REHDA Submits Six-Point Budget 2027 Wishlist, Seeks Special Campaign for Unsold Homes

Key figures

• ●REHDA submitted six Budget 2027 recommendations to the housing and finance ministries, presented by president Datuk Zaini Yusoff
• ●Completed unsold residential units rose to 33,094, worth RM17.78 billion, in H1 2026, up from 30,471 units in H2 2025, prompting a call for a special HOC 2027
• ●Proposed stamp duty relief extension to homes priced RM500,001-RM1 million for 2027 purchases, alongside expanded SJKP financing and step-up mortgage structures
• ●REHDA urged a review of outdated statutory and compliance costs, citing 81% of developers reporting higher business costs and 13% average construction cost growth
• ●Proposed tiered stamp duty exemptions for green-certified homes, from 100% for Platinum to 25% for Bronze, plus a 10-year extension of green tax incentives

News summary

The Real Estate and Housing Developers' Association (REHDA) Malaysia has submitted six recommendations for Budget 2027 to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and the Ministry of Finance, Nanyang Property reported. REHDA president Datuk Zaini Yusoff presented the proposals alongside the association's 1H2026 Property Industry Survey and market outlook at a briefing on September 23, 2026, EdgeProp.my and Newswav reported.

A central request is a special Home Ownership Campaign (HOC) for 2027 targeting residential units that have already obtained their Certificate of Completion and Compliance but remain unsold, in line with the 2026-2035 National Housing Policy, Nanyang Property reported. The Sun reported that completed unsold units climbed to 33,094, worth RM17.78 billion, in the first half of 2026, up from 30,471 units worth RM17.73 billion in the second half of 2025. Newswav reported that 59% of the 181 developers surveyed said they had unsold completed units as of June 30, citing financing rejections, high prices and unreleased Bumiputera units as the main obstacles.

REHDA proposed extending stamp duty exemptions to cover homes priced between RM500,001 and RM1 million, with a tiered relief mechanism for purchases made during 2027, according to Nanyang Property and The Sun. On financing, the association called for the Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme (SJKP) to be strengthened and for step-up financing structures that lower initial mortgage repayments, aimed at helping young buyers, the self-employed and gig-economy workers, The Sun and Newswav reported. Zaini was quoted by Newswav as saying, "Access to housing financing remains a major barrier to house ownership."

REHDA also urged the government to review outdated statutory and compliance costs that add to the cost of housing delivery, EdgeProp.my reported, citing Zaini's remark that affordability should be assessed beyond pricing to include financing access and production costs. EdgeProp.my reported that 81% of developers surveyed said their business costs had risen, with construction costs up an average of 13% between March and June 2026, and 63% citing difficulties sourcing materials and labour; 63% of developers said they planned hiring freezes through June 2027.

On green housing, REHDA proposed a ten-year extension of the Green Investment Tax Allowance and Green Income Tax Exemption schemes, plus tiered stamp duty exemptions for certified green homes — 100% for Platinum, 75% for Gold, 50% for Silver and 25% for Bronze — according to Nanyang Property and The Sun. The association's remaining recommendation called for fiscal incentives to support Building Information Modelling, Industrialised Building Systems, AI and automation, along with enhanced tax deductions for implementation and cybersecurity costs, Nanyang Property reported.