Property management contracts suspended, residents worried with security

Motorcyclists drive past residential buildings in Macau

Residents have expressed concern over the failure of housing proprietors to provide basic services, such as appropriate security and hygiene, after these proprietors  failed to renew management services contracts.
A TDM report has claimed that the management company responsible for the Edificio Iau Yu withdrew the provision of services to the housing unit after proprietors were unable to settle a proposed hike in the management fee.
The owners of the downtown building, located on Rue de Pedro Nolasco da Silva, have not accepted a proposed increase in the management fee from MOP1,375 to MOP2,000.  They have also been unable to reach an agreement with flat owners who are becoming increasingly alarmed by the situation.
“I am afraid when I see you, since I don’t know if you are doing interviews or other things,” said a resident of the building speaking to TDM reporters.
“Rubbish is a minor issue, while security is a major one,” the resident added.
The government has issued a statement pledging to support the affected citizens with the provision of new rubbish bins and the approval of additional police patrols around buildings that no longer have security contracts. They also recommended that proprietors seek to hire new management companies or establish their own management committees.
However, some residents were still unsatisfied with the government’s response. “The Housing Bureau doesn’t help us,” another resident told TDM. “The government just made a clear-cut decision for the minimum wage, but did nothing to deal with the aftermath.”
Ao Ieong Kuong Kao, vice-president of the Institution of People’s Alliance, said that in some cases, security services had been reduced from three shifts a day to a single shift.
“The hidden danger here is serious,” he told reporters, alluding to the absence of security staff at key times.
“One possibility is that when people are trapped in elevators, or when some strangers enter the building, the building’s security is affected [and people’s needs won’t be addressed].” Staff reporter