Tiara Rental Parking

This is a reply to the Letter to the Editor on Tiara Rental Parking which appeared in the last issue of Tiara Times.

Management is well aware of the situation in the Visitor Parking Lot near Queens Gate (QG VPL) described by "Still Waiting". To fully understand how this came about, let us delve into the history of the QG VPL.

Previously, all parking in Tiara (other than owned lots) were converted to rental lots; thus there was not a single visitor parking bay in Tiara, resulting in complaints by some residents during the AGM. As a result Management created the QG VPL, which was implemented in late December 2005. Fifteen lots were created for visitors to park, at RM1 per every two hours.

Initially, the VPL was for visitors only. Residents were prohibited from parking there. The usage of the VPL was monitored and it was soon apparent that it was under-utilised (only a maximum of five lots were occupied at any one time). Some residents questioned why the lots were left empty, especially overnight while residents had to park outside.

Thus it was decided to allow residents to park at the VPL but paying the same hourly rate as visitors. As this was quite expensive, only a few residents used the VPL to park overnight every night. Some of these residents then suggested that instead of paying on a daily basis, that they be allowed to park there on a monthly basis.

In March 2006, Management decided to allow this and set the rate of RM150 per month (based on 10 hours per night, 30 days a month). This was based on the understanding that the lots could be taken back by Management at any time. It was decided to open up five lots for this purpose and offered to residents on the Waiting List in their order on the list. Most of the residents on the List declined the offer – possibly due to the high price of RM150 compared to covered lots (RM100) and more than double that of uncovered lots (RM70). As there were not many takers, this facility was extended to those who already had rental lots but who were willing to pay the RM150 to park there.

Thus, since March 2006, five of the 15 lots in the QG VPL were allocated for this purpose and the rest for visitor parking. But the QG VPL still remained under-utilised. Part of the reason was that the QG VPL was too far for people visiting units in King's Crescent.

So, in October 2006, Management decided to "take back" the five uncovered rental lots closest to King's Gate and convert them to visitor parking. To "compensate" those who were renting the rescinded lots, five lots were "taken away" from the QG VPL- and the rental parking lots were reshuffled all the way from King's Gate to those near Queen's Gate (five of them). For these five who were relocated to the QG VPL, not by their choice, but by Management’s decision, Management allowed them the same rental (RM 70) as they had been paying before.
This explains the current situation in QG VPL where five lots are for visitors at RM1 per two hours, another five at RM150 per month, and the remaining five for the reshuffled renters at RM70 per month.

While this situation may appear like setting a high price “for those who could afford to pay more to jump queue”, (to quote “Still Waiting”) it was not so. The current situation, as can now be seen , was the result of two separate but related decisions. The renting of lots at RM150 per month was not an issue until the reshuffling exercise, which resulted in the disparity.

Management is aware of this disparity and is looking into the situation and working on rectifying it soon.

At the last Management Council Meeting in December 2006, the Management Council decided to increase the rental parking fee from RM100 to RM150 per month for covered lots and from RM70 to RM100 per month for uncovered . This includes the ten uncovered bays in the QG VPL, which has been standardized to RM100 per month.

All these bays will be considered rental lots and each unit will not be allowed to have more than one rental lot anywhere in Tiara regardless of type (of rental lot).

However this increase will take effect only in the next quarter, starting in April 2007. All other conditions remain the same as stated in the Rental Parking Agreement.