Centralized Labour Quarters (CLQ). I think this is a great idea.

Centralized Labour Quarters (CLQ). I think this is a great idea.

I have not rented out any of my properties to foreign workers. No expats too as I do not own any such luxury units which they may prefer.

Thus far, all my tenants are Malaysians regardless of race. Most are professionals such as lawyers, doctors, engineers, managers and more. I only have one property which is catering to short-term rental and this is mostly tourists as that small apartment is in Cameron Highlands. However, I do think that moving forward, we really do need centralised labour quarters (CLQs). What is this CLQ? Here’s what Knight Frank is saying about purpose built workers accommodation and moving forward, it will become CLQ.

Article in nst.com.my Knight Frank Malaysia has recently released Workers’ Dormitories publication and says that demand for quality and well-planned workers’ accommodations is expected to rise.

Allan Sim, executive director of capital markets – industrial at Knight Frank Malaysia, said purpose build workers’ accommodation will become a new asset class and the majority of such existing establishments are concentrated in high economic growth regions such as Selangor, Johor, and Penang.

Sim says that currently many employers are turning to terraced homes, apartments, shophouses, and makeshift accommodations to house their workers haphazardly.

He said, “In addition to a lack of awareness and accountability, most of these types of housing were overcrowded and had poor sanitation, resulting in a slew of social issues that have plagued the community for years. The perception of higher costs and non-standard guidelines in various states has also resulted in years of resistance from industry players to provide dedicated workers’ accommodations.” Do read the full article with a lot more insights here. Article in nst.com.my

Header Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay

Situation cannot remain the same, please

We just cannot continue to house 20 foreign workers within one apartment of 900 sq ft with 20 beds or more and one shared kitchen and perhaps 2 shared toilets. I have also heard of 40-50 beds in terrace homes too. Covid-19 has proven to us that this kind of accommodation meant that the virus can spread easily and super fast too. Plus, it’s impossible to be able to control this spread easily when we have thousands of such accommodation all over the city.

However, if we do have CLQs, this will mean that things are much more predictable. We are able to also contain any sudden outbreaks such as Covid-19. Just need to look to Singapore and we must learn from what has happened and how despite such a high number of infections in the beginning, everything was still under control as it was well contained. Hopefully this starts happening sooner than later.

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