Our fees
The statutory ceiling on subsale agency fees is 3%. We charge 2%, and we invoice it on completion. There is no fee to a buyer or a tenant on our own listings.
2% + 8% SST
Invoiced on completion, never upfront
The statutory cap on subsale agency fees is 3% under the Seventh Schedule. We charge 2%.
1 month’s rent
On signing of the tenancy — ¾ month on renewal
Optional management at 6% of monthly rent for owners living overseas.
No fee
The seller or the landlord pays
On developer projects the developer pays us. You never pay a buyer’s fee at Kelawei.
Everything else you will be billed for
These are not our fees. They go to solicitors, the state or the bank, and we list them so nothing arrives as a surprise.
| Cost | Who charges it | Typical |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer stamp duty (MOT) | Stamp office | 1/2/3/4% tiers · flat 8% non-citizen |
| Loan agreement stamp duty | Stamp office | 0.5% of the loan |
| Legal fees, SPA | Your solicitor | Statutory scale |
| Legal fees, loan documentation | Bank’s solicitor | Statutory scale |
| Disbursements | Solicitors, land office | RM1,500 – 2,500 |
| Valuation | Panel valuer | RM800 – 1,500 |
| State consent fee | Land office | Applies to consent cases |
| Penang state levy, foreign acquisition | State of Penang | 3% of the purchase price |
| Tenancy stamping | Stamp office | Ad valorem on the annual rent |
| RPGT on disposal | LHDN | By holding year — nil from year 6 for citizens |
How the invoice works
The agency agreement states the fee, the SST and the trigger for payment before we market the property. There is no sliding scale, no withdrawal fee, and no charge for photography, floor plans or portal listings.
The invoice is raised on completion and is settled out of the sale proceeds by the solicitor, so nothing leaves your pocket separately. If the sale falls through, no fee is due — including where a buyer’s consent application is refused, which is the one outcome nobody can control.
Client money never sits with the agency. Deposits are held by the solicitors as stakeholders, which is both the professional requirement and the sensible arrangement.
Questions about money
Two per cent of the sale price plus eight per cent SST on that fee, invoiced only when the sale completes. Nothing is payable upfront and nothing is payable if the property does not sell. The Seventh Schedule of the Valuers, Appraisers, Estate Agents and Property Managers Act 1981 caps agency fees on subsale at three per cent, so we sit below the ceiling.
Not on our own listings. The landlord pays the letting fee of one month’s rent for a twelve-month tenancy and three quarters of a month on renewal. Tenants pay the ordinary tenancy stamping cost and the security and utility deposits held under the agreement.
Yes, and it is free and written. We appraise against transacted comparables rather than asking prices, which is why our appraisals are sometimes lower than the number another agency gives you at the door. A listing priced above the market simply sits, and a stale listing sells for less in the end.
On island strata expect roughly RM0.28 to RM0.40 per square foot per month for the maintenance charge, plus a sinking fund contribution of about ten per cent of that. A 1,200 square foot unit at RM0.33 therefore costs around RM396 a month plus RM40 sinking fund. Ask for the audited accounts and the sinking fund balance before you commit — a low charge with an empty sinking fund is a bill waiting to arrive.
Kelawei Realty
If we do not sell it, you owe us nothing. That is the whole arrangement, and it is why we would rather price it correctly at the start.
Demo mockup
Kelawei Realty is a fictional real estate agency demo built by Seed Light. We design and build websites like this for real Malaysian businesses.
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Kelawei Realty is a fictional real-estate demo built by Seed Light. We design and build websites like this for real Malaysian businesses.
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