The maintenance fee in the sales brochure is not your maintenance fee for life. Malaysian law puts no cap on it.
In Malaysia the opening fee is set by the developer before a single real bill exists. After owners take over, how much it rises is decided by the JMB or MC (the owners' management body) and the owners' general meeting.
Think RM0.38 per sq ft is cheap? A 900 sq ft unit pays RM342 a month. Over 30 years that is about RM123,000, before any increase.
Think you stop paying when you retire? The Strata Management Act 2013 has no exemption for age or income. As long as the unit is in your name, you pay.
Think the worst for not paying is a reminder letter? Up to 10% a year interest, access card blocked, pool and parking cut, a tribunal claim. But one line holds: nobody can lock you out of your own home.
"I'm not living just to pay maintenance fees!"
On 28 October an owner in Shah Alam posted on Threads: the fee went from RM460 to RM500 in 5 years, and management wants RM700 from next year.
Same lift, same guardhouse, RM200 more a month, RM2,400 more a year.
Over a thousand likes and two hundred comments, all asking the same thing: can they really do this? Another post hit harder: do we pay this forever? What happens when we retire with no income?
Why is the fee so cheap when you get the keys, then shoots up a year or two later?
Plenty of owners are complaining on Threads: "From RM460 to RM500 in 5 years, and now RM700 next year?!" Chances are you have walked into the most common new-condo trap: the honeymoon period.
1. The developer's sums (the secret of section 12(2), Act 757): at handover the building has not received a single real electricity bill, and the fee is set by the developer itself.Here is the key: by law, the developer pays the same fee on every unit it has not sold! If you were the developer, would you set it high or low? Low, of course: a sweet opening price that helps sales and cuts its own bill.
Then the owners form the JMB, see the real bills for guards and lifts, and find the money does not add up. Without an increase, the lifts stop.
2. What is a fair number? We pulled the cards on 200 new projects: do not just take the salesman's word. PropertySifu took the maintenance fees of 200 new condo projects in our listings, all converted to include the 10% sinking fund, and this is what we found:- The Klang Valley "pass mark": the project right in the middle of the pack charges RM0.38 per sq ft. A standard 900 sq ft unit paying RM342 a month is perfectly normal.
- Salesman quoting you under RM0.30 per sq ft? Do not celebrate yet. Ask what it leaves out: how many guards, how the lifts are maintained, whether the sinking fund is included. The opening fee is a guess made before any real bills, and once owners take over it has to catch up.
Is your fee expensive? Check it against this table
| The projects you look at | Projects | Middle project (per sq ft/month) | Half the projects fall between | 900 sq ft per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuala Lumpur | 134 | RM0.385 | RM0.33–0.495 | RM346 |
| Selangor | 61 | RM0.35 | RM0.30–0.385 | RM315 |
| From under RM500k | 63 | RM0.35 | RM0.33–0.385 | RM315 |
| From RM500k–800k | 90 | RM0.361 | RM0.33–0.40 | RM325 |
| From RM800k–1.5m | 34 | RM0.44 | RM0.36–0.55 | RM396 |
| From RM1.5m up | 13 | RM0.67 | RM0.50–0.968 | RM603 |
| All | 200 | RM0.38 | RM0.33–0.44 | RM342 |
Watch for "RM0.35 per sq ft, excluding 10% sinking fund": for 900 sq ft that is RM315 plus RM31.50. "Excluding" is where the last 10% hides.
You blame "management", but who is actually holding the pen?
Same building, different stage, different person setting the price, and different moves you can make:
| Just handed over: developer decides | JMB: owners + developer | MC: owners in charge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who sets the fee | Developer (s.12(3)) | JMB decides (s.25(3)) | Owners vote at the general meeting (s.60(3)) |
| Sinking fund | Fixed at 10% | At least 10% | At least 10% |
| Late interest | 10% a year | Up to 10% a year | Up to 10% a year |
| If you disagree | Ask the Commissioner of Buildings to review (s.12(7)) | Meeting, COB, tribunal | Meeting, COB, tribunal |
Each unit pays by its "share units", roughly by size: the bigger the unit, the bigger the bill. The Commissioner of Buildings (COB) sits in the local council: DBKL in KL, each local council in Selangor.
Why can the shops downstairs pay a different rate from you?
In condos sitting on a mall or hotel, who pays what is a constant fight. The courts decided two cases this year:
| Case | What the court decided | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Hatten Square, Melaka (Federal Court, 8 September) | A JMB charging the mall and hotel different rates: invalid | Under a JMB, everyone pays the same rate per share unit |
| The Summit Subang USJ (Court of Appeal, 26 June) | An MC can set different rates for parts used in a "distinctly different" way | With a sound reason, shops and homes under an MC can pay different rates |
Pure residential condo? Little impact. Condo on top of a mall? Ask how rates are split before you sign.
Disagree with the increase? 4 moves, in this order
- Attend the general meeting, or send a proxy. Under an MC, owners vote on the fee. Ask to see the budget and where the money goes. Empty seats are how a handful of people set the bill for everyone.
- Still in the developer period? Ask the COB to review the amount. Any buyer can apply.
- No accounts, no meetings? Complain to the COB.
- Last resort: the Strata Management Tribunal. Claims up to RM250,000, usually no lawyer needed. Hatten Square started here and won.
Not paying? They can block your card, but they cannot keep you from home
You get 14 days after the bill. Miss it and three things come for you:
- Interest: up to 10% a year.
- Restrictions: after a 14-day notice, access card blocked, sign in like a visitor, no pool, gym or parking.
- Recovery: a tribunal claim, or an application to seize your movable property.
On 29 October Housing Minister Nga Kor Ming told Parliament owners must be let in through the guardhouse after signing in, and allowed to use the normal lift or stairs. The ministry also encourages instalment plans for owners in real hardship, and Act 757 is under review.
Loan paid off, retired, no salary. Still have to pay? Yes.
You think: once the loan is done, the house costs nothing.
The truth: the maintenance fee is a lifetime monthly bill, like water and electricity. The Act has no exemption for age or income.A 900 sq ft unit pays about RM342 a month, about RM123,000 over 30 years, before any increase.
Plan while you still have income. If the income stops: ask management for instalments, rent the unit out, or move to a smaller one. Fewer share units, smaller bill.
4 kinds of buyers who should walk away from a high-fee condo
- Your budget only just covers the loan: at RM0.70 per sq ft, 900 sq ft costs RM630 a month before the instalment, and it can rise.
- You plan to retire here on a fixed income but never counted the fee.
- You rely on rent to pay the loan: no tenant, the fee still goes out.
- You will use the sky pool once a year: the gyms and concierge are paid for by the whole building.
Want those services and have the budget? A high fee is fine. The point is to know the number before you sign, and how it might change.
Before you sign, let Sifu check
- The developer's quoted fee, and whether it includes the sinking fund
- Whether it is high or low for the same area and price range
- How many units and lifts the building has
- What your chosen layout actually pays each month
We cannot lower a building's fee or speak for its management. Using PropertySifu costs you nothing; how we work: PropertySifu's model.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a legal limit on how much the maintenance fee can rise?
No ceiling on the fee itself under the Strata Management Act 2013. It must be split by share units, and at an MC it is decided by vote at a general meeting. The sinking fund must be at least 10% of the fee, and late-payment interest cannot exceed 10% a year.
Can the management raise the fee without my agreement?
Yes, if it is passed properly; your individual consent is not needed. Your protection is to attend or send a proxy, demand the budget, and if the rules were broken, go to the Commissioner of Buildings or the Strata Management Tribunal.
Is the sinking fund always 10%?
At least 10% of the maintenance fee. In the developer period it is fixed at exactly 10%; once a JMB or MC is in charge, a general meeting can set it higher but never lower.
Can they cut off my access card if I owe fees?
Yes, after a 14-day notice, along with facilities and parking. But they must still let you reach your unit through the guardhouse and a basic lift or stairs, as the Court of Appeal ruled on 26 October 2026 and the housing minister repeated on 29 October.
What is the Strata Management Tribunal claim limit?
RM250,000, under section 105 of the Strata Management Act 2013. Lawyers are generally not needed.
Can shop owners in my development pay a different rate from home owners?
During the JMB period, no: the Federal Court left in place a ruling that different rates at Hatten Square were void. Once an MC is formed, it may set different rates for parts used for significantly different purposes if it can justify them, as the Court of Appeal held for The Summit Subang USJ.
Does the fee in the brochure stay the same after I move in?
Not necessarily. It is the developer's estimate before the building has real bills. The JMB or MC can change it once owners take over.
Law: Strata Management Act 2013 (Act 757), sections 12, 24, 25, 52, 60 and 105. Court rulings: Federal Court on Hatten Square as reported by The Star on 28 September 2026; Court of Appeal on The Summit Subang USJ as reported by The Edge (13 to 19 July 2026 edition). Minister's statement: The Star and The Edge, 29 and 30 October 2026. Story: public posts on Threads (28 October and 3 July 2026) and Xiaohongshu, paraphrased. Our data: developer-quoted maintenance fees on PropertySifu project pages, read 2 November 2026; projects that do not say whether the sinking fund is included, or quote per month or per share unit, are left out. Quoted fees are opening estimates and can change after handover. The 30-year figure is RM342 x 12 x 30 at today's fee, with no increase assumed. This is a factual summary, not legal advice.
Send us the project and the fee in the brochure. We tell you whether it includes the sinking fund, whether it is high for the area, and what your layout really pays each month.
Once you sign, this is a bill you pay for life.