Fire-safety officers in Kuala Terengganu have found office premises converted into student and worker hostels without approval, and will issue notices requiring the fire hazards to be removed.
The Terengganu Fire and Rescue Department checked four locations during an integrated operation on 27 September 2026, covering Jalan Masjid Abidin, Jalan Engku Pengiran Anom 2, Jalan Engku Sar and Jalan Sultan Zainal Abidin, according to a Bernama report carried by Sinar Harian. One second-floor premises had nine small rooms built separately and used as student hostel rooms.
Terengganu JBPM director Nor Mahathir Muhammad said the premises inspected had originally been approved as office buildings but were being used as hostels for workers and students. The department's focus, he said, was on shop or office premises converted illegally, including non-compliance with building requirements and fire-safety conditions.
The department said the identified buildings did not comply with requirements under the Fifth Schedule of the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 and involved fire hazards that can trigger action under the Fire Services Act 1988. Owners or tenants will be served notices to remove the hazards. If they do not comply within the given period, JBPM will carry out a second inspection and may refer the matter for prosecution under Section 8 of the Act.
The timing of the notices will depend on the scale of correction needed, especially where the use has changed from office to hostel. Nor Mahathir said urgent fire-safety issues must be addressed immediately because the premises are still occupied, with some corrections possibly required within a week.
Kosmo also reported that the operation involved JBPM, the Labour Department, police and Kuala Terengganu City Council. Sinar reported a total of 32 officers and personnel from the agencies involved.
For tenants and owners, the important point is the change of use. An office lot being rented as a hostel is not just a tenancy arrangement if the building approval, escape routes and fire-safety systems do not match the way people are actually living inside it.
Sources: Sinar Harian / Bernama, Kosmo.
