Call to regulate property agents who charge commissions to both landlords, tenants

New Straits Times

21-07-2025

JOHOR BARU: A former Kuala Lumpur-based executive has urged authorities to crack down on property agents in Johor allegedly engaging in unethical practices, including collecting commissions from both landlords and tenants without either party's knowledge.
Nina Omar, 46, who moved to Johor Baru with her family after losing her job during the Covid-19 pandemic, said she has dealt with three different rental properties and repeatedly encountered questionable agent conduct.
"Some agents 'double dip', taking one month's rental commission from both the house owner and the renter, with neither party knowing the other has already paid," she said.
Nina, now living in Forest City, said tenants must insist on transparency.
"Always ask for the landlord's contact after committing to a unit," she advised, adding that agents appointed by owners should not be charging tenants.
She also urged the Board of Valuers, Appraisers, Estate Agents and Property Managers and other relevant bodies to act against rogue agents who exploit tenants, especially those unfamiliar with the rental landscape in Johor.
Nina said during the pandemic, tenants had the upper hand due to weak demand, but things have changed.
"With the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ) gaining traction and Johor's proximity to Singapore, rental prices, especially near the land checkpoints in the state, have climbed significantly," she said.
Still, she maintains that renters should never be forced to pay commission if they did not appoint the agent.
"I have rented homes in Horizon Hills, Aspira Lakehomes, and now Forest City. Not once have I paid agent commission. That cost should be borne by whoever hires the agent," she said.
The mother of five said she had never paid any agent's commission but had paid a one-off RM200 contract renewal fee.
She first rented a house in Horizon Hills, which she found on a property agency website, that was owned by a Singaporean landlord.
The landlord hired a local realtor. Nina paid the standard two months' deposit, one month's advance rental, and a half-month utility deposit.
"A year later, when renewing the contract, the agent asked me to pay him one full month's rent as commission. I declined, I wasn't the one who hired him," Nina said.
She added that the agent eventually relented, likely due to the soft rental market at the time.
"I was paying below market rate because of the pandemic. He had no leverage to impose extra conditions," she said, adding she demanded the owner's contact details.
She then contacted the landlord directly soon after the contract was done.
Two years later, Nina moved her family into a townhouse in Aspira Lakehomes, also without paying any agent fee.
"The owner had already appointed the agent. My dealings were with the landlord and not the negotiator."
She now resides in Forest City, where she said the rental process was transparent and clean.
"The agents here are appointed by the China-based developers. We deal only with the management company, not the owners, and pay two months' deposit and one month's rent in advance. That's it," she said.
Earlier, the NST reported a Malaysian woman working in Singapore had cried foul after she was charged a second agent's commission simply for renewing her rental near the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex here.
The NST has reached out to the State Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA), which monitors industry best practices and ethical standards.
The chairman is expected to respond soon.