The most popular housing type for expats in Malaysia is condominiums. But I lived in a townhouse (a house with different generations living on each floor) In Malaysia. And then I moved and rented a condo unit. It was difficult to find a proper condo unit for my family. When you live in a condo, you also become interested in the condo facilities such as swimming pools, gyms, and saunas.
Table of Contents
1. What You Need to Do Before Finding a Condo Unit
2. How to Find Condo Units
2.1. By Internet
2.2. By Google Maps, search for a neighborhood of interest
2.3. By Traveling to Areas of Interest
3. How to Visit Houses to Rent With a Real Estate Agent
3.1. Circumstance
3.2. Living Environment
3.3. Condo Facilities
4. How to Consider Monthly Rental Fee
5. How to Decide Rent a Condo Unit
6. How to Sign a Contract
7. How to Terminate the Contract
What You Need to Do Before Finding a Condo Unit
First, I selected an area of interest to rent. I set the area of interest a bit broadly. Because after filtering based on various conditions, it was not easy to find a place I liked. Then, I decided whether to furnish the condo I rented.
- Fully Furnished: Curtains, kitchen cabinets, stove, ceiling fan, air conditioner, refrigerator, washing machine.
- Half Furnished: Curtains, kitchen cabinets, stove, ceiling fan.
- Unfurnished: The house is empty without any items. There are even places without electricity or water.
Even though it is ‘fully furnished’, gas is not installed. Since there is no city gas, if you want to use gas, you have to buy a gas bottle directly from a gas station or small mart and connect it to the gas stove.
Whether fully furnished or half furnished, what kind of furniture is installed depends on the owner. There are no set rules about what furniture and items to install. For that reason, you can ask the owner what you want before signing the contract.
When I rented a condo, I looked for a fully furnished condo because I was thinking of buying a house. However, I also considered renting half-furnished or unfurnished units if they were cheaper. Ultimately, we found a fully furnished condo and rented it.
We visited about 10 condos, 1 townhouse, and 3 two-story houses for rent .
How To Find Condo Units
Just like in South Korea, searching the internet and looking for real estate are basics. And Malaysia is no different from South Korea.
By Internet
There are several services available for renting and buying property in Malaysia. ‘Muda’ at the bottom handles all goods, but real estate is also listed.
- iProperty:www.iproperty.com.my
- Property Guru:https://www.propertyguru.com.my/
- Muda:https://www.mudah.my/(Muda means ‘easy’)
Finding a Neighborhood of Interest Using Google Maps
Since it is difficult to visit each neighborhood individually, I search as much as possible using Google Maps. It is easy to find out about the surrounding environment through Google Maps.
You can easily find out where shopping malls, hospitals, highways, subways, etc. are nearby. However, even if you use Google Maps to explore the neighborhood, it is not as good as going there yourself.
By Traveling to Areas of Interest
So, whenever there was a neighborhood that caught my eye, I went there. Visiting a neighborhood in person can help you in two ways.
- Banner Ads: Many apartments, condos, and houses have banner ads posted on their windows and doors. These homes are not usually listed on the Internet. By calling Banner, you can schedule an appointment with the owner or a real estate agent employed by the owner to view the home.
- Check out the vibe of your neighborhood: You can learn about the vibe of your neighborhood in a way that you would never know through the Internet. There were times when I looked at it online and it looked okay, but when I went to town I didn't like it.
How to Visit Houses to Rent With a Real Estate Agent
When you find a home you like, contact the real estate agent and set up a date to visit the home. As long as the real estate agent has the house keys in advance, he or she can visit the house at any time.
In cases where the real estate agent does not have a key, the real estate agent and the homeowner must meet together to open the door. In this case, appointment times for the three people must be set, so visits are often made in the evening.
And when you ask a real estate agent for the house you are looking for, the real estate agent will introduce you to additional houses that he or she knows. This way, you can tour multiple condos on the same day and compare them. And I always took notes.
If possible , it is best to go and check the house during the day. When you're at home during the day, it's easy to check how hot it is and whether it's well ventilated.
Because it is difficult to visit the same house multiple times, you should check it as thoroughly as possible when you visit. So it's a good idea to have multiple people go and check different parts.
circumstance
- Balcony: I needed a balcony to dry my laundry. Many newly built condos either did not have balconies or were too small to be used for drying laundry.
- Outside noise: The living environment that I cared about was noise. If the condominium is located on a main street, the noise from cars and especially motorcycles can be loud. There is also noise generated near markets or certain facilities. Also, if there is a construction site nearby, it is naturally noisy.
- Subway (MRT, LRT) station location: Unless you live in a condo in downtown Kuala Lumpur, it is difficult to get to the subway station on foot. There are usually buses that run to the subway station. Or, for luxury condos, there is a shuttle that runs to the subway station during rush hour . Otherwise, you will need a Grab Taxi or someone else to drive you.
- Supermarket, market location: It's noisy if it's right next door, but it's convenient if it's nearby. Newly developed condos may be far from amenities. (For example, a condo built into a mountain/hill has nothing nearby.)
living environment
- Neighbors: When you visit a house, you should look around and see who lives on that floor. Cooking and ancestral rites for different races may cause smells and noise.
- Noise between floors: Not as bad as in South Korea. If you're lucky, you won't have to worry about noise between floors. However, there may be noise between floors, especially if there are children upstairs.
- Views: Depending on the location of the condo, the view may be blocked on all sides, such as a city view instead of the ocean view of a beachfront hotel. If everything is blocked, ventilation will not work well.
- Driveway: You need to find out if it is easy to access your condo from the road. This is something you can see right away if you drive there.
Condo Facilities
- Swimming Pool: All condos feature a swimming pool. Each condo has different pool locations and sizes. As you move further out into the city, condos have larger communal gardens and larger swimming pools. The pools in city center condos are small.
- Gym and Exercise Facilities (Basketball Court, Tennis Court, Badminton court, Jogging Track): There is usually a gym, but the rest of the exercise facilities vary from condo to condo. Smaller condos do not have special exercise facilities.
- Sauna: No sauna in the condo where I stay
- Parking Lot: Parking lot is important if you drive, but depending on the location of the parking space, parking can be very stressful. For example, you may have your own parking space on the 6th floor. There is no underground parking in Malaysia, and parking starts from the first floor.
- Barbecue: No bbq in the condo where I stay
How to Consider Monthly Rental Fee
Monthly rent for condominiums in Malaysia varies widely. Just like in South Korea, prices vary depending on location and neighborhood. The price does not vary greatly depending on the presence or absence of the subway, but if you go to downtown Kuala Lumpur, the price may vary depending on the distance from the subway station.
And above all, the factor that determines the price of a condo is whether or not it is furnished. Of course, going fully furnished is expensive.
The condo I rented in early 2020 was 1,250 square feet and had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The size of the house is converted to 116 m² , or 35 pyeong. It was fully furnished, and the monthly rent was 1,500 ringgit.
However, my Malaysian acquaintances say that the monthly rent is cheap. And for half-furnished or unfurnished, it costs about 1,200 to 1,250 ringgit.
The cheapest house I've seen is a Malaysian townhouse, which occupies the second floor of a two-story house. The size of the house is 900 square feet (83 m² , 25 pyeong) and the monthly rent is 1,000 ringgit.
The location of the place was a bit ambiguous; it was far from the main road, and I had to buy new furniture and even apply for new water and electricity, so I gave up on that house.
I looked around a lot of condos on the southeastern outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, in the opposite direction to Mont Kiara, where many South Koreans live, and most of them were priced between 1,500 and 1,800 ringgit.
How to Decide Rent a Condo Unit
Before I decided to rent, the condo I was renting did not have a washing machine. So I asked them to install a washing machine. Of course, the landlord may reject the request and find another tenant.
At first, the owner refused to install the washing machine, but eventually he and the real estate agent agreed to pay for the washing machine 50:50 and brought in the washing machine. And there was no TV, but we didn't ask the owner for one.
After adding a washing machine, we decided to rent the condo. I completed a rental decision confirmation document with a real estate agent and paid a deposit equivalent to two months' rent. At this time, the real estate agent sent the PDF document via WhatsApp. I signed the PDF document electronically and returned it to the broker.
How to Sign a Contract
Just like in South Korea, real estate agents, landlords, and tenants come together to write a contract. When writing a contract, there are details about fully furnished items. So, I checked whether the item was working, had any scratches, leaks, etc., took pictures, and shared them.
There were also unusual contract terms. Each landlord has different requirements. So, you need to check the contract carefully. This is part of the terms of the contract for the condo I lived in.
- Curtain washing: Once a year (I washed them myself instead of taking them to a dry cleaner)
- Air conditioner cleaning: Once every 8 months (If you live there for 2 years, you need to have your air conditioner cleaned 3 times. We called a company to clean the air conditioner twice)
The contract was written in English. And the number of contracts is large and the contents are complex. The contract period is 2 years, and the contract is extended for another year after one year.
However, in my case, when I extended my contract after 1 year, it was only extended by 4 months. At this time, the agreement was verbal and there were no intermediaries.
When signing the contract, we also checked items such as air conditioners and ceiling fans, as well as electricity and water. I took pictures of any scratches or other odd parts and sent them to the real estate agent to share. Once the contract is over, the broker may not care.
So, it is quicker to talk to the owner directly about the house. Once you sign a contract, you must pay utility bills.
- Deposit: 2 months rent (paid at time of rental decision)
- Utility expenses: 1 month’s rent
In this way, you pay utility bills equivalent to one month’s rent. I should consider the entire deposit as 3 months' rent. Of course, since it is a deposit, you will get it back.
In my case, I decided on the day I would move out of the rental house first. And I talked to the landlord in advance and asked him to deduct the three months' rent paid in advance instead of paying the monthly rent.
However, the situation may vary depending on the landlord. Unlike South Korea, there was no need to find another tenant. I don't know if it's because a year has passed.
After signing the contract, I went into the rented house and took pictures of the house. The homeowner put the decorated picture frames and magazines in the dresser. And we also changed the furniture arrangement.
How to Terminate the Contract
According to the contract, you must give notice of your move-out to the owner two months in advance. I informed the landlord 3 months in advance and had the landlord deduct the deposit for the remaining 3 months.
Confirm the condo with the owner on the check-out date. It needs to be restored to the way it was when it came in. The owner will check the number of items and whether they are in working order. If there is no problem at this time, return the key and everything is finished.
What do you think?
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