Property Agents

I find that in Malaysia almost everyone goes through a property agent to purchase or rent a property. Are there no such things as online portals where owners/landlords deal directly with buyers/tenants without the commission agents involved? Has anyone done any transaction without the use of agents?

Of course. There is Mudah. Likewise, Penang runs on Facebook and owners are present in the groups. Try joining Expats in Penang and Partners in Penang. There are also other property-related groups, I just can't recall their names right now.

Can't imagine why you'd want to not use an agent in Malaysia.

I can't locate the owners on Facebook. The Mudah site are 99% advertised by housing agents. Thanks anyway.

@abdulkhalil : why would use an agent whose main objective is to collect commissions from both the landlord and the tenants when eventually you still need to get a lawyer to do the paperwork?

Why don't  you place a request Stantcs - there were several owners recently advertising their units. One was on Gurney Drive and the other in Pulau Tikus.

Actually in Penang you don't need to pay commission (although the SOP is 50%/50% split between owner and tenant - which is different from KL). If you go through Reapfields they don't seem to charge the tenant). It's down to your negotiating skills. But this will only work if you want a one year plus lease.

Thank you so much Gravitas. All this while I was under the impression  that the tenant also has to pay one month rent as commission to the agent for one year lease. I shall try  and work on my negotiation skills

Stancs, the reason I asked you is because you got your information all wrong which is something that I suspected because I am a landlord and have bought, sold and rented out many properties in KL.

If you are a tenant you NEVER pay the agency commission. ONLY the landlord pays the agency commission. This is typically one months rent.

If you are either buying or selling a property only the SELLER pays the agency commission. This is typically anywhere between 1.5% with no GST to 3% with GST depending on how well you negotiate with the agent.

Secondly, you really do not need to use a lawyer to draw up a Tenancy Agreement. These agreements are all pretty standard. You just need to read through it carefully and look out for certain terms concerning the return of the deposit and cancelling the Agreement prematurely or extending the Agreement. These are the most important terms to look into. The rest is just common sense such as clauses to cut water or electricity in case of non payment of rent, or what happens when the tenants pays late etc, but you really do not need a lawyer for this.

You should also read the thread entitled "Tips & Advice for Renting an Apartment in KL" by Hansson because this basically applies to houses and apartments allover Malaysia.

Tips & Advice for Renting an Apartment in KL

Thank you very much abdulkhalil for your kind advice which is very valuable for me as a foreigner. I also appreciate very much the link you provided regarding "Tips & Advice for renting an Apartment in KL."   I would recommend all foreigners/expats and even some ignorant locals who gave me wrong information  to read this very detailed  and informative thread.
I have also found some misleading information posted on this link: (moderated: if this is misleading information, please do not promote it!)

Penang is different - the commission to the agent is usually split 50/50 between tenant and owner but other arrangements can be agreed, including the amount of the deposit.

Didn't realize Penang is different, thanks for the clarification.