23-07-2025
‘Tribunal key to curbing rental bias'
Rajiv, speaking at the forum in Petaling Jaya, says a rental tribunal will be able to address disputes for both tenants and landlords. — Photos: CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
A RENTAL tribunal under the proposed Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) can help address issues related to rental disputes, eviction claims and race-based discrimination, a forum has heard.
Findings by Architect of Diversity (AoD) show that reasons for discrimination by landlords can be grouped into three categories – bad experiences, poor resolution mechanisms leading to overreaction, and prejudice masked as 'racial preference' alongside cultural or religious concerns.
Wee: Biases pervasive in rental industry.
AoD executive director Jason Wee said the race-based filtering issue by landlords and property agents remained widespread.
'There are many findings across our research and public sentiment surveys on landlords and tenants.'
If the bill is not tabled and passed, it will continue to do injustice to the affected Malaysians, Wee said during a forum by Social Democracy Malaysia (SocDem) and AoD in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
He added that some property websites still allowed filtering of prospective tenants by race.
The forum, titled 'Tackling Rental Racial Discrimination', explored how the long-awaited legislation could formalise protections and promote equal treatment.
'Fear of income loss is the landlord's top concern, often leading them to screen tenants based on race rather than financial credentials,' said Wee.
Kusaaliny: Tribunal can protect both parties.
SocDem co-founder and Petaling Jaya City Council Zone 11 councillor M. Kusaaliny said the proposed Act should include provisions for a rental tribunal.
'The goal of the tribunal is to protect interests of both tenant and landlord.
'It would allow both parties to resolve disputes efficiently without the cost of legal representation, with claims amount capped,' she said.
'No one wins in a broken rental system.
'If landlords cannot rent out their properties safely, the market slowly dies.
'If tenants cannot secure homes because of prejudice and harm caused by others, the cycle will never be broken,' Kusaaliny stressed.
Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran, a tenant and landlord himself, said he understood the challenges faced by both sides.
'We need quick decisions on problems.
'If a tenant does not pay rent, or if there is a leaking roof or faulty toilet, bring these up to the tribunal,' he said.
Rajiv said out of nine million households in Malaysia, about 1.8 million were staying in rented properties.
'Even if just 5% of these have disputes, that is enough to keep a tribunal busy,' he said.
He highlighted that the tribunal could balance the interests of both landlords and tenants.
'If a tenant moves out and the landlord finds damage, taking legal action can cost around RM6,000 in fees.
'The tribunal would ease this burden.
'There must be a clear provision in the law that there will be no racial discrimination in housing.
'The most important element is to establish the tribunal,' said Rajiv.
