PETALING JAYA, 04 December 2025 – The REHDA Institute has renewed calls for a fundamental rethinking and thorough review of Malaysia’s housing policies, with particular emphasis on the “Housing for All” agenda. This urgent statement follows a highly insightful roundtable convened on 3 December 2025, which successfully gathered over 100 stakeholders from across the housing sector, including professionals, academics, bankers, corporates, NGOs, think tanks, and government authorities.
The session, designed to foster constructive dialogue, featured a presentation by Sr. Malathi Thevendran, Director of Research and Education at REHDA Institute, which was moderated by Datuk NK Tong, Immediate Past President of REHDA Malaysia, and facilitated by senior academic staff from Universiti Malaya.
The event underscored its collaborative nature through broad participation, including representatives from federal agencies such as the Kementerian Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan (KPKT), Kementerian Ekonomi, Jabatan Penilaian dan Perkhidmatan Harta (NAPIC), Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia (DOSM), and PLANMalaysia. They were joined by a senior housing representative from the Negeri Sembilan State Government, state housing boards from Pahang, Perak, Pulau Pinang, and Selangor, as well as local authorities from Klang, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Kuantan, Pasir Gudang, and Seberang Perai.
In his concluding remarks, Dato’ Jeffrey Ng Tiong Lip, Chairman of REHDA Institute, stressed the critical need for dynamic, data-driven, and collaborative strategies to address Malaysia’s housing challenges effectively.
As a social enterprise and independent think tank dedicated to real estate training, research, and education, REHDA Institute reaffirmed its commitment to working alongside government and industry players to foster a sustainable and equitable housing ecosystem.
Ng highlighted the necessity of regular reviews of the housing quota policy.
“The intent is not to dismantle the quota system, but to adjust it responsibly as market and socio-economic forces evolve,” he clarified.
He emphasised that a uniform, one-size-fits-all approach across States and Districts has proven ineffective, often resulting in mismatches between supply and demand.
According to DOSM data, median household income has outpaced median house prices in recent years, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2% compared with 3.7% between 2022 and 2024. The data further indicates a clear upward shift in household incomes across both Bumiputera and Non-Bumiputera groups, with households earning RM9,000 or more rising steadily from 2014 to 2024.
Policy Recommendations
The Institute advocates policies that are contextualised and tailored to the socio-economic and market conditions of each locality. It further emphasised that net disposable income, rather than gross household income, provides a more accurate measure of affordability, reflecting actual spending capacity.
Social housing, the Institute stressed, must be recognised as a shared responsibility requiring joint support from government and stakeholders, rather than being perceived solely as the developer’s burden. Stronger collaboration across the industry is vital for sustainable implementation. A key area for immediate action is the unlocking of idle land, particularly parcels originally designated for schools, facilities, or public amenities but which remain underutilised or oversupplied.
Ng also proposed broadening the burden of cross-subsidy across the industry. The Institute suggested a detailed study to explore how other stakeholders, including financial institutions, might contribute; for example, through special quotas or preferential interest rates for social housing. He further urged that the current policy framework, often perceived as punitive, evolve towards one that rewards compliance and responsible delivery, thereby fostering a more collaborative environment.
Broad Participation
Leading financial institutions such as CIMB Group Holdings Berhad (CIMB), Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC), and Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank) participated, alongside professional bodies including Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM), the Malaysian Institute of Planners (MIP), and the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM). Academic institutions such as Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) also contributed. NGOs and think tanks, including Khazanah Research Institute (KRI), the Malaysian Association of Abandoned Building Owners (Victims Malaysia), and Save Kuala Lumpur were likewise represented.
Data Integration and Enforcement
Ng underscored the crucial role of data sharing and integration in effective policymaking. Despite extensive datasets across platforms such as PADU, DOSM, and NAPIC, these resources remain underutilised. Weak monitoring of affordable housing eligibility has created opportunities for abuse. REHDA Institute advocates stronger enforcement at all levels of government and systematic analysis of data by qualified research bodies to translate information into actionable insights.
To overcome fragmentation in data management, the Institute proposed the establishment of a centralised data agency, equipped with skilled analysts and supported by coordinated intergovernmental collaboration, to serve as the backbone of consistent, reliable, and data-driven housing policy.
The insights from this roundtable will inform REHDA Institute’s forthcoming research report, “Housing for All: Co-Creating a Needs-Driven Framework”, scheduled for launch in 2026.
