How to check a property developer in Malaysia before you book

You can check a property developer in Malaysia on TEDUH, the housing data portal run by the National Housing Department (JPN). The Housing Ministry (KPKT) says it shows a developer's licence status, its advertising and sales permit, each project's progress, and whether a project is classed as late, sick or abandoned.

A new launch is a promise. You pay a booking fee and sign the sale and purchase agreement (SPA) for a home that will take years to build, so the developer's record matters as much as the floor plan. Most of what you need to know is public, and the checks take an evening.

There are six checks, in this order: licence and permit, track record, KPKT enforcement and Tribunal awards, annual reports for listed developers, questions for the sales gallery, and the warning signs that should slow you down.

Quick answer: Search the developer and the project on KPKT's TEDUH portal to confirm a valid licence and advertising and sales permit, and to see if any of its projects are late, sick or abandoned. Check JPN's published lists of problem projects and warned developers, look the company up on SSM, read the annual report if it is listed on Bursa Malaysia, and get answers in writing at the sales gallery.

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Before you start: what you need

Before you start, collect three things: the developer's full company name, the project name as it appears on the permit, and the permit numbers from the brochure or advertisement. Brand names on billboards are often different from the licensed company, and large groups usually build each project through a separate subsidiary.

Write down the exact name of the company that will sign your SPA. That company, more than the group behind it, is the one you are checking. Keep a simple note of what you find, with the date you checked, so you can compare two or three developers side by side.

Step 1: Check the licence and sales permit

Under the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Act 1966 (HDA), a developer needs a housing developer's licence from KPKT, and each project needs an advertising and sales permit (APDL) before it can be marketed or sold. KPKT encourages buyers to verify both on TEDUH before paying anything, either on the portal or the TEDUH mobile app.

On TEDUH, search for the project and the developer. Check that the licence is valid, that the APDL covers the exact phase and unit type you are being offered, and that its dates are current. If the sales team is taking bookings and you cannot find a permit for that phase, stop and ask why in writing.

TEDUH also shows approved selling prices and certain government approvals, including any extension of time (EOT) granted for delivery. An extension changes when you get your keys, so note it.

Example: A brochure lists a licence number and an APDL number for "Phase 2". On TEDUH, the APDL you find covers Phase 1 only. Until Phase 2 has its own permit, ask the developer to show it before you book.

Step 2: Look at the track record

A licence tells you a developer is allowed to build. Its finished projects tell you how it builds. On TEDUH you can look up the developer's other private housing projects and see whether any are flagged as late, sick or abandoned, the status categories KPKT lists on the portal.

Then go and look. Visit one or two of the developer's completed projects, ideally ones that are five or more years old, and check the common areas, lifts and car parks. Speak to residents or the joint management body if you can. Search the project names with words like "defects" and "late delivery" to see what owners have said in public. Look for the same complaint from several owners, since one unhappy post says little.

Questions to answer for each past project:

A new developer with no completed projects gives you less to go on. In that case, the company's backers, its directors' history and the project's construction progress carry more weight.

Step 3: KPKT blacklist and Housing Tribunal awards

KPKT can act against a developer whose project fails. In a Dewan Rakyat reply on 27 Oct 2025, the Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government said that once a project is confirmed as abandoned, the ministry blacklists the developer and the company's board members. Blacklisted parties cannot apply for new housing licences and their existing Housing Development Accounts are frozen; the ministry said it is reviewing the HDA to add stronger powers.

How to check

KPKT's portals do not appear to offer a single searchable "blacklist" of named developers. What JPN does publish, on its official reports page, are links to three lists on TEDUH: abandoned projects, the status of sick projects, and developers that have been given warnings. Check the developer's company name and its directors' other companies against all three. If you are unsure, email or call JPN and ask whether the developer or its directors have any enforcement action on record.

The Tribunal for Homebuyer Claims

The Tribunal for Homebuyer Claims (Tribunal Tuntutan Pembeli Rumah) hears buyers' claims against developers under the HDA. It now sits within the Housing and Strata Management Tribunal (TPPS), which aims to resolve homebuyer claims within 100 working days of filing. According to KPKT's Tribunal FAQ, the key rules are:

Source: KPKT, Tribunal for Homebuyer Claims FAQ (as of 26 Oct 2026)

For checking a developer, the Tribunal matters in two ways. Ask the sales team directly whether the developer has had Tribunal awards against it and whether it paid them on time. And keep the Tribunal in mind as your own route if delivery is late: liquidated damages for late delivery under the SPA are a common claim, and the low filing fee keeps a claim affordable.

Step 4: Bursa-listed developers: read the annual report

If the developer or its parent company is listed, its annual reports and quarterly results are public on Bursa Malaysia's company announcements page. You are looking for one thing: whether the company can finish what it has started.

Open the latest annual report and the last two quarterly reports, and check these sections:

• Property development segment. How much revenue and profit comes from building homes, and whether it is growing or shrinking.
• Ongoing and completed projects. Most developers list their projects with completion status. Compare the dates they give with what you saw on TEDUH.
• Unbilled sales. Sales already booked but not yet billed, which show how much work is in the pipeline.
• Borrowings and cash. Rising debt with falling cash is worth a closer look, especially for a smaller developer.
• Auditor's report. Read the opinion paragraph. Any "material uncertainty related to going concern" wording is a serious flag.

For a developer that is not listed, the SSM e-Info portal sells a company profile (RM15.40) showing its directors, shareholders and registered address, and a two-year financial comparison (RM25.40). Check that the company that will sign your SPA is the one on the licence, and look at the other companies its directors are involved in.

Step 5: Questions to ask at the sales gallery

The sales gallery is where you test what you found. Viewings and price lists are usually handled by the developer's sales team or a registered estate agency, and their job is to sell. Ask specific questions and ask for the answers in writing or in the SPA, not in a chat message.

Take the draft SPA home before you sign. Ask a lawyer you appoint yourself to read it, even if the developer suggests a panel lawyer, and ask them to confirm the parties, the delivery date and the payment schedule.

Step 6: Warning signs

Most launches are sold properly. Each sign below is a reason to slow down and check again before you pay.

• No permit you can find. Bookings taken for a phase that has no APDL on TEDUH.
• Name mismatch. The company on the SPA is not the company on the licence or permit.
• Pressure to pay now. "Only today" pricing, or a request to pay a deposit before you have the draft SPA.
• Payments to the wrong account. Being asked to pay into a personal account, or an account that is not the project's Housing Development Account.
• A past project on JPN's lists. Any project by the developer or its directors' other companies flagged as sick or abandoned, or the developer named on the warning list.
• No visible progress. A site with no work months after the launch, especially if an extension of time has already been granted.
• Vague answers. No clear delivery date, no named contractor, or no list of completed projects.

If something feels wrong after booking, you can submit a complaint about a developer to JPN through TEDUH, and the Tribunal covers claims within its limit.

Where PropLaunch helps

Once you have shortlisted developers, PropLaunch shows each licensed project's units left and prices by floor, and every project page links to the developer's page, which lists that developer's other projects on PropLaunch that are for sale, launching soon or sold out. It is a quick way to see how much a developer is building at once before you run the checks above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check if a property developer is licensed in Malaysia?

Search the developer and the project on KPKT's TEDUH portal or the TEDUH app. It shows the developer's licence status and the advertising and sales permit for each project. Check that both are valid and that the permit covers the exact phase you are buying.

Does KPKT have a blacklist of property developers?

Yes. KPKT has said it blacklists the developer and the company's board members once a project is confirmed abandoned, which bars them from new housing licences. There does not appear to be one public list of blacklisted names, so check JPN's published lists of abandoned projects, sick projects and warned developers on TEDUH, and ask JPN if you are unsure.

What is the maximum I can claim at the Tribunal for Homebuyer Claims?

RM50,000 per claim, according to KPKT's Tribunal FAQ. A higher amount can be heard only if you and the developer agree in writing. Filing costs RM10, and the claim must be filed within 12 months of the CCC or the end of the defect liability period, depending on the claim.

Can I use the Tribunal if I am buying in Sabah or Sarawak?

No. The Tribunal covers housing in Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan under the HDA. Sabah and Sarawak have their own housing laws, so check with the state housing authority or a lawyer there.

What does a "sick" project mean?

It is one of the status categories TEDUH uses, alongside late and abandoned, for private housing projects in trouble. A sick project has not been declared abandoned, but it is a reason to ask the developer for its recovery plan and to watch the site closely.

Is a new developer with no track record a risk?

Not necessarily, though you have less evidence to judge it by. Look harder at the company's directors and shareholders on SSM, its financial backers, whether the permit and licence are in order, and whether construction is visibly progressing.

Where do my payments go when I buy a new launch?

Payments to a licensed developer are meant to go into the project's Housing Development Account, which is held with a bank. Ask which bank holds it, and check that your payment instructions name that account.

Before you book

Run the six checks for every developer on your shortlist and keep your notes dated. Confirm the licence and permit on TEDUH, look at the developer's past projects and JPN's lists, read the annual report or SSM profile, and get the sales gallery's answers in writing. Then compare launches side by side.

See this year's launches

This guide is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Rules and rates change; confirm the figures that apply to you with your bank, your lawyer or LHDN before you commit. PropLaunch is not a real estate agency.

Related guides

• How to read a sales permit and the completion date
• Buying a new launch in Malaysia: the complete 2026 guide
• The costs nobody mentions when you buy a new home