsewhere, for example, the lack of
emergency access paths for emergency
services to be rendered.
outlook for
G&G developments
With the booming demand of homes within
G&G neighbourhoods, property developers
have a huge opportunity to benefit from the
ever safety-consciousMalaysian.
The man at the helm at Mah Sing
shares his view on the outlook for G&G
developments. “Gated and guarded
developments come under township
development andwe are selectively
optimistic that landed properties in good
schemes will do well.” He defines good
schemes, as developments that are well-
located, with easy access and amenities or
schemes that are matured. “As a market-
driven developer, landed homes in township
developments, which include gated and
guarded, are very attractive to an emerging
generation of homebuyers and the middle-
class wage earners.”
FIABCIinitialdays
the
prestigious FIABCI Malaysia
Property Awards 2013 is scheduled
for Saturday, Nov 9. A series of
snippets of information on FIABCI
will help you understand the history
and functioning of the esteemed,
globally recognised organisation.
FIABCI is the French acronym which
stands for Federation Internationale des
Administrateurs de Bien-Conseils et Agents
Immobiliers. In simple English, it means
International Real Estate Federation.
Going back in time, the organisation was
founded in 1945 in France. It was called the
French National Federation of Property
Managers (CNAB). Its first president was Pierre
Colleville, who together with his Danish
counterparts, formed the inaugural committee
with the aim to form a global network. Three
years later, the First International Congress of
the Federation was hosted in the presence of
Belgian, Canadian, Swiss, Danish, British and
Dutch delegates. In 1951, the organisation was
officially constituted, bringing together Austria,
Belgium, France and USA. The next few years
saw Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and
Canada acceded into the Federation as
full-fledged members.
In 1956, at the international congress in
Vienna, the organisation was re-named FIABCI.
Although a decision was made to re-name the
Federation in 1964, to the International Real
ADVERTORIAL
Estate Federation, the acronym FIABCI was
retained, due to the global recognition
FIABCI had already attained.
Since 1954, FIABCI has played a
significant role representing the real estate
industry at the United Nations (UN). Till
today, it maintains its Special Consultative
Status with the Economic and Social Council,
and now represents the United Nations
Economic Commissions in all five of its
worldwide regions. In co-operation with the
HABITAT Agenda and the Committee on
Human Settlements, FIABCI addresses
housing, social and environmental issues as
a means of aiding the UN in its efforts to
provide society with optimal solutions for
its needs.
FIABCI Malaysia was established in
1975. Its objective: To foster goodwill and
understanding with international
organisations and promote progress in
developments through better systems,
in the areas of real estate and property
development. Watch our weekly property
column for further insights on FIABCI.
X
X
Please email your queries to us:
Checklist before investing in a guarded and
gated development
X
X
Does it have strata titles or individual titles. The former will be
bound under the Strata Title Act. Although new regulations state
that guarded and gated developments have to have strata titles,
there are projects still offering individual titles.
X
X
Confirm if the G&G has obtained the necessary approvals from
the authorities.
X
X
Check the developer’s track record. The developer’s involvement
in G&G projects is inevitable, especially during the initial completion
period, e.g. engaging the residents, setting up a resident’s committee,
appointing security guards and landscaping companies, etc.
X
X
How much are the maintenance fees. All residents need to contribute
towards the management and maintenance of the common areas within
the G&G area. Per house contributions can be exhorbitant if there are
only a small number of residential units within the G&G area.
X
X
How is the road circulation within the G&G area as well as ease of access
to the main road or highways.
X
X
Features such as open areas, car-parks, CCTV etc.
(Information retrieved from Chan Wai Seen, executive director of JS Valuers Research
& Consultancy)
G&G developments in Malaysia
X
X
Elite community
These are primarily occupied by higher
income residents and focus on the
importance of status and high security.
Gates are also installed in many of these
developments in order to separate the
public and private areas to maintain high
levels of privacy.
X
X
Lifestyle community
Offering a high level of security, lifestyle
gated communities include retirement
communities, leisure communities and
suburban communities. These also
include leisure orientated facilities such
as golf courses.
X
X
Secured zone community
Security zone communities offer a very
high level of security which include extra
fencing and security guard presence.
X
X
Secured zone community and lifestyle
Security and lifestyle gated communities
are often found within cities and focus on
a balance between security and the
inclusion of lifestyle facilities.
(Information retrieved from Town and Country
Planning Department of Malaysia)
Gated
and
guarded
developments
> 'Gated andGuarded’ (G&G)
developments arebecoming increasingly
common inMalaysia, high indemand and
appealing throughout all segments of the
social hierarchy
PART 1
INSIGHTS
CUT AND KEEP
