KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 — “African” tenants have not eroded the value of the Ridzuan Condominium, several real estate agents noted yesterday, despite the management saying a tenancy ban on the group is partly to preserve property prices there.

According to the agents, prices of properties in the Bandar Sri Subang and Sunway areas, in which Ridzuan is located, have risen steadily with the influx of students in the last few years.

“The demands have been very good ... Rental price per house ranges from RM1,300 upwards for a three-bedroom unit, and the reselling price is RM320,000 upwards.

“Having African tenants in your place ... that is not a condition for price to go down,” said a USJ-based agent who calls himself Simon Lee, when referring to Ridzuan.

The Malay Mail Online reported on Monday the unprecedented occupancy ban imposed last week by the management of Ridzuan Condominium against “African” tenants.

The decision came after the majority of the condominium’s residents voted at an annual general meeting held on July 6 against renting their units to foreigners from the continent, whom they allege to have “caused a lot of nuisance”.

According to a memo circulated to residents, the presence of African tenants has supposedly driven down the property value of units there; it further asserts that owners have found it difficult to rent out or sell their units to other prospective customers due to the alleged situation.

On Wednesday, an unnamed member of the joint management board (JMB) that authorised the ban denied the move was discriminatory and said it was taken to preserve the property value at the condominium.

“That is definitely untrue; no property price can go down. It can only maintain its original price,” Katrina Yeoh, a Cheras-based agent told The Malay Mail Online.

Statistics available from property site PropWall indicate that the average price of Ridzuan units sold have steadily climbed from RM170 per square foot (psf) in July 2005 to RM207 psf in November 2011.

There was a dip in April 2008, however, when average price went down from RM179 psf in August 2007 to RM169 psf.

The price rose in January 2009 to RM192 psf, but receded again in September to RM170 psf. Transacted prices have since gone up.

Owners were asking for RM271 psf in March 2013, up from RM215 psf back in February 2011.

According to Yeoh, this was due to the popularity of Ridzuan, which is seen as a convenient spot for students due to its proximity to popular shopping mall Sunway Pyramid and the Sunway Mentari business park, which provides students access to entertainment and nightlife.

This, in turn, has generated more demand from students, especially those from African nations who allegedly face difficulty finding places that will rent to them.

It is also understood that some agents and owners quote an extra RM300 in monthly rental to desperate African students, giving owners higher income from their properties.

Lee acknowledged that Ridzuan still has units on the lower end of the value scale, but refused to blame this on the number of African tenants there.

“Of course there are some bad apples ... But not all Africans are like that,” he said, explaining that Ridzuan has sufficient security personnel to deal with possible troublemakers in common areas.

“In Malaysia, where got no Africans one?” he added laughing, saying that African students and workers are now a part of Malaysian society.

Situated near a number of private tertiary institutions such as Sunway University, Taylor’s University, the Malaysian campus of Monash University, and INTI International University, Ridzuan has been home to students since 2002.

The Ridzuan ban may be the first attempt of its kind reported in Malaysia after years of alleged discrimination and hostility towards the oft-maligned African community, including in mainstream media.

Despite being a continent of 54 countries with diverse and distinct ethnicities, cultures, languages and societies, its migrants are commonly pigeonholed using the “African” catchall, while the derogatory label “Awang Hitam” (literally, Black Fellow) is also used by Malay-language dailies in reference to their dominant skin colour.

The negative perception towards African migrants in Malaysia is believed to stem from the frequency of cases of drug smuggling, financial scams, frauds and sex crimes reportedly involving the group.

The Immigration Department reported that a total of 79,352 Africans entered the country last year.

The department also issued 25,467 student visas to Africans in 2012 to study in public or private institutions.