By Zareef Muzammil
SHAH ALAM, July 10 — PKNS Real Estate Sdn Bhd (PREC) has allowed a two-month rental deferment until September for traders renting out at two of its shopping malls to ease the burden of the business owners affected by the enforced movement control order (MCO).
Acting centre manager Syahril Mohd Rashid said the deferment for the month of May and June would benefit some 500 businesses at the Shah Alam PKNS Complex and the SACC Mall, which were previously offered a 50 per cent rebate on their rentals for March and April.
“We are pleased to give the deferment on the rental which would allow the traders to restructure their financial planning as well as to adapt their business strategies with the new norms,” Syahril told SelangorKini in an interview yesterday.
He said for the month of May, the rental was reduced by 30 per cent while the full rental payment remains for June.
“Most of the business owners had welcomed the discount but the Covid-19 pandemic had affected all parties including us (PREC), where we are responsible in managing the malls,” he said.
Meanwhile, Syahril had dismissed the claims by the Small-and-Medium-scale Entrepreneurs Association of Malaysia (Ikhlas) that the rental fee had been increased between 20 to 30 per cent.
He said the rental hike between 5 to 15 per cent are only imposed on the long-term contracts of between two years to three years.
“Since the Covid-19 situation, we have been more flexible and would discuss the rental hike with the traders. Some of them had requested for deferments and we are ready to cooperate and listen to their woes,” he said.