News by Datuk Chang Kim Loong

Malaysia has no shortage of housing data. Government agencies, regulators, financial institutions and industry bodies collectively produce extensive statistics on housing supply, prices, transactions, financing, demographics and market activity.

Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming has repeatedly referred to 139 potential redevelopment areas in Kuala Lumpur in discussions surrounding the proposed Urban Renewal Act (URA).

The latest data from the National Property Information Centre (Napic) suggest what the National House Buyers Association (HBA) describes as a structural contradiction in Malaysia’s “affordable housing” segment, highlighting a widening disconnect between what is being built and what households can realistically afford.

When Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming declared in April, this year, that national success should be measured not merely by economic growth but by the happiness of the rakyat, it drew considerable attention. 

When the Housing Ministry announced it was studying the very Option to Purchase (OTP) mechanism HBA had long advocated, it presented us with both an opportunity and an obligation — to examine honestly what OTP can and cannot achieve.

The Madani government's proposal to establish an Ombudsman through a new Ombudsman Act has been welcomed broadly as an administrative reform. 

The Malaysia Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) Annual Report 2025 makes for sobering reading. It confirms what many in the industry have long feared — residential fires remain the deadliest category in the country.

On Feb 26, 2026, the Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government, Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu, reportedly stated in the Dewan Rakyat that local councils in Peninsular Malaysia “have no authority to take action against abandoned vehicles within strata-titled properties — unless the Joint Management Body (JMB) or Management Corporation (MC) formally requests it”.

Residential safety is not a luxury. It is a non-negotiable right. Until transparency, enforcement and accountability become standard practice, many Malaysians will continue living on the edge—often without fully realising how close they are to falling.

On Jan 23, the Madani Cabinet took the rare step of withdrawing the Urban Renewal Bill (URA Bill)—originally slated for its second reading in Parliament—for comprehensive revision.