The star : Landlord perplexed over TNB’s demand to pay RM3,500 for ‘electricity theft’

KUALA LUMPUR: A landlord who settled about RM5,000 in electricity bill arrears chalked up by his errant Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) tenant thought that would be the end of the matter.

Stanley Sien, 51, said he was irked with TNB's inaction against its staff, despite several complaints that they had run up the arrears.

He then paid up the arrears, repaired his badly maintained terrace house in Puchong for RM16,000 and signed a new tenant in 2009.

Then came the shocker last October a legal notice from TNB demanding Sien to pay up RM3,452.49 for “stealing electricity”.


Surprised: Sien showing the legal notice which he received for “stealing electricity”.

“After I paid the outstanding arrears, there was an understanding with TNB that the file would be closed and there would be no more extra charges.

“However, despite the mutual agreement, I was shocked to receive the legal notice later,” he said.

“It was their own employee who stole the electricity, so why should I pay?

“I had so much problems with the TNB tenant who did not even pay my rental for more than a year.”

Sien said the TNB worker concerned had been able to reconnect power supply on his own whenever it was disconnected.

“I don't know how he did it,'' he said, adding that he had filed several complaints to TNB to contest the initial arrears amounting to RM5,000 but was told nothing could be done since his tenant had reconnected the supply himself.

When contacted, TNB said it was investigating the complaint.

TNB chief operating officer Azman Mohamed was unavailable for comment as he was overseas

PENDAPAT AKU

As a landlord kenalah memeriksa bil2 rumah sewa kita at least 3 bulan sekali. Untuk TNB kita boleh register e-services https://e-services.tnb.com.my/scripts/wgate/zeservices/! dan untuk syabas ialah http://www.syabas.com.my/checking_bills/register_form.php. Senanglah kita monitor bil-bil tenants dan kalau ada oustanding bolehlah kita ingatkan pada tennat. Secara tak langsung kita educate tenants untuk bayar bil promptly.

Pendapat aku as a landlord walaupun penyewa beliau adalah pekerja TNB dan telah mencuri bekalan elekrik ia bukan menjadi satu alasan untuk landlord tidak membayar bil yang tertunggak. Tendancy agreement adalah diantara landlord dan penyewa iaitu staff TNB bukannya dengan syarikat TNB. So no pointlah landlord nak bring up perkara ini kepada pihak pengurusan TNB. Sebagai contoh, kita menyewakan rumah pada staff CIMB, dan loan rumah tersebut adalah dari CIMB. Jika penyewa tidak membayar sewa yang mana sewa itulah untuk membayar bayaran bulanan pada bulan tersebut, adakah boleh kita cakap pada CIMB, staff awak tak bayar sewa jadi bulan ini awak tolak gaji dia [penyewa]? Sudah tentu jawapannya TIDAK.. so same goes to the above case..