Maintenance fee Malaysia calculator: condo charges and sinking fund

The short answer

• What it is. In a condo, apartment or serviced apartment, every owner pays monthly charges into a maintenance account and a sinking fund contribution into a separate account. Together they are what people call the maintenance fee or service charge. In Malay, the official strata forms call the charges caj, the maintenance account akaun penyenggaraan and the sinking fund contribution caruman kepada kumpulan wang penjelas (Form 15, Strata Management (Maintenance and Management) Regulations 2015, as published by Majlis Bandaraya Seremban).
• How it is calculated. The law splits the building’s costs in proportion to each unit’s share units, not by square feet. A rate “per sq ft” is a shortcut that gives roughly the same result for similar units.
• Sinking fund. At least 10% of the charges. A general meeting can raise it, never lower it.
• Who sets it. The developer at first, then the Joint Management Body (JMB), then the owners’ Management Corporation (MC) at a general meeting.
• Paying late. The Act sets penalties, and the management body can take you to court or to the Strata Management Tribunal.

Maintenance fee and sinking fund: the difference at a glance

People use “maintenance fee” for two payments that the law keeps apart. Quoted rates sometimes include both, so ask which one a figure covers.

	Maintenance fee (charges)	Sinking fund
What it pays for	Regular running costs: cleaning, security, minor painting, wiring and water tank checks, audit fees, the managing agent’s fee (s.23(3))	Capital works: repainting, replacing fixtures and equipment, upgrading the common property (s.24)
Where it is kept	Maintenance account (akaun penyenggaraan)	Separate sinking fund account
How much	Your share of the building’s budget, by share units	At least 10% of the charges; a general meeting can raise it, never lower it
Who pays	Every owner, including the developer on unsold units	Every owner, including the developer on unsold units

The next section shows who decides each amount at each stage of the building’s life.

Who sets the maintenance fee, stage by stage

A strata building passes through three management stages. Who decides the amount changes at each one.

Stage	Starts	Who sets the charges	Sinking fund	Section
Developer’s management period	When the first keys (vacant possession) are handed over	The developer, in proportion to allocated share units	10% of charges	s.12
Joint Management Body (developer + buyers)	First JMB general meeting, no later than 12 months after the first vacant possession	The JMB, in proportion to allocated share units	10% of charges, or more if a general meeting decides	s.17, s.25
Management Corporation, preliminary period	When strata titles are issued	The developer, in proportion to share units	10% of charges	s.52
Management Corporation	After its first annual general meeting	The owners, at a general meeting	10% of charges, or more if a general meeting decides	s.59, s.60, s.61

Two points the old version of this page got wrong:

• The management corporation is not “set up” by owners. It comes into existence automatically when the land office opens the strata register for the building, that is, when strata titles are issued, and it includes every owner (Strata Titles Act 1985, s.39). The threshold of one quarter of the share units sold to buyers decides when its first general meeting is held, not whether it exists (Mondaq).
• The developer sets the first fee. If you think the amount set during the developer’s period is wrong, you can ask the Commissioner of Buildings (COB, the strata office of your local council) to review it. The COB can fix the amount or order the developer to appoint a registered property manager to propose one, and the decision binds the developer (s.12(7), s.52(6)-(7)).

The JMB stage also has a rule on fairness: according to a 2025 study published by INSPEN, the government’s valuation training institute, recent court decisions allow an MC to charge different rates to parcels used for very different purposes, while a JMB must keep one rate for everyone.

How the maintenance fee is calculated: share units

The legal formula

Every parcel in a strata building is given a number of share units. They are worked out by the developer’s licensed land surveyor using the formula in the First Schedule of Act 757 (INSPEN, 2025):

Share units = (area of the parcel in m² × WF1 × WF2) + (area of any accessory parcel × WF3)

• WF1 depends on the type of parcel and how much it uses the common property: whether common areas are air-conditioned and served by lifts or escalators. It ranges from 0.85 to 3.20 according to INSPEN.
• WF2 depends on the size of the parcel (for example, a whole floor or part of one). It ranges from 0.80 to 1.
• WF3 applies to accessory parcels such as a car park bay or a yard, with a different weight inside or outside the building.

Your building’s charges are then split like this:

Your monthly charges = monthly budget for charges × (your share units ÷ total share units of the building)

Your sinking fund = your monthly charges × 10% (or the higher rate voted by a general meeting)

The same share units also give you your weight in a poll vote at general meetings (The Edge, 17 August 2026).

Where to find your share units. Before selling, the developer must file a Schedule of Parcels with the COB showing the share units of every parcel (INSPEN). Buyers can ask the developer for it, and the figure is printed on the strata title once issued (The Edge, 17 August 2026).

Why everybody quotes a rate per sq ft

Developers and agents quote the fee as “30 sen psf” because it is easy to compare. For units of the same type in the same building, share units grow roughly with floor area, so the shortcut gives a similar answer. It stops working when units have car park bays counted as accessory parcels, when commercial and residential parcels share a building, or when the size factor differs. As strata lawyer Chris Tan put it in EdgeProp in 2019, no single formula fits all buildings.

Monthly maintenance fee (shortcut) = built-up area in sq ft × rate per sq ft, plus 10% sinking fund if the rate excludes it

Check one thing when you are quoted a rate: does it include the sinking fund? Some launches quote the total, others the charges alone. On 1,000 sq ft, “30 sen including sinking fund” is RM300 a month in total; “30 sen excluding sinking fund” is RM330.

What the calculator does not tell you

This gives an estimate, not your bill. Your real charges come from your share units and the budget set by the developer, the JMB or the MC. A rate per sq ft does not count accessory parcels such as car park bays. Late-payment penalties, special levies and utilities billed to your own unit are not included.

Worked examples

Case	Inputs	Charges / month	Sinking fund / month	Total / month	Total / year
Rate excludes sinking fund	1,000 sq ft × RM0.35, 10%	RM350.00	RM35.00	RM385.00	RM4,620.00
Rate includes sinking fund	1,000 sq ft × RM0.30 all-in, 10%	RM272.73	RM27.27	RM300.00	RM3,600.00
Sinking fund voted at 15%	1,000 sq ft × RM0.35, 15%	RM350.00	RM52.50	RM402.50	RM4,830.00
Share units	RM1.2 million annual budget, 136 of 100,000 share units, 10%	RM136.00	RM13.60	RM149.60	RM1,795.20

The last line is a pure illustration of the legal method. A parcel of 100 m² with WF1 = 1.3 and WF2 = 1, plus a 12 m² car park bay inside the building with WF3 = 0.5, would carry 100 × 1.3 × 1 + 12 × 0.5 = 136 share units. The weights are those cited by a valuer in StarProperty (27 May 2019); your own figure is in your Schedule of Parcels.

What maintenance fees are in Klang Valley projects: published figures

No official body publishes an average maintenance fee. NAPIC, the national property data centre, does not, nor do the COBs or the big consultancies. What exists are estimates announced by developers at launch and reported by the press. They are the developer’s first-period figure and the JMB or MC can change them later.

Project	Area	Rate reported	Includes sinking fund?	What it is	Source, date
Sunway Flora 2	Bukit Jalil, KL	about RM0.30 psf	Yes	Launch estimate	The Edge, 28 Apr 2025
M Azura (Mah Sing)	Setapak, KL	RM0.30 psf	Yes	Launch estimate	EdgeProp, 14 Aug 2024
Alishan Residences (Sunway)	Cheras, Selangor	RM0.33 psf	Yes	Launch estimate	The Edge, 19 Sep 2022
Jernih Residence (Sunway & MKH)	Kajang, Selangor	RM0.25 psf	Yes	Launch estimate	EdgeProp, 6 May 2022
Bangsar Hill Park, Verdura	Bangsar, KL	RM0.385 psf	Not stated	Launch estimate	The Edge, 26 Apr 2021
Residensi Astrea (UEM Sunrise)	Mont Kiara, KL	about RM0.35 psf	Not stated	Launch estimate	The Edge, 14 Jan 2019
Aosis Mont Kiara (JKG Land)	Mont Kiara, KL	45 sen psf	Yes	Launch estimate	The Edge, 24-30 Aug 2026
Star Residences	KLCC, KL	RM0.50 psf	No	Charge in a completed building	The Edge, 2022

What this table shows, and what it does not:

• The launch estimates we found for Klang Valley projects between 2019 and 2025 sit between RM0.25 and RM0.385 psf; a 2026 Mont Kiara launch was quoted at 45 sen psf including the sinking fund. That is a small sample of press reports, not a market average.
• Fees can rise after handover. EdgeProp’s article on a developer raising a fee from 35 sen to 65 sen psf eight months after owners began paying is a hypothetical scenario, not a reported case. It shows why the developer’s first figure is only an estimate (EdgeProp, 9 March 2019).
• Missing: none of the ten projects in our Kuala Lumpur top 10 that launched in 2025-2026 has a maintenance fee published by the developer or the press. Our Mont Kiara top 10 gives the figure where one was reported. We found no published launch figures for Johor Bahru or Penang projects. Ask the developer for the estimated charges and the Schedule of Parcels before you sign.
• Not used: fees quoted in agent listings for luxury buildings in KLCC. They are undated, sometimes contradict each other for the same building, and cannot be checked. We also found no source for the widely repeated claim that some KLCC residences charge more than RM2 psf.

What the sinking fund is for

The sinking fund is kept in its own bank account and may only be spent on capital costs: repainting the common property, replacing or renewing fixtures and equipment, and similar works (s.24). It is the money that should pay for a lift replacement or a façade repaint without a special levy.

• Minimum: 10% of the charges at every stage (s.12(4), s.25(4), s.52(3), s.61(3)).
• More: a general meeting may set a higher rate, never a lower one.
• Developer’s unsold units: the developer pays charges and sinking fund on them like any owner (s.25(2)).

Why a maintenance fee can look high, and whether you can avoid it

The fee is the building’s budget shared out, so a high fee usually reflects what the building offers and how the budget is split. We found no official benchmark that says what is “too high”.

• Facilities and common areas. The share-unit formula gives a higher weight (WF1) to parcels that use more of the common property, such as air-conditioned common areas served by lifts or escalators. A building with more of these has a bigger budget to share.
• Accessory parcels. A car park bay inside the building carries its own share units, so two units of the same size can pay different amounts.
• Mixed use. Where commercial and residential parcels share a building, a per sq ft shortcut stops being a reliable guide.
• A larger sinking fund. A general meeting may vote a rate above 10% of the charges.
• Fees after handover. The developer’s first figure is an estimate, and the JMB or MC can change it later (see the table of published figures above).

Can you avoid it? No. Every owner pays charges and a sinking fund contribution, and the developer pays on its unsold units. You can still act on the amount:

1. Before buying, ask for the estimated charges and the Schedule of Parcels, and check whether a quoted rate includes the sinking fund.
2. If the developer set the fee, ask the Commissioner of Buildings to review it (s.12(7), s.52(6)).
3. Once the owners’ body runs the building, the owners set the amount at a general meeting, so attend and vote.
4. For a dispute over charges, the Strata Management Tribunal hears claims of up to RM250,000.

What happens if you do not pay

The management body must follow the procedure set by the Act:

1. Notice. It serves a written demand giving you at least 14 days to pay (s.34(1)).
2. Penalties. Unpaid sums carry the penalties set by the Act (s.25(6), s.60(3)).
3. Offence. Ignoring the notice without a reasonable excuse is an offence, with a fine of up to RM5,000 (s.34(3)).
4. Recovery. The JMB or MC can sue for the debt in court or at the Strata Management Tribunal (s.33(3)), and the COB can issue a warrant to seize the owner’s movable property, which is auctioned if the debt is still unpaid 14 days later (s.35).

Arrears are common. In March 2025 the property managers’ association PEPS put collection rates at 40-50% in low-cost buildings, 60-70% in mid-range and 80-95% in high-end ones (NST).

Can the JMB cut your water? The Act gives no such power. Property management guides describe water, electricity and entry to your own home as off-limits, while restrictions on facilities such as the pool or gym are more often discussed (TimeTec). We could not read the by-laws in the 2015 Regulations that cover access cards, so check your building’s by-laws and ask the COB if it happens to you.

If you own, rent out or sell

The management body bills the registered owner of the parcel. Three situations come up often.

• Owning from abroad. The Act sets no separate rule by nationality in the provisions we read. You pay the same charges and sinking fund contribution as any owner. Keep a Malaysian bank payment route or a local contact, so a demand notice does not go unseen.
• Renting the unit out. The management body deals with you as owner. Whether a tenant repays any part of the fee depends on your tenancy agreement; we found no rule in the sources we read that moves the charge to the tenant. If you quote a yield, state whether the fee is deducted, as a gross figure and a net figure differ by that amount.
• Selling the unit. We did not verify in the Act how unpaid charges pass to a buyer. Before you sign, ask the management office for a written statement of account for the unit, and keep the receipts.

On a 1,000 sq ft unit, the example table above shows RM3,600 to RM4,830 a year in charges and sinking fund, depending on the rate and whether it includes the sinking fund. Use the calculator with your own figures.

Can a JMB impose fines?

The Act itself sets penalties on unpaid charges (s.25(6) for a JMB, s.60(3) for an MC). A JMB can also take you to court or to the Strata Management Tribunal for the debt (s.33(3)). Beyond that, we could not confirm what your building’s by-laws allow, because we did not read the by-laws in the 2015 Regulations. Ask the management office for the by-laws in writing. If you are charged a fine that does not match them, ask the COB.

Where to complain: COB and Strata Management Tribunal

• Commissioner of Buildings (COB). Each local council has one. It reviews charges set by the developer (s.12(7), s.52(6)), receives the Schedule of Parcels and supervises JMBs and MCs.
• Strata Management Tribunal. It hears claims of up to RM250,000, with no time limit for filing, and a residential claim costs RM100 to file (EdgeProp, 24 November 2022, quoting the Tribunal’s deputy chairman). Disputes over collecting or paying charges made up 80% of its common claims at the time.

Will the rules change?

• Strata Management Act review. On 10 August 2026, at the launch of the National Housing Policy 2026-2035, Housing Minister Nga Kor Ming said the government “will look into amendments” to Act 757 to strengthen the accountability of JMBs and MCs, and proposed a new Building Managers Act (The Star). No amendment bill had been tabled by 28 October 2026. The policy also proposes showing long-term maintenance costs in strata sale agreements; that is a proposal, not a rule.
• Urban Renewal Bill. It deals with redeveloping old strata buildings, not with maintenance fees. The government withdrew it in January 2026 to revise it (The Star, 24 January 2026) and, as of 21 October 2026, it was still described as “proposed” (The Star).

We will update this page when either law changes.

About this edition

This guide was rewritten from scratch on 28 October 2026. The previous version gave fee ranges for Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bahru that we could not trace to any source, and it described how a management corporation is formed incorrectly. We removed everything we could not check.

It covers Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan, where the Strata Management Act 2013 (Act 757) applies. Sabah and Sarawak have their own laws. Section numbers below refer to Act 757; we read them in the consolidated text published by the law firm Low & Partners. The rules under review are covered in the section above. The property desk of Smart Invest Malaysia is responsible for this page. Method: each rule is tied to a section of the Act, and each figure to a dated, linked source.

We do not say whether a fee is good value or which building to buy. We explain the rules and show what has been published.

FAQ

How is the maintenance fee calculated in Malaysia? By share units. The building’s budget is divided in proportion to each parcel’s share units, and 10% of that amount is added for the sinking fund. A rate per sq ft is the usual shortcut.

What is the average maintenance fee for a condo in Malaysia? No official average is published. Launch estimates reported by the press for Klang Valley projects between 2019 and 2025 range from RM0.25 to RM0.385 psf (see the table above).

What is “maintenance fee” in Malay? Penyenggaraan means maintenance. In the official strata forms, the charges are caj, they are paid into the akaun penyenggaraan (maintenance account), and the sinking fund contribution is caruman kepada kumpulan wang penjelas (Form 15, Strata Management (Maintenance and Management) Regulations 2015).

What does a condo maintenance fee cover? At the JMB stage, section 23(3) of Act 757 limits the maintenance account to regular spending such as keeping the common property in good condition, cleaning, security, minor painting, wiring and water tank inspections and repairs, rent and rates, audit fees and the managing agent’s fee. The sinking fund pays for capital works such as repainting, replacing fixtures and upgrading the common property (s.24(2)) (Act 757, consolidated text, Low & Partners). Utilities used inside your own unit are billed separately.

Is the maintenance fee monthly or yearly? Rates are quoted and usually billed per month. The budget behind them is normally set for a year, so multiply the monthly figure by 12 to compare buildings.

Is the sinking fund included in the maintenance fee? Legally they are two separate payments into two separate accounts. Quoted rates sometimes include both, so ask.

What is a share unit? A number given to each parcel by the developer’s land surveyor, based on its area, its type and any accessory parcel. It decides your share of the charges and your weight in poll votes.

What is the difference between a JMB and an MC? The JMB includes the developer and the buyers and runs the building before strata titles are issued. The MC is the owners’ body that exists once the titles are issued.

Who decides if the maintenance fee goes up? The developer during its period, then the JMB, then the owners at an MC general meeting.

Why is the maintenance fee so high? Fees follow the building’s budget. Lifts, air-conditioned common areas and facilities raise costs, and share units give heavier weights to parcels that use more of them. A larger sinking fund also adds to the bill. If a developer-set fee looks wrong, ask the Commissioner of Buildings to review it.

Can you avoid a monthly maintenance fee? No. The Act makes every owner pay charges and a sinking fund contribution, and the developer pays on unsold units too. You can check the estimated charges and the Schedule of Parcels before buying, vote at general meetings, and ask the Commissioner of Buildings to review a developer-set amount. Not paying leads to a written demand, penalties and possible court action.

What happens if you don’t pay maintenance fees in Malaysia? The management body serves a written demand giving at least 14 days to pay (s.34(1)). Unpaid sums carry penalties set by the Act, and ignoring the notice without reasonable excuse is an offence with a fine of up to RM5,000 (s.34(3)). The JMB or MC can sue in court or at the Strata Management Tribunal, and the Commissioner of Buildings can issue a warrant to seize movable property (s.35).

Who should pay the maintenance fee? The owner of each parcel pays the charges and the sinking fund contribution to the management body, and the developer pays on units it has not sold (s.25(2)). Whether a tenant repays you is a matter for your tenancy agreement. We found no rule in the sources we read that moves the charge to the tenant.

What is the difference between a sinking fund and a maintenance fee in Malaysia? The maintenance fee, or charges, pays regular running costs such as cleaning, security and minor repairs. The sinking fund is a separate account for capital works such as repainting and replacing fixtures, set at no less than 10% of the charges. Quoted rates sometimes add the two together, so ask which one a figure means.

Sources

Strata Management Act 2013 (Act 757), consolidated text by Low & Partners, Part 1 and Part 2 · Strata Titles Act 1985, Part VII · INSPEN, Journal of Valuation and Property Services, vol. 24, 2025 · press articles linked in the text. Checked on 28 October 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.