This is for anyone about to offer on a subsale house or condo in Johor Bahru. The short answer: check the paperwork before you pay the earnest deposit, walk the house room by room with a torch and a pail of water, and write what you found into the offer letter and SPA. My guides to buying a subsale property in Johor and subsale risks cover the steps and costs; this is the inspection checklist.
Paperwork to check before you make an offer
Many costly subsale problems are on paper. Ask the seller or your lawyer for these first:
- An official title search. It shows the registered owner, any bank charge, private caveats, prohibitory orders and express conditions. In Johor the official search (carian rasmi) is applied for with Form C2 at the land registry; the 2026 form lists RM150 per title. For strata titles, PTG Johor runs searches online through the eStrata Johor portal: private searches since 25 March 2025, and a second phase for official searches from 12 December 2025.
- Arrears. Ask for the latest quit rent, assessment (cukai pintu) and, for strata units, the management office statement of maintenance fees and sinking fund. Agree in writing who clears arrears up to the completion date. My quit rent and assessment guide explains each bill.
- Approved plans for renovations and extensions. A rear kitchen extension or an extra room upstairs should have a council permit.
In MBJB areas, minor alterations and additions to landed homes need a permit from the council’s Building Control Division. The MBJB guideline says permits last one year, structural work such as reinforced concrete slabs needs a registered engineer’s calculations, and shared walls on terrace and semi-D houses need the neighbour’s consent. Ask the seller for the permit and approved drawing; if there is none, ask your lawyer to raise it, or ask the council (MBJB, MBIP in Iskandar Puteri or MPKu in Kulai) how to check the approved plan.
Why it matters: an unapproved extension can be ordered down at your cost. In October 2025 The Star reported that MBIP had dismantled unapproved extensions in low-cost flats in Skudai after a fire.
Room-by-room physical checklist
Go in daylight, after rain if you can, and allow an hour.
| Area | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Roof and ceiling | Stains, sagging boards, damp smell; look into the roof space | Points to leaking tiles, gutters or pipes above |
| Walls and cracks | Width and direction of cracks; tap tiles for hollow sounds | Thin hairline cracks are usually cosmetic; diagonal, stair-step or widening cracks need an engineer |
| Termites | Mud tubes, soft or hollow door frames and skirting | Repairs can mean replacing frames, kitchen cabinets and roof timber |
| Plumbing | Run upstairs and downstairs taps together; check pressure, slow drains, rusty water | Low pressure or old pipes mean replacement costs |
| Electrical | Age of the DB box, earth leakage breaker, burn marks on sockets, wiring added later | Old or overloaded wiring is a safety risk and costly to redo |
| Wet areas | Pour water on bathroom floors to check for ponding; stains on ceilings below | Failed waterproofing leaks into the room or neighbour below |
| Windows, doors and grilles | Open and lock each one; rust, gaps, water marks under frames | Rain seepage and security |
| Outside and drainage | Blocked or built-over drains, water marks low on walls or gates | Water marks can suggest past flooding |
On cracks: a 2022 Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia study treats thin hairline cracks under about 2mm as usually non-structural, though water entry can widen them. It links wider horizontal, diagonal and stair-step cracks to structural causes such as settlement or faulty construction. If you see those, pay an engineer before you sign.
On termites: Rentokil told EdgeProp in 2017 that termite damage was more common in Malaysian homes than fire or flood damage, costing an estimated RM40 million a year, with Coptotermes species behind about 90% of it.
Viewing a subsale house in JB?
Send me the address or listing. I'll check the title, council approvals and arrears with you before you make an offer.
WhatsApp JasonJohor Bahru points: floods and the drains around you
Low-lying parts of JB can flood quickly in heavy rain. On 12 December 2025 the New Straits Times reported flash floods along Jalan Kolam Air, Nong Chik, Jalan Sungai Chat and the Tasik Merdeka area after about two hours of rain, and the next day the Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS) warned of possible floods in low-lying areas, including the Johor Baru river basin.
Before you buy, I suggest you:
- Check the JPS Public InfoBanjir portal (publicinfobanjir.water.gov.my) for the nearest river level and rainfall stations, and search the news for the street name with “banjir”.
- Ask the neighbours directly whether water has entered houses on the road.
- Look for raised doorsteps, flood boards or water lines on walls.
- Ask your insurer whether flood cover is available.
Extra checks for condos and apartments
- Ask the seller for recent AGM minutes; they show disputes, special levies and planned repairs.
- Owners have limited rights to JMB records: a Court of Appeal decision reported in April 2025 held that the Strata Management Act allows inspecting account books for a fee, not copies. Ask early.
- Check the sinking fund balance and whether a special levy is coming. See my maintenance fee and sinking fund guide.
- Ride the lifts at peak hours and ask for the renovation rules and deposit.
For a brand-new unit at handover, use my vacant possession defect checklist instead; a developer still has to fix defects then, but in a subsale the seller usually does not.
Should you hire a professional home inspector?
For an older landed house, a house with extensions or visible cracks, I think yes. Inspection firms check structure, mechanical and electrical systems, finishes and external works. Fees vary by size and location. The only published figures I found are dated: in June 2018 a Klang Valley inspection firm quoted StarProperty RM650 per 1,000 sq ft for a subsale property. Ask JB firms for a written quote and a sample report.
What to write into the offer letter and SPA
Subsale agreements are drafted for each deal, so the wording is negotiable. EdgeProp’s October 2026 SPA guide warns that a small unclear phrase about vacant possession or fittings can cause a dispute later. Ask your lawyer to cover:
- “As is where is”. Most subsales sell the property in its current condition. If the seller agrees to repair something, name the item and the deadline in writing.
- A fixtures and fittings list. Air-conditioners, water heaters, cabinets, lights and parking bays.
- Vacant possession condition. Empty, cleaned, with all keys, access cards and remotes, and utilities paid up to the handover date.
- Arrears and approvals. Who clears outstanding bills, and what happens if an extension has no approval.
If you are still choosing, browse my subsale houses in Johor Bahru and use this checklist on each viewing.
Questions about your situation?
Send me the listing and what worries you, and I will say what I would check first.
Sources: Pejabat Tanah Johor, “Borang C2: Borang Permohonan Carian Rasmi (Pindaan 01/2026)”, May 2026; Johore Bar Committee, “Circular No. 11/2025: Online private searches for strata titles via eStrata Johor”, March 2025; Johore Bar Committee, “Circular No. 71/2025: Announcement and information by PTG Johor”, December 2025; Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru (MBJB), “Buku Panduan Ubahan Tambahan (kediaman)”, 2016, published January 2023; The Star via Asia News Network, “Illegal extensions plague strata management in Malaysia’s Johor”, October 2025; UTHM, Progress in Engineering Application and Technology, “Investigation on Wall Cracking by Using Visual Inspection and Determine the Suitable Methods for Maintenance Action”, 2022; EdgeProp, “The terminators”, March 2017; Malay Mail, “Irrigation and Drainage Dept: River water levels in Pahang, Johor and Kelantan above danger mark”, December 2022; New Straits Times, “Flash floods in Johor Baru after 2 hours of heavy rain”, December 2025; New Straits Times, “Flood warning for low-lying areas in Johor from Dec 14–17”, December 2025; Burgielaw, “Court of Appeal: A parcel owner is not entitled to documents within the custody of a Joint Management Body”, April 2025; StarProperty, “Ask Me Anything: How much does building inspection cost?”, June 2018; EdgeProp, “What Is a Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) in Malaysia?”, October 2026
Jason Lim, REN 84424, IQI Realty Sdn. Bhd. E (1) 1584/6. General information checked on 20 October 2026, not legal, tax or financial advice.