EXPATS - Beware of House Owners in Penang! We were Robbed (not literally)!
We lived in Penang for three years and initially believed our landlord was a decent person because he always spoke politely and seemed reasonable. The apartment was a 3-bedroom unit in Bayan Lepas, and although it was advertised as “fully furnished,” it was actually very basic. It came with four air conditioners, fans, and lights, but there were no built-in wardrobes, shelves, or proper kitchen cabinets. The kitchen only had movable, non-attached units, and the owner had provided two small IKEA cupboards worth around RM300–350 each. Despite that, we liked the apartment because of the beautiful view and its convenient location near the airport and my husband’s workplace.
At the beginning of the tenancy, when the rent was RM1500, the landlord collected the following deposits:
- Security deposit: RM3000
- Utilities deposit: RM750
- Access card deposit: RM250
- Water deposit: RM250
So in total, he held RM4250 as deposit. The tenancy agreement was handled through a licensed agent.
The landlord himself did not live in Penang; he stayed in another city. Our decision to leave Penang and relocate happened suddenly, but we still gave him two months’ notice as required under the agreement. When we asked about the refund process, he assured us that his father would inspect the house before our move-out date and the deposits would be settled smoothly on the same day.
Later, he changed the plan, saying his father was busy, and instead sent an agent five days before we vacated the apartment. During the inspection, the agent only mentioned that the air-conditioners needed servicing bills and that the house would require one-time professional cleaning after we moved out. We specifically asked if there were any other damages or repair concerns, and he said no.
After that, the landlord told us we could simply hand over the keys to the agent on the final day, and he would transfer the deposit within a few days. Since he had always behaved nicely, we trusted him and did not think much of it.
However, after we vacated the apartment and relocated to another country, the situation completely changed. When we followed up regarding the deposit, he suddenly started claiming there were multiple “damages” and repair costs amounting to RM3500 or more. He even claimed that our deposit was insufficient and that we owed him additional money.
Many of the so-called damages were unreasonable. For example, the kitchen had no chimney, exhaust, or protective tiling, yet he blamed us for oil splashes on the walls. Naturally, any family that cooks regularly will cause some wear in a kitchen without proper fittings. In another case, one of the IKEA wardrobes had a few tiny nails come loose from the thin cardboard backing — something we genuinely did not notice because the cupboard was placed against the wall. Instead of a simple fix costing a few ringgit, he claimed the entire wardrobe needed replacement.
Most of the issues he listed were minor wear-and-tear items or small repairs that could easily be fixed with inexpensive DIY materials, but he exaggerated everything into major replacement costs.
I’m sharing this experience so that other expats in Penang or Malaysia can be more careful when dealing with landlords. We were unaware of the proper move-out and deposit recovery process and made the mistake of not involving an agent or conducting a formal handover inspection ourselves before returning the keys. Because we were relocating in a hurry, we trusted the landlord too easily and ended up in a very difficult situation. Unfortunately, experiences like this make many expats feel taken advantage of.
PS: He said he will not return anything - that is 4250 RM and said he would like us to transfer more amount towards IKEA cupboard+delivery!