The government is optimistic of tackling the problem abandoned housing projects following amendments to the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Act 1966 (Act 118), the Dewan Rakyat was told recently.

Deputy Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister, Datuk Halimah Mohd Sadique said the amendments were aimed at improving the legal aspects to enable the National Housing Department and her ministry takes more aggressive action against irresponsible developers.

However, the amendments to Act 118 had still not been enforced at the moment as the act needed to be enforced together with the Strata Management Act 2013 (Act 757) and Strata Titles Act (amendment) 2013 (Act 318), she said.

The amendments to Act 118 were passed by the Dewan Rakyat on November 30, 2011 and are expected to been forced this year.

The amendments to Act 118 include several new provisions, among them, Section 6, on additional deposit for housing development licence and Section 8 on cancellation of the sales and purchase agreement if the buyer finds that there is no development on a housing project in six months from the date the agreement was signed.

Halimah said from 2009 to January 31, 2015, 216 abandoned private housing projects were recorded.

Nonetheless, from the total, 164 projects were completed while 52 were still in various stages of rehabilitation by the government, she said.

Of the 52 projects 21 are in Selangor, Perak (nine), Johor (eight), Pahang (four), Negeri Sembilan (four), Penang (two), Kedah (two), Kelantan (one) and Federal Territory (one).

She also added that as at March 2, 2015, 1,018 housing developers and 3,607 board members (of housing companies) were blacklisted by the ministry.