Introduction

I am Dominic Gan, the director of the firm- TLKL Enterprise. This is my story of TLKL.

Soon after i decided to continue my studies, i packed up my belongings and came to Kuala Lumpur. I enrolled into A Level programme in ATC School of Law. That was way back to year 2004.

The first time when i stepped into the land of Kuala Lumpur is full of adventure. I started to look for a room so then i can find an accomodation while studying there.

ATC College is located at Jalan Petaling (China Town), so i went to Jalan Kenanga (the famous wholesale city) to look for a room. At Jalan kenanga, i do not know where to find a room to let notice, so, i went into 7- Eleven shop for a while and at the outside of the shop, there is a telephone station, many handwritten advertisement on the wall. I chose one which reads: Room to let, RM250, includes utilities. I called them up and it is a lady called Carmen that answered me.

Then, i went to check up the room, the common area of the shophouse is clean. The room is beside the kitchen and the room is without any furnishing, totally empty.

I told Carment about myself and asked if i could stay for minimum 1 year, she replied yes as they are here for long term.

The house has 4 rooms, 1st room belongs to Carmen and her husband, 2nd room belongs to Carmen's sister, 3rd room is shared by 2 girls working adult and the last room belongs to me. The house has no duty rooster and special rules, basically Carmen as chief tenant will handle everything.

One day after 2 months i was there, Carmen told me she and her husband decided to go back hometown and no longer wanted to rent the shophouse. This is to say, i am no longer able to rent the room further. Howeer, she offer me to take up the house as new chief tenant, she said now i only need to find replacement for her room and her sister room. The 2 girls sharing 3rd room will remains.

But i have no experience at all to post advertisement and look for tenant, take care the house, pay utilites bills (all the while when i am at hometown, parents paying it), and dealing with owner and probably problematic sub tenants. Also what if i am unablle to let out the room, who is going to pay for the rent?

With all this in mind, the 3rd room girls said they will support me that if i am unable to let out the room, they will pay half for me. They also said to help me put up advertisement to look for tenants for the 2 soon to be vacated room. All this will take place in 1 month soon after Carmen told me she is leaving us as chief tenant.

Finally, i take the courage to tells my parents about this and they agreed to rent the shophouse so then i can stay there for long term, at least until i finished my studies at ATC. (1 year for A level, 3 years for LLB, 1 year for CLP)

At the begining, everything of course are difficult, i am trying to learn how to write advertisement for room to let, i bought a receipt book for rental payment, etc. Then, i figured out how to write a sub tenancy agreement.

The sub tenancy agreement is the legal document that i made mostly copied the rules and regulations from recognised university hostel rules and regulations. This is because it is a complete one which enable me copy and paste directly from Google search. It is useful to regulate the sub tenants as most are university students, the same code of rules and regulations should be applicable to them.

After successfully handling my first unit and completed my A level programme at ATC, during the holiday, i then acquired the second unit at Chin Woo Court Apartment. This is a property wholly owned by Chin Woo Association comprises 152 units apartment. That means my landlord will be the Chin Woo Association instead of like the first apartment, which is an individual uncle.

In Chin Woo Court Apartment or way back to year 2005, i doing fine with my same method of management. This time of course a better skill in writing advertisement. A good advertisement should be able to attract the right tenant. For example, if you are looking educated tenants, he must be able to follow the terms in the advertisement. So, if the advertisement states viewing only availabe on monday to friday, an educated tenants should make an appointment and will not be calling for viewing on saturday and sunday.

For another example of my specific term advertisement is that a potential tenant must sms his particulars like (1) When to move in? (2) Single or Couple (3) Career (4) etc.

A good advertisement will help to filter out those unwanted callers thereby saving time to attend their inquiries.

The class of tenants here are mostly working young adult, the payment is good and usually home after 5p.m. They are usually home on saturday and sunday. They generally posses a sense of maturity and good inner reflective attitude, knowing to take initiative to clean the common house area, like the washroom.

I must take tne oppotunity here to introduce one of the tenant from Perlis, working in Westin Hotel Kuala Lumpur. He is a nice tenant. Basically working in hotel serves long hours and sometimes overtime is longer than the ordinary working time. The fact that he hardly at home benefit me indirectly as i prefer minimal presence at the house types of tenant. Reserch shown that a full presence type of tenant will creates more issues like cooking more frequently thereby dirty up the kitchen, higher electricity as maybe switching on air conditioner 24 hours!, and etc.

The perlis male muslim tenant basically if ever home then he will clean the room and the common house area, then he will do his laundry, after done all the thing, he will shower only then he will go to bed. This is a nice tenant who cares not only his room but he knew that common area is part of his house and should take voluntary action to clean up. Not that ordinary tenants which requires me to fix a timetable so then only he take the broom to sweep reluctantly.

Then at that time, the apartment is 40 % occupied by police. It is roughly about 45 units 3 bedroom apartments. So, apart from doing business there, i make up with many police friends. Most of the police there are from Sabah and Sarawak, they are here to take up as police traffic. They are nice and friendly. Some of them even became my good friends and we always go out to the street of Jalan Kenanga there got many mamak and have dinner together.

In 2006, i saw a place which is a suitable place to relocate my business, i then gave up my entire business here at Hang Tuah for some personal reasons. The next in Sept 2006, i moved to Bukit Jalil, Vista Komanwel.

This is my major business up to date. I am serving more than 50 tenants since 2006, most of them are signing for 1 year fixed term contract.

From building good relations with security guard and vista management officer to owners of the apartments to majority International Medical University (IMU) students tenants. All the hardwork that i made in the past can be said a success at least in my term of definition.

I am managing student tenants from various countries, to name a few, australian, african, chinese, japanese, thais, iranian and most of all, malaysian. The tenancy agreement has a special clause which is created to ensure harmony of this tenants living under one roof. The special clause requires each and every tenants respect and uphold the other party interest living under one roof. For example, when a muslim and a chinese living together under one roof, the usage of refrigerator will comes to be an issue. This is because a muslim never take pork. So, that special clause reminds and needs the housemates to think a way out either by all themselves or i will be coming into picture to solve it. It is usually my practice to have everyone have a compartment in the fridge, so one will be familiar with his stuffs in the refregerator.

In 2010, i am managing more than 40 rooms in Bukit Jalil area. The success is not able to be achieved but with the cooperation of tenants accross the board, relevant authorities, like vista management office, cleaner- Ms Ani and Mr Fakruk, contractor- Mr Eric Ng and Mr Seng, Furniture supplier- WC HOME and their counterpart- Ms Joanne and Carrefour Furniture Department and their counterpart- Mr Johari and all trusted support from Mr and Mrs Owners who giving me a chance to managing their unit apartment at Bukit Jalil area.



(under construction of first ORIGINAL draft)