The Expat's Guide to Renting in Kuala Lumpur
The Long-Term Expat's Complete Guide To Renting In Kuala Lumpur
If you're among the many foreigners soon to call Kuala Lumpur home for the next year or more, this guide provides clarity on a key part of your stay: finding the best expat living places in Kuala Lumpur to rent.
Here's how we'll break it down:
- legal requirements for non resident tenancies
- expat tenancy agreement best practices
- 6 best areas to live in Kuala Lumpur for expats, rental estimates included
As this guide is meant to inform and educate, pardon us if our language is a bit dry. Trust us, there will be plenty of small talk when you get here as us Malaysians consider it a national sport!
Let's begin.
Legalities of renting as a foreigner
Your residency status depends on your specific Malaysian retirement, employment, or student programme.
Here's a simple test: if your programme doesn't allow you to stay in Malaysia indefinitely without renewing your visa, you're a non-resident, with minor implications on the tenancy process.
Additional paperwork for non-residents
Prospective non-resident tenants must provide the following supporting documents:
- a valid passport and visa
- proof of employment or study
In addition, some landlords may ask for proof of financial stability. This is not a legal requirement but assures them you are safe to have as a tenant. Pull out a stack of hundred dollar bills and make it rain or send a bank statement screenshot - your call.
3 Tenancy agreement best practices
Most landlords in Malaysia are decent folks who wouldn't dream of cheating anyone.
However, as you'll be on foreign soil, protect yourself with these three tenancy agreement practices for expats moving to Kuala Lumpur.
1. Stick to one year contracts
If you sign a two-year rental agreement and need to move out of Malaysia after a year, an early termination clause (standard in most contracts) can require you to pay the remaining twelve months' of rent, not to mention forfeiting your utility and security deposits!
A one year contract minimises the risk you bear while still being long enough for most landlords.
2. Include an 'expat' clause
Also known as a diplomatic clause, it removes liability to pay rent if the tenancy agreement is ended prematurely due to job termination or dropping out of university.
Bear in mind, it usually comes with a minimum termination notice period and compensation to the landlord if it is not honored. We think this is a fair compromise to both parties, and should be a standard inclusion.
Since the world could always use more empathy, our guide on expat clauses considers both a landlord and tenant’s point of view.
3. Document any damage or defects
There must be a section in the agreement detailing existing damage or issues with fixtures, furniture, and appliances. However, say your landlord forgets his son drew a giant doodle of Spongebob in the kitchen, and it gets left out of the agreement.
We're obviously joking, but when you or a representative physically inspect the property, be sure take pictures and videos of any damage or faulty facilities in case it becomes a point of dispute later on. Protect your security deposit!
Need help? Here’s a checklist of the top 15 things to check when moving into a new condo.
What makes an ideal expat living spot?
Since you're here to work, study, or build a new life, our recommendations prioritise day-to-day comforts over adventure. In our opinion, an expat-friendly location in Kuala Lumpur should meet the four following conditions:
1. High English proficiency amongst locals
Overall, Malaysia ranks among the top 25 countries globally for English proficiency, but within her borders, it differs massively by locality. Even within metropolitan areas, you can find communities that speak little to no English, and we'd only recommend them to expats who wish to practice their miming skills.
2. Plenty of other expats in the community
While you'll make plenty of local connections, there's no substitute for a nearby community of fellow expats that you can relate to. Cultural differences between you and locals become much more tolerable with a social safety net, and can actually give you confidence to venture out and experience more of Malaysia.
3. Easy access to train stations and malls
Kuala Lumpur is very well-connected via railway, and living near a train station gives you tremendous flexibility with commuting and travel arrangements.
On days you don't want to deal with a jam-packed highway, it's nice to have the option of an equally crowded train compartment - at least you'll arrive on time!
4. Proximity to international schools
For expats coming here with their families or plans to start one, having a reputable international school nearby is probably the top priority, and bonus points if it's near a train station.
It's a common sight for stations to be swarmed by students in uniforms, and it's generally safe for schoolchildren to travel by train during the day.
Based on the above factors, here are our top spots for expats to rent in Kuala Lumpur.
6 best areas to rent in Kuala Lumpur for expats
When foreigners think of 'Kuala Lumpur', most of the time they're actually thinking of Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley. Strictly speaking, Kuala Lumpur is part of Greater Kuala Lumpur.
As many popular expat living spots aren't actually located in Kuala Lumpur proper, our list includes locations across the entire Klang Valley that satisfy long term expat needs.
And, as no one is immune from cost of living, we've included average rent estimates for a range of property types, all pulled from Lemmy's proprietary machine learning model trained on Malaysian property datasets for up-to-date insights into the local rental market.
💡Disclaimer: These estimates were obtained from LemmyAdvisor. our proprietary rental pricing estimator, and were last updated based on data as of 23 February 2024.
We're committed to keeping information on this page as current as possible, and recommend readers use LemmyAdvisor for the most accurate results.
1. Bangsar
Nearest train station: Bangsar LRT
Nearby malls: Bangsar Shopping Centre, Bangsar Village, and The Gardens Mall
Nearby international schools: Sri Dasmesh, Stella Maris, and Havil
2. Damansara Heights
Nearest train station: Semantan and Pusat Bandar Damansara MRT
Nearby malls: Bangsar Shopping Centre, DC Mall, and Pavilion Damansara Heights
Nearby international schools: Stella Maris and Cempaka
3. Desa Parkcity
Nearest train station: Kepong KTM (not walking distance)
Nearby malls: The Waterfront and Plaza Arkadia
Nearby international schools: The International School @ ParkCity
4. Bukit Bintang / KLCC
Nearest train station: Bukit Bintang MRT and KLCC LRT
Nearby malls: Too many, here's a standalone list!
Nearby international schools: AIS, Taylor's, Sayfol, St John's, and Alice Smith
5. Taman Tun Dr Ismail
Nearest train station: TTDI Deloitte MRT
Nearby malls: One Utama, The Curve, and Ikano Power Centre
Nearby international schools: Aspiration and ENSO
6. Mont Kiara
Nearest train station: Segambut KTM (not walking distance)
Nearest malls: 1 Mont Kiara, Publika, and 163 Retail Park
Nearby international schools: Mont'Kiara International and Garden International
PS: Dive deeper into each of these rental spots with our location-specific guides:
Transparent KL rental prices you'll find nowhere else
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