PRIVATE developers could be brought into rent-to-own arrangements to help clear the stock of unsold homes and provide an alternative route to home ownership, says Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu.
The Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister said the ministry was open to exploring strategic partnerships with property developers and financial institutions.
“We believe existing housing stock can be optimised while opening up opportunities for more target groups without creating financial commitments that could become burdensome,” she said during Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
However, she said any such arrangement would depend on factors including property prices, location, market demand and commercial viability.
Aiman Athirah was responding to Mohd Hasnizan Harun (PN-Hulu Selangor) who asked whether the ministry planned to expand rent-to-own schemes to include completed but unsold properties belonging to private developers.
She said the initiative was in line with the National Housing Policy 2026-2035 and the 13th Malaysia Plan, which emphasised alternative home ownership models alongside existing financing assistance such as the Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme and step-up financing.
“The approach can provide a more flexible, gradual path to ownership for people who were not yet eligible for conventional housing loans,” she said.
In her earlier reply, Aiman Athirah said Malaysia recorded 33,094 completed but unsold residential units worth RM17.8bil in the second quarter of this year, an 8.6% increase from 30,471 units in the whole of 2025.
She attributed the mismatch between supply and demand partly to house prices being beyond the reach of some households, as well as unsuitable locations and property types.
Responding to Onn Abu Bakar (PH-Batu Pahat), she said the National Affordable Housing Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, served as a platform for the Federal Government, state governments, local authorities and industry players to coordinate policies and address the issue.
She added that an integrated housing data repository was being developed under the 13th Malaysia Plan to bring together information on housing supply, demand, affordability, prices and unsold units to support future planning.
