00:00Landlords who take reasonable precautions to prevent crimes on their rented-out properties
00:07may still face criminal liability depending on the circumstances, says a lawyer.
00:12Nizam Bashir said while the police are unlikely to target landlords who have acted in good faith,
00:18the possibility of prosecution cannot be entirely ruled out.
00:23He said failing to conduct background checks, ignoring red flags,
00:27or dismissing complaints about illegal activities could be seen as negligence or willful blindness.
00:34He said under these circumstances, imposing criminal liability on landlords
00:38does not appear to be unreasonable.
00:41His comments come in the wake of a warning by Bukit Aman on March 5
00:45that property owners, joint management bodies, and security companies
00:49could face legal consequences if found complicit or negligent in allowing crime operations.
00:56Meanwhile, Rohayu Abdul Majid of University Technology Mara rejected the notion that
01:01landlords can be held responsible for their tenants' crimes
01:04even if they did not know about their tenants' actions.
01:08She said while landlords should exercise reasonable care when selecting tenants,
01:12it is unrealistic to expect them to control or predict what happens behind closed doors.
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