Yew Huoi, How & Associates | Leading Malaysia Law Firm

PROPERTY LAW – REAL ESTATES – FREEHOLD –LEASEHOLD

Definition of Real Estate

  • Real property is commonly defined as land and the things permanently attached to the land (e.g. buildings).

Based on what system?

  • Property Administration in Malaysia is based on the Torrens System.
  • Under this system, all dealings in land must be registered in order to be effective.

Governed by which legislation?

  • Property law in Malaysia is governed by four (4) main legislations known as
  • National Land Code 1965;
  • National Land Code (Penang and Malacca Tiles) Act 1963;
  • Sarawak Land Code;
  • Sabah Land Ordinance.

National Land Code 1965 is only applicable to Peninsular Malaysia.

Can we have rights over the land?

  • You have a right to do with the land as you please, subject to restrictions imposed by law.
  • When you own land, you can do many things, e.g.
  • Rent/lease it to others;
  • Sell/transfer it;
  • Use it as collateral for a loan.

Tenure of land in Malaysia falls into two broad categories

  • Freehold
  • Leasehold

Freehold title:-

  • Enables the owner to hold the property forever (in perpetuity).

Leasehold title:-

  • The owner can only hold the property for a fixed period of time.
  • Land owned by states and are usually leased for term of 99 years.
  • Upon the expiry of leasehold tenure, the property is required to be surrendered to the state government if the owner does not apply to the state government to renew the leasehold tenure of the property.
  • Renewal of lease can be done by paying Premium to the state government.

Recent Post

JURISDICTION – CHOOSING THE RIGHT COURT: THE SEA JUSTICE CASE HIGHLIGHTS WHERE MARITIME DISPUTES SHOULD BE HEARD

In The Sea Justice cases [2024] 2 Lloyd’s Rep 383 and [2024] 2 Lloyd’s Rep 429, the Singapore courts tackled a key question: which country should handle a maritime dispute when incidents span international waters? After examining the location of the collision, existing limitation funds in China, and witness availability, the courts concluded that China was the more appropriate forum. This ruling highlights that courts will often defer to the jurisdiction with the closest ties to the incident, ensuring efficient and fair handling of cross-border maritime disputes. This approach is also relevant in Malaysia, where similar principles apply.

Read More »

BREACH OF CONTRACT – FORCE MAJEURE – FORCE MAJEURE UNPACKED: WHEN ‘REASONABLE ENDEAVOURS’ DON’T BEND CONTRACT TERMS

The UK Supreme Court clarified the limits of force majeure clauses, ruling that “reasonable endeavours” do not require a party to accept alternative performance outside the agreed contract terms. This decision emphasizes that force majeure clauses are meant to uphold, not alter, original obligations – even in unexpected circumstances. The case serves as a reminder for businesses to define alternative options explicitly within their contracts if flexibility is desired.

Read More »

NEGLIGENCE – MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE – HOSPITAL ACCOUNTABILITY REINFORCED: COURT UPHOLDS NON-DELEGABLE DUTY IN MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE

In a landmark ruling, the court reinforced the hospital’s non-delegable duty of care, holding that even when services are outsourced to independent contractors, the hospital remains accountable for patient welfare. This decision emphasizes that vulnerable patients, reliant on medical institutions, must be safeguarded against harm caused by third-party providers. The ruling ultimately rejected the hospital’s defense of independence for contracted consultants, underscoring a high standard of duty owed to patients.

Read More »

CONTRACTS – CONTRACT FOR THE SALE OF GOODS FOB – REMOTENESS OF DAMAGES IN BACK-TO-BACK CONTRACTS – COURT DEFINES LIMITS ON LIABILITY

In a complex dispute involving back-to-back contracts, the court clarified the boundaries for assessing damages, emphasizing that a chain of contracts does not automatically ensure liability passes through. Although substantial losses resulted from delays and disruption, the court highlighted the importance of the remoteness of damages, noting that each contract’s unique terms ultimately limited liability. This decision emphasise the need for parties in chain contracts to carefully define indemnity and liability provisions, as damages are assessed based on foreseeability rather than simply the structure of linked agreements.

Read More »

TORT – BREAKING CONFIDENTIALITY – COURT CRACKS DOWN ON INSIDER LEAKS AND CORPORATE CONSPIRACY

In a recent ruling on corporate confidentiality, the court held two former employees liable for disclosing sensitive business information to a competitor, deeming it a breach of both employment contracts and fiduciary duties. This case highlights the serious consequences of unauthorized sharing of proprietary data and reinforces that such disclosures can lead to substantial legal and financial repercussions, even for the receiving parties if they knowingly benefit from confidential information.

Read More »
zh_TWZH
× 联系我们