Legal Conflicts Archives - Indonesia Real Estate Law By Leks&Co

Criminal Act Related to Condominium

Criminal provisions related to condominium is regulated in Article 21 until Article 23 of the Law Number 16 of 1985 (“Law 16/1985”) on Condominium.

Article 21 paragraph (1) of Law 16/1985 regulates criminal sanction, that is stated, “Any person who is intentionally against the provisions of Article 6 of Law 16/1985, Article 17 paragraph (2) of Law 16/1985 and Article 18 paragraph (1) of Law 16/1985 shall be punished by a maximum imprisonment of 10 (ten) years or a maximum fine of Rp 100,000,000, – (one hundred million rupiah)”.

Further, in Article 21 paragraph (3) of Law 16/1985 regulates criminal sanction that is stated, “Any person by whose negligence causes infringement of the provisions as referred in Article 6 of Law 16/1985, Article 17 paragraph (2) of Law 16/1985 and Article 18 paragraph (1) of Law 16/1985, shall be punished by a maximum jail of 1 (one) year or a maximum fine Rp. 1.000.000,- (one million rupiah)”.

The provision of criminal sanction as referred in Article 21 paragraph (1) of Law 16/1985 is categorized as a crime. Whereas provision of sanction in Article 21 paragraphs (3) of Law 16/1985 is unlawful act.

In Article 22 of Law 16/1985 it is stipulated that, beside that imposed negligence criminal act as defined above, it must also comply with the provisions as referred in Article 6 of Law 16/1985, Article 17 paragraph (2) of Law 16/1985, Article 18 paragraph (1) of Law 16/1958. Under Article 23 of Law 16/1985, it is stated that, Government Regulation governing the implementation of law 16/1985 may contain punishment of jail of criminal act by maximum 1 (one) year and/or fine of Rp. 1.000.000.- (one million rupiah).

Criminal act in relation to Condominium that may be categorized as infringement and crime is any actions that are against provision in Article 6 of Law 16/1985, Article 17 of paragraph (2) of Law 16/1985 and Article 18 paragraph (1) of Law 16/1985 as follows:

1. Requirement of Technical and Administrative
The provision in Article 6 of Law 16/1985 stipulates that, the construction of Condominium shall meet the technical and administrative requirements. Furthermore, the provision of technical and administrative requirement are governed by Government Regulation. Technical requirement is defined as regulation concerning building structure, security, safety, health, convenience, and others related with the architecture, including the completeness of infrastructure and environmental facilities. While the administrative requirements are the business license of the company’s housing construction, permits of location and/or allocation, as well as building construction permit (IMB).

2. Implementation of Execution Mortgage and Fiduciary After Announcement and Notification
This provision is regulated in Article 17 paragraph (2) of Law 16/1985 which stipulates that, for the execution of mortgages and fiduciary in order to repay a debt, may only be performed after 1 (one) month after it is notified in writing to the parties concerned and published in two newspapers circulating in that area, and/or local print media, without any parties that claim the objections. Announcement and notification provisions of the obligation before the execution of mortgages and fiduciary are intended in this Law to protect the other parties’ interests.

3.Feasible Occupancy Permit
The provisions in Article 18 paragraph (1) Law 16/1985 regulates that, condominium units that have been built can be sold for occupancy after obtaining feasible occupancy permit from Government of the relevant region. Feasible occupancy permit is also
required for non-residential condominium. The provisions in this Article are intended to secure the safety, security and order of the tenants.

Sofie Widyana P.

Illegal Occupancy of Land from the Criminal Perspective

Right of Land, Summary of Regulations

The illegal occupancy of land is not a new event in Indonesia. The terms illegal occupancy can be interpreted as the act or condition of holding, possessing of rights or assets illegally, such as occupying a land or house, which is not belong to him, illegally (which is forbidden by law). The illegal occupancy of land is an unlawfully act that can be classified as a criminal offense. As we know, the prices of land are very stable and continue to rise along with the times. The illegal occupancy of land can be harming everyone, especially if the land is used for the business purpose. There are many cases that happened on the illegal occupancy of land, such as (i) physical occupancy of land, (ii) cultivation of land, (iii) sale of land, and so on.

Parties That Can Be Involved In Legal Conflicts in Condominium

Strata Title

A life in condominium is different from life in ordinary house. Tenants not only have next door neighbours but also have upstairs and downstair neighbours. In condominium there is also a governing body that regulates the management of the condominium environment, maintenance and the construction of environmental infrastructure and social facilities for the purpose of living together with all tenants in condominium.

However, legal conflicts often arise in living in a condominium. The parties involved in are as follows:

a. Developer;
Developer acts as condominium manager until a Tenant Association is established. Article 65 of Government Regulation No. 4 of 1988 on Condominium regulates the period of condominium management by the developer, at least three (3) months and a maximum of one (1) year since the establishment of Tenant Association.

Problems that often arise from the interests of developer are:
1) Developer decides on the charge of condominium management fees. Potential conflicts that arise are objections to the number of the fee that will be charged towards the tenants, who may feel that it is too high.
2) Developer basically has the principle of getting profit in constructing condominium, and it can be applied by determining service charge or management fees one sidedly.

b. Tenants Association;
Tenants Association is a representative of tenants, it takes care the interests of condominium tenants. Potential conflict that might arise is the decisions made by the Tenants Association which are not necessarily in the best interests of the tenants. This is happened often because there are strongholds that support or oppose the management of a Tenants Association. This has happened in some places.

c. Owner and Tenant;
Owners and tenant as the parties who are using a strata title unit and its environment, have an obligation to comply with disciplinary or house rules in accordance with the Article of Association and Bylaws, to pay management fees and sinking fund, to pay fire insurance premium, and to maintain the strata title unit and its surroundings. Potential conflict that may arise is if there are violations againts the rules, committed by the owner and/or tenants, and also disobedience of the owner and/or tenants in paying the management fees.

Conflicts that are possible to arise as described above are the result of the absence of detailed regulations as a legal protection for regulating the management and condominium’s life in Indonesia. Although there are Law No. 16 of 1985 on Condominium (the “Law of Condominium”) and Government Regulation No. 4 of 1988 on Condominium, but these rules cannot comprehensively accommodate the problems that can arise in living in condominium.

Ways that can be done to accommodate the problems above are as follows:
a. Toset a proper regulation and the provisions in the Article of Association and Bylaws which govern the things that might potentially inflicting legal conflicts;
b. Socialization from the housing agency or Regional Government about life in a condominium;
c. Guidance and instruction on how to manage condominium properly and effectively.

Ardhityo Rompas