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Budget 2027 should mark a turning point in addressing Malaysia’s housing affordability crisis, particularly for young Malays and Bumiputera struggling to secure their first home despite having stable jobs and incomes.
PKR deputy secretary-general Saifuddin Shafi Muhammad said the government should place home ownership for young Bumiputera at the centre of its housing agenda when the Budget is unveiled this Friday. He noted that while millions of Malays and Bumiputera are part of the workforce, many young graduates and newly employed workers continue to be priced out of the property market. The situation is becoming increasingly difficult as the average house price approaches RM500,000, a level that is out of reach for many first-time buyers who are only beginning to establish their careers and families.
“More worrying is the fact that tens of thousands of completed homes remain unsold. In the first half of 2026 alone, more than 33,000 completed housing units worth nearly RM18 billion had yet to find buyers,” Saifuddin said in a statement.
He argued that the figures showed Malaysia’s housing problem was not simply a shortage of homes, but a growing mismatch between house prices, household affordability and access to financing.
Three measures proposed for young homebuyers
Saifuddin proposed three key measures that the government could consider under Budget 2027.
First, he called for the expansion of zero-deposit housing schemes for Bumiputera first-time buyers who have a consistent employment record and regular contributions to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).Such a mechanism, he said, could help young workers overcome one of the biggest barriers to entering the property market.
Second, he urged the government to introduce a more comprehensive housing loan guarantee programme to help young Malaysians obtain financing without facing excessively stringent requirements at the early stages of their careers.
Third, he called on Bank Negara Malaysia, financial institutions and the Credit Counselling and Management Agency (AKPK) to review existing home-loan eligibility mechanisms for graduates and younger workers.
“Risk assessments must remain prudent, but they should not become so restrictive that young people are denied the opportunity to build their first asset during their most productive years,” he said.
Affordable housing must lead to permanent ownership
Saifuddin also stressed that government-backed housing programmes should provide a genuine pathway towards permanent home ownership rather than merely serving as temporary accommodation. He said affordable homes, Bumiputera Reserve units, Rumah Selangorku, the People's Housing Programme (PPR) and other public housing initiatives must be designed to help eligible families eventually own their homes.
With thousands of completed properties remaining unsold while young workers struggle to secure financing, Budget 2027 could provide an opportunity for the government to bridge the gap between available housing and actual purchasing power.For young Bumiputera entering the property market, measures such as lower upfront costs, government-backed guarantees and more flexible financing could potentially turn home ownership from a distant goal into a realistic first step towards building long-term wealth.
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