Buying property in Malaysia: legal fees, stamp duty and the real numbers
Few purchases in Malaysian life involve as much paperwork — and as much fee anxiety — as buying property. The good news that surprisingly few buyers know: a solicitor’s conveyancing fees are not a negotiation or a mystery. They are fixed by law, under the Solicitors’ Remuneration Order (the current scale took effect in July 2023), and any lawyer quoting outside the scale is doing something the Bar Council prohibits.
The statutory scale, in plain numbers
For a sale and purchase agreement, the solicitor acting for you charges on the purchase price:
- First RM 500,000 — 1.25% (subject to a minimum fee of RM 500)
- Next RM 7,000,000 (RM 500,001 to RM 7.5 million) — 1.0%
- Above RM 7.5 million — negotiable, but capped at 1.0%
Worked example — a RM 650,000 condominium: 1.25% on the first RM 500,000 is RM 6,250; 1.0% on the remaining RM 150,000 is RM 1,500. Legal fee: RM 7,750, plus 8% service tax and disbursements. If you are taking a bank loan, the loan documentation attracts its own scale fee computed the same way on the loan sum — commonly handled by a second firm on the bank’s panel.
Stamp duty: the bigger number
The tax on the Memorandum of Transfer usually dwarfs the legal fee, and it is also banded:
- First RM 100,000 — 1%
- RM 100,001 to RM 500,000 — 2%
- RM 500,001 to RM 1,000,000 — 3%
- Above RM 1,000,000 — 4%
On that same RM 650,000 condominium: RM 1,000 + RM 8,000 + RM 4,500 = RM 13,500 in transfer stamp duty. Loan documents are stamped at 0.5% of the loan sum. First-time-buyer exemptions come and go with each Budget — as at mid-2026, full stamp-duty exemption applies for first residential homes up to RM 500,000; always verify the current position before you commit, because the savings are substantial.
Disbursements — the honest miscellany
Expect RM 1,500–2,500 in genuine out-of-pockets on a typical purchase: land searches, bankruptcy searches, registration fees, consent applications for leasehold, and the adjudication fee for stamping. A proper quotation lists each item. Treat any single-line “misc charges” entry with suspicion.
Why we publish a calculator
Because the scale is statutory, your total cost is computable the moment you know the price. We built exactly that into our fees page — enter a purchase price and it returns the scale fee, service tax, estimated duty and disbursement range we would put in your engagement letter. If another firm’s quotation differs materially from the statute, ask them why.
Three questions worth asking any conveyancer
- “Will you act for me, or also for the developer or bank?” Conflicts are regulated; you are entitled to know who your lawyer answers to.
- “What happens if completion is late?” The answer should reference late-delivery interest under your SPA, not reassurance.
- “Can I see the fee computation in writing before I sign?” At this firm, that document exists before your file is opened.
This article summarises the law as at June 2026 and is not legal advice for any specific transaction. For a computation on your purchase, use the calculator or write to us.
Vincent leads the firm’s property practice from Penang, acting on en-bloc acquisitions, developer sales and everyday residential conveyancing.
