For Foreigners Buying Property
It was increased from RM 500,000, partially in an effort to curb speculation from foreign investors.
Whilst there is a Federal minimum of RM1,000,000 States have the ability to overrule this by imposing their own buying restrictions – so you’ll find that the limits differ quite a lot!
Minimum purchase prices are across Malaysia.
| State / Area | Minimum Purchase Price (Individual Title) |
Minimum Purchase Price (Strata Title) |
|---|---|---|
| Johor | RM 1,000,000 | RM 1,000,000 |
| Kuala Lumpur | RM 1,000,000 | RM 1,000,000 |
| Kelantan | RM 500,000 | RM 500,000 |
| Kedah | RM 1,000,000 | RM 1,000,000 |
| Labuan | RM 1,000,000 | RM 1,000,000 |
| Melaka | RM 1,000,000 | RM 500,000 |
| Negeri Sembilan | RM 1,000,000 | RM 1,000,000 |
| Perlis | RM 1,000,000 | RM 1,000,000 |
| Perak | RM 1,000,000 | RM 1,000,000 |
| Pahang | RM 1,000,000 | RM 1,000,000 |
| Penang
Penang Island Penang Mainland |
RM 2,000,000 RM 1,000,000 |
RM 1,000,000 RM 1,000,000 |
| Putrajaya | RM 1,000,000 | RM 1,000,000 |
| Sabah | RM 500,000 | RM 500,000 |
| Sarawak | RM 400,000 | RM 400,000 |
| Selangor*
Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 |
Not permitted – only landed properties with strata titles |
RM 2,000,000 RM 2,000,000 RM 1,000,000 |
| Terengganu | RM 1,000,000 | RM 1,000,000 |
*Zones in Selangor
Zone 1 – Districts of Petaling, Gombak, Hulu Langat, Sepang and Klang
Zone 2 – Districts of Kuala Selangor & Kuala Langat,
Zone 3 – Districts of Hulu Selangor and Sabak Bernam
As you can see, Penang, Selangor and Melaka are stricter on minimum purchase prices for landedproperties in particular (or at least those on individual titles) whilst offering more leniency for those on strata titles.
You should know that Penang, Melaka and Johor also impose a ‘state levy’. Penang imposes a state levy of 3% whilst Melaka and Johor charge a state levy of 2% – which can significantly bump up your buying costs.
Whilst it doesn’t impose a state levy, Selangor is probably the strictest of all states – they only allow foreigners to buy landed properties if they have strata titles – which usually limits foreigners to buying in gated developments.
For new developments in Selangor, foreigners are not allowed to purchase more than 10% of the total number of properties set aside for non-Bumiputras (each new development has a quota set aside for Bumiputras, or the indigenous Malay people, called “Bumi Lot”).
Lastly, in Selangor foreigners are not able to buy property at auction or buy agricultural land.