The stench from a chicken coop has irked residents of Sri Penaga Apartment in Puchong, near Kuala Lumpur.
A resident, who wanted to be known as Vila, claimed that one of the occupants in Block C of the apartment had been rearing poultry in the compound for over two months.
“There are two roosters, five hens and four chicks. So, you can imagine the amount of chicken droppings every day.
“If I am not mistaken, one of the apartment rules state that the occupants should not keep any animals as pets, except cats, for fear that they may be a source of certain diseases,” she said.
Vila said the breeder had placed all the birds in a coop near the apartment block.
“The chicken are let out each morning to roam around the building. What is the use of residents living according to the rules when one is allowed to break them and endanger the health of the law-abiding folk?”
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A Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) spokesman said council officers would conduct an investigation and issue a warning notice to the Joint Management Body (JMB) of the apartment, as well as a warning letter to the occupant of the unit involved in rearing the poultry.
“Section 21 (1) (a) and 59(1)(a) of the Strata Management Act 2013 (Act 757) clearly state the obligations of the JMB to properly maintain and manage buildings.
“In buildings used for residential purposes, the owner shall not keep any animals in his property which may cause annoyance to others or which may harm the safety and health of another,” said the spokesman.
Referring to the Strata Management Act, he said the JMB also needed to strengthen the rules to ensure that the property was not abused by residents.
National House Buyers Association of Malaysia honorary secretary-general Chang Kim Loong said any rules approved by a building’s management must be subservient to and consistent with the local by-laws.
“If the local authority does not permit pets in high-rise buildings and a person is found to keep an animal, then the owner is breaking the law,” he said.