We can finally start applying for the six-month loan relief programme from banks which allows them to start making full payments again only in 2022.

But what do you need to know before deciding whether to take up the option?

If you are struggling with finances right now or expect to have difficulties paying your bank loans over the coming months this year, this six-month loan relief announced last month (June 28) under the Pemulih economic package may provide some temporary and near-instant financial relief.

But is this plan suitable for everyone?

Based on the FAQs and information published by several banks, here’s a quick summary of the main points you should know (on housing loans):

1. How does the loan payment assistance work?

Generally, you are given two options: a) A six-month moratorium on your loan, which means you will not pay for the installment of your house for six months and only resume the installment until after the six-month period ends; or b) A 50% reduction in monthly loan installments for six months.

Image source: CompareHero

2. Who can ask for the 6-month moratorium or 6-month half payment?

Individuals, SMEs and microenterprises can apply from July 7 through their respective banks to “opt-in” for either six-month moratorium or halved monthly installments. Your application will be automatically approved, without you needing to provide any supporting documents.

This is open to all individuals from all income brackets — B40 low-income category, M40 mid-income category or T20 high-income category.

3. Who is not eligible for the 6-month moratorium or 6-month half payment?

This repayment assistance is not open to borrowers who have been overdue in their payments for more than 90 days (which would mean owing payments for more than three months), or those undergoing bankruptcy or winding-up proceedings.

Loans approved after the six-month loan relief is announced will not be eligible for repayment assistance. You may want to check with your bank for additional details on the cutoff date.

4. The cost (or after-effect) of the loan moratorium

Before applying for the 6-month loan moratorium or 6-month halved monthly installments, you should bear in mind that interest will continue to be charged and accumulated, and your loan tenure or repayment period may get extended. However, there will be no compounding interest (interest on interest) during the six months.

Below is an illustration by Maybank on how the loan you took will become more costly as a whole,

In this example, the borrower has a remaining balance of RM137,499 to repay over the next 30 years.

Instead of paying interest of RM77,927 over 30 years with full monthly installment payments of RM598 in this example, a borrower will have eventually paid RM83,931 in interest (or about RM6,000 more) if no payment was made for six months using the moratorium option and if payments of RM598 were resumed from the seventh month onwards, with the loan to be fully-cleared 31.3 years later instead of 30 years.

If the borrower only paid half of the monthly instalments for six months before resuming full RM598 instalment payments, the additional interest of about RM2,970 accumulated will result in an eventual interest cost of RM80,897 paid over 30.7 years.

5. So should you ask for the loan moratorium or halved payments for six months?

If you are facing financial difficulties and need temporary relief until your financial situation improves, you can opt-in, after having read and understood all the necessary information such as the FAQ and terms and conditions. If you are unsure and need guidance or want to explore alternatives, you can consult AKPK which gives free advice.

Borrowers who can afford to continue their loan repayments should do so, as this would be in their best interest as resuming repayments would reduce the overall cost of borrowings.

Conclusion

If you are not sure where to start, visit Bank Negara Malaysia’s website where it lists the links to individual banks’ websites for details on repayment assistance plans. Or contact AKPK for free advice.

A newly proposed serviced residential development by Summit Methods Sdn. Bhd. in heart of George Town. Strategically located on a 0.82-acre land along Jalan Anson, adjacent to Penang Government Building that houses several government agencies which includes National Registration Department. Surrounding amenities and businesses within walking distance include Auto Bavaria, Sunway Property Sales Gallery, TNB office tower, KDU, Penang Plaza and a few eateries. The land is currently serving as a paid car park.

This development will see the refurbishment of the existing heritage building, and the construction of a 33-storey serviced residence building. It will offer 198 residential units with 8 levels of car parking podium. A wellness and healthcare centre will be located at levels 9 to 12.

The project is still pending approval. More details to be available upon official launch.

Project Name : (to be confirmed)
Location : George Town
Property Type : Serviced residence
Tenure : (to be confirmed)
Land Area: 0.82 acre
Built-up Area: (to be confirmed)
Total Units : 198
Indicative Price: (to be confirmed)
Developer : Summit Methods Sdn. Bhd.

Source: OSC Portal

DISCLAIMER: This article is solely based on research done using publicly available data. This is not an advertisement. Any claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a project or service should be verified with the developer, provider or party in question.

Infinity Beachfront Condominium (Source: Google Street View)

By Emilia Ismail

What started with a Thai Native couple’s intense love for Penang, ended up with court battles that lasted three generations.

Some sixty years ago, Boonsom Boonyanit and her husband, a Thai of Chinese origin named Sie Guan Tjang @ Sie Hang Bok, fell in love with Penang, so much so that Sie bought two pieces of beachfront land in Tanjung Bungah to build their retirement home. In 1967, Sie transferred these lands to his wife through a memorandum of transfer.

Boonsom Boonyanit and her husband, Sie Guan Tjang @ Sie Hang Bok. Photo taken in the 1990s nearby their land. Photo Credit: Justice for Boonsom Boonyanit vs. Adorna Properties

In 1989, Boonsom Boonyanit’s eldest son came across an advertisement placed by a Penang law firm while browsing “Thairat,” a Thai newspaper. The ad requested anyone interested in two pieces of land — that belong to his mother — to come forward.

The family accountant found out that someone had impersonated Madam Boonsom. Here is how the imposter did it:

• Someone who called herself “Sun Yok Eng @ Boonsom Boonyanit” had affirmed a statutory declaration (a declaration you write and affirm to be true in front of a special witness such as a commissioner of oaths) on the 18th of June 1988.
• This statutory declaration stated that she was the landowner and that she had lost the original title to it. An interesting point to note is that the passport number that appeared on the declaration was “K/P Thailand No. 000386”.
• This declaration was then used to obtain a certified true copy of the land title from the authorities.
• “Mrs. Boonsom” then affirmed a second statutory declaration on the 6th of April 1989. An excerpt from the declaration reads as follows, “the names Mrs. Boonsom Boonyanit in my International Passport No. N-033852 and Sun Yok Eng @ Boonsom Boonyanit in the said ACT (land title) in respect of the said property refer to the same and one person, that is Mrs. Boonsom Boonyanit”.
• The rogue Mrs. Boonsom then used this second declaration to register the land in the name of the purchaser, Adorna Properties.
• In 1989, The two pieces of land were sold for RM1.8million without the knowledge of the real Madam Boonsom.

Boonsom lost no time in bringing the matter to court to seek justice — the return of her property. The court battle went on for almost thirty years.

Madam Boonsom passed away on the 23rd of May 2000 and the legal battles were continued by her sons and grandsons.

In 2018, the Malaysian government reached an amicable settlement with the estate of Boonsom Boonyanit. There is no information available to the public on the exact settlement sum and whether the same has been paid.

Today, the Infinity Beachfront Condominiums stand on what was Madam Boonsom’s planned retirement home. Adorna had sold the land to Diamaward (M) Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Hunza Properties Berhad, for RM13,220,000 on the 7th of October 2004.

Sources: [1] Asklegal.my, [2] Asklegal.my, [3] NST Online, [4] The Star

Emilia Ismail is the co-founder of Penang Hidden Gems and is an amateur “historian” who enjoys discovering lesser-known historical information about Penang properties. (More about Penang Hidden Gems)

The Mak Mandin market is the latest market ordered to be closed after one of the traders there tested positive for Covid-19.

The closure which begins at 2pm today will last until next Thursday (July 22) or a date to be announced later.

The Seberang Prai Utara (SPU) district health officers were spotted at the market this morning carrying out investigations and on-site surveillance before the issuance of the closure notice.

Seberang Prai City Council (MBSP) Mayor Datuk Rozali Mohamud said the closure was to facilitate health officers to continue further investigations of close contacts and facilitate sanitisation works.

“The closure involves some 62 traders trading at the market, including nine MBSP workers stationed there, who will be screened for Covid-19.

“MBSP urged all traders, workers and customers identified as closed contacts and told to undergo swab tests to immediately present themselves at the SPU district health office or call for appointments.

“Besides that, any trader who wants to undergo swab test, can do so at any of the private clinics and inform the MBSP of their results for record and planning purposes,” he said today.

Rozali also reminded all traders to strictly observe the closure order.

Meanwhile, he said an integrated operation involving MBSP, police and the Health Ministry would be mobilised to track down traders who were identified as close contacts and failed to go for swab tests.

Besides that, management corporations and joint management bodies must also alert the SPU operations room if there are any positive Covid-19 cases in their neighbourhood.

Several markets statewide have been ordered to close following positive Covid-19 cases involving traders.

On July 3, the Pulau Mutiara Wholesale Market at Gat Lebuh Macallum here was ordered to close immediately following five positive Covid-19 cases involving traders there.

On May 31, the Bukit Mertajam market was ordered to be closed after three positive Covid-19 cases involving traders were reported there while on May 17, the Jelutong market was closed after four positive Covid-19 cases involving traders was reported.

Similarly, on June 11, the Jalan Perak market was closed after several positive Covid-19 cases involving traders were reported there while on June 20, the Chai Leng Park market was closed after 11 positive Covid-19 cases involving traders were reported there.

Source: NST Online

Orchard Villa 4, the final phase of Orchard Villa gated and guarded development scheme by Oriental Max Group at Simpang Ampat. Strategically located along Jalan Bukit Tambun, just a mere minutes’ drive to Tambun Toll Plaza. It is about 10 minutes drive to Batu Kawan, 5 minutes drive to GEM International School at Pearl City

This development comprises 17 units of 3-storey bungalows houses, with access to clubhouse facilities.

Project Name : Orchard Villa IV
Location : Simpang Ampat
Property Type : Bungalows
Tenure : (to be confirmed)
Land Area: (to be confirmed)
Built-up Area: (to be confirmed)
Total Units : 17
Indicative Price: (to be confirmed)
Developer : Juwanas Sdn. Bhd. (Oriental Max Group)

DISCLAIMER: This article is solely based on research done using publicly available data. This is not an advertisement. Any claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a project or service should be verified with the developer, provider or party in question.