Buying process & handover
Avoiding property scams in JB: 7 rules
30-second summary
- Developer: Licence + advertising permit numbers on the ad
- Project: TEDUH shows progress, delays, cancellations
- Agent: REN / REA / PEA, verifiable with LPPEH
- Payments: Only company / project / lawyer accounts
- Subsale: Lawyer's land search verifies the owner
- Red flags: Guaranteed returns, nominees, pressure to sign
1. Check the developer
- The ad should show the developer licence number and advertising and sales permit (APDL) number and validity
- Verify the licence in KPKT's system
- Look at past projects: delays, abandonment, quality complaints
2. Check the project on TEDUH
TEDUH is the housing ministry's project tracker, showing whether a project is on track, late (Lewat), "sick" (Sakit) or had permits cancelled.
3. Verify the agent
Malaysian estate agents must be registered: a REN (Real Estate Negotiator) works under a registered firm (REA), and you can check the name and number on LPPEH. Unregistered "agents" collecting commission act illegally and are hard to hold to account.
4. Payment rules
- New launch: pay the developer's company account or Housing Development Account, and get an official receipt.
- Subsale: the earnest deposit is usually held by a lawyer as stakeholder or a registered agency's client account.
- The receipt should state the unit, price, perks, signing deadline and refund terms if the deal doesn't proceed.
5. Subsale: verify the owner
Have a lawyer run a land search and match the name on the title with the seller's IC / passport; for mortgaged homes, confirm the bank redemption process.
6. Be careful with "guaranteed rental returns"
Many guarantees are built into the price, and rents can drop when the guarantee ends. Check the guarantor's finances, the contract and actual rents nearby.
7. Never use a nominee
Buying in someone else's name to get around the foreigner floor or Bumi rules means the title isn't yours — a very high legal risk.
Common scams
- Fake landlords collecting rental deposits before viewings
- People posing as developer sales staff offering "insider prices"
- Fake law-firm emails asking you to "change the payment account" — call the firm's official number
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