Renting a home usually requires tenants to prepare a large amount of money for deposits, utilities and tenancy agreement fees.
However, one prospective tenant in Johor Bahru was left confused after a property agent allegedly asked her to pay an additional RM650 labelled as a “professional fee”.
Asked to pay RM5,650 before receiving the keys
In a Threads post that has garnered over 379,000 views, the woman, @nsaffx shared a screenshot of the payment breakdown she received from the agent.
The total amount came up to RM5,650, which included a refundable RM650 utilities deposit, RM450 for a one year tenancy agreement and another RM650 for professional fees.
She was asked to pay RM2,504 as the booking payment, followed by the remaining RM3,146 before the keys were handed over.
Confused by the additional charge, she asked the agent what the professional fee was for.
According to the screenshots, the agent described it as payment to the agency for managing the rental process on the tenant’s side until the key handover.
The woman then questioned why she had to pay the fee when she claimed the property owner was the one who hired the agent.
She later alleged that the agent stopped responding after she raised the issue.
Other tenants shared similar experiences
Her post prompted other Malaysians to share similar encounters with property agents.
One user claimed an agent had described the professional fee as their “salary”, while another joked that some agents were simply replacing the term “agent fee” with “professional fee”.
Several users also urged the woman to keep the agent’s details and lodge a complaint with the authorities.
However, others pointed out that whether a tenant or landlord has to pay the agent depends on which party appointed the agent in the first place.
Agents can only charge the party who appointed them
According to a 2015 circular issued by the Board of Valuers, Appraisers, Estate Agents and Property Managers, Rule 89(3) states that a registered estate agent may only charge and accept fees from the person who appointed them.
The circular adds that agents should collect professional fees from their own clients, whether that client is the landlord or tenant. It would be against the rules for an agent appointed by a tenant to charge the landlord, and the same principle applies the other way around.
LPEPH’s code of conduct also states that a registered estate agent must not accept fees from more than one client in the same transaction.
This means the key question is whether the agent was appointed by the tenant, the owner or both parties.
Based on the screenshots alone, it remains unclear who formally appointed the agent and whether the RM650 fee was eventually paid.
LPEPH provides an official online complaint channel for members of the public who wish to report registered estate agents or property managers.
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