Condo Renovation Rules in Malaysia: What Owners Can and Cannot Change

Short answer

Yes: get prior written approval from the body currently managing the scheme before any renovation starts. If the work also needs approval from an “appropriate authority”, that is a separate approval for you to obtain. An ordinary parcel-renovation approval does not by itself permit work outside your parcel or on common property, and no approval permits work that weakens structural members.

This guide covers the federal Strata Management Act 2013 framework, which applies only in Peninsular Malaysia and the Federal Territory of Labuan. Sabah and Sarawak have separate laws and procedures.

Quick guide: five checks before work starts

1. Itemise the scope. List each wall, wet area, service, electrical or exterior change, including condensers.
2. Check the plans. Use strata documents for boundaries, and as-built drawings plus detection for services.
3. Map approvals. Ask management and a competent professional what the address and work require.
4. Read the conditions. Check deposits, deductions, hours, access, protection, waste, inspections and deadline.
5. Keep evidence. Wait for written approval; brief the contractor; photograph the route; keep records.

What the federal strata rules control

One approval rule across different management stages

The body may be the developer, JMB, MC or Sub-MC. The statutory by-laws apply “management corporation” across those stages. By-law 27 requires that body’s prior written approval to renovate a parcel. A verbal okay from a manager, committee member or guard is not enough.

Required “appropriate authority” approval is the owner’s responsibility. If it is missing or improperly obtained, management’s renovation approval is deemed rescinded on discovery. No universal authority is named, so give a competent professional the address, drawings and scope to identify local or technical approval.

Hard limits and extra stop signs

Under the ordinary by-law 27 parcel-renovation route, work must stay within the parcel boundaries, cannot be carried out on common property, and must not weaken shear walls, load-bearing beams or columns. Do not treat that approval as the separate written consent that may be relevant to an exterior fitting or alteration under by-law 29(2), or to a Tribunal common-property-consent claim. Neither route guarantees consent. The owner must pay to make good renovation damage to common property or concealed services; any contractor claim is separate.

Without prior written approval from both management and the appropriate authority, by-law 28 prohibits a new floor level, a relocated external door or window, a changed safety feature, shifted plumbing or sewerage, or changing or upgrading the whole electrical system. Smaller electrical work still needs general management approval but is not automatically whole-system work.

Hacking, drilling, or putting nails or screws into a wall is strictly prohibited within 300 mm of concealed or embedded pipes and electrical conduits; the owner must ensure the contractor uses a metal detector and checks the as-built plans kept at the management office.

If you change floor finishes in a wet area, you must replace the existing damp-proof membrane with a new one and continue it at least 150 mm up at any wall junction. If you change wall tiles in a wet area, replace the affected part of the membrane at the wall-floor junction.

Exterior work that changes the appearance of common property or the building facade, or encroaches onto common property, needs prior written management approval. Facade includes external windows, balconies, terraces and other visible exterior areas. A new outdoor air-conditioning condenser must go in a management-approved designated area.

Deposits and additional building rules

The federal renovation by-law allows management to require a compliance deposit and a completion time, but it does not state one national deposit amount or refund timetable. Get the deductions, inspection and refund trigger in writing.

For a JMB or MC, additional by-laws are made by special resolution and cannot be inconsistent with the prescribed by-laws; the body must keep the current record and, on an owner’s written request, supply a copy at reasonable cost. Developer and Sub-MC routes differ.

How to check whether a wall, pipe or balcony is yours to alter

Do not decide by sight or because a feature seems “inside”. For a titled scheme, start with the strata title and certified strata plan. Before title, the schedule of parcels must include location, storey and delineation plans, plus a legend showing parcels, common property and accessory parcels.

A shared pipe does not prove ownership. If classification remains unclear, remove the item until a qualified person resolves it in writing.

Two hypothetical renovations

Aina plans repainting, loose cabinets and light fittings without hacking, wet work, service relocation or exterior change. She itemises the scope, gets written approval and keeps its conditions, receipt and route photos.

Raj plans to hack a kitchen wall, move the sink and mount a condenser on an undesignated balcony wall. “Inside my unit” does not resolve structure, services, common property or facade. He needs plans, professional input, management’s decision and any authority approval; the condenser needs an approved area.

Your renovation evidence pack

Keep dated copies of:

• the itemised quotation, marked-up scope and contractor agreement;
• current additional by-laws and the approval conditions;
• strata title/plan or schedule of parcels, plus as-built drawings;
• detection record, technical opinion and authority approval;
• management application, proof of delivery and written decision;
• deposit demand, receipt, inspection terms and balance calculation; and
• before-and-after photos, damage reports, invoices and chronology.

For contractor checks, staged payments and defect responsibility, see: https://asklegal.my/p/home-renovation-contractor-malaysia-cidb-checks-written-contract-complaints

If management says no or keeps the deposit

Reduce the dispute to one item: “wall hacking refused as structural” or “RM___ deducted for alleged lift damage”. Then ask for its basis.

Please give the decision for each work item, the by-law or condition, and the plan or technical reason. Also give the current additional by-laws. For any deposit deduction, give the inspection record, photographs, itemised cost and balance. I attach my approved scope, receipt and dated photographs.

Correct an incomplete application first. For a technical dispute, get a plan-specific professional view; for a rule dispute, get the current by-laws and resolution. A narrower resubmission may solve it.

COB or Strata Management Tribunal?

The Commissioner of Buildings administers Act 757 for a local-authority or other specified area. A COB complaint can address administration or compliance only under a relevant Act power; it is not a Tribunal award ordering repayment or consent.

The Tribunal decides claims within its jurisdiction, and an owner may file directly. Categories include exercising or failing to exercise an Act 757 function, an additional by-law amendment, document supply, or consent to alter common or limited common property. It may order payment, a refund, damages, or rectification or variation of an additional by-law. Act 757 excludes claims in which title to land or an estate or interest in land is in question.

Identify the claimant, respondent, claim category and exact order sought. “Management was unfair” is not a remedy. “Supply the current by-laws” or “repay the unsupported deposit balance” is clearer, but jurisdiction and proof still control.

As checked on 9 September 2026, the official eTPS portal offered online filing; recheck the current form, fee, service and hearing instructions there immediately before filing: https://etps.kpkt.gov.my/portal

For more on COB and Tribunal routes, see: https://asklegal.my/p/housing-laws-2026-strata-management-jmb-accountability-malaysia

Enforcement reality

Plans, photographs and technical evidence decide many disputes. A Tribunal award is binding and enforceable as a court order, subject to the Act’s limited challenge route, but actual compliance is separate. Keep disputed work paused.

If work exposes a live cable, causes a leak or raises structural or fire-safety concerns, stop, notify management, preserve evidence and obtain urgent competent help before arguing about approval.

FAQ

Do I need approval for work entirely inside my condo?

Yes. Prior written management approval is required. Authority approval depends on the job; “inside” does not resolve structure, facade, common property or shared services.

Can management require a renovation deposit?

Yes. The federal renovation by-law permits a compliance deposit but sets no national amount or refund timetable. Get the deduction and refund terms before paying.

What does the 300 mm rule mean?

Do not hack, drill or put nails or screws into a wall within 300 mm of concealed or embedded pipes or electrical conduits. You must ensure your contractor uses a metal detector and checks the as-built plans kept at the management office.

Can the Tribunal force management to approve my renovation?

Not automatically. An owner has standing, but the claim must fit the Tribunal’s jurisdiction and cannot put title or an interest in land in question. Ask for an exact order, such as documents, by-law relief, consent or repayment.

Disclaimer

General information only: not legal advice or renovation approval. It covers Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan, not Sabah or Sarawak. Management stage, plans, by-laws, boundaries, local rules and exact work can change the answer. Get technical advice for structural, wet, plumbing, whole-system electrical, fire-safety or exterior work, and recheck procedures.

Sources

1. Attorney General’s Chambers / Ministry of Housing and Local Government — Strata Management (Maintenance and Management) Regulations 2015 [P.U. (A) 107]. Gazette dated 1 June 2015; commenced 2 June 2015. Third Schedule by-laws 1–2 and 27–29 apply. It is not labelled as a current consolidation.
   https://www.kpkt.gov.my/index.php/dl/64584e6c636c38784c303146546b6446546b464a49457451533151765155745551533977645746664d6a41784e5441324d444666554335564c6968424b5638784d4463756347526d

2. Laws of Malaysia / Attorney General’s Chambers — Strata Management Act 2013 [Act 757], gazetted 8 February 2013. Relevant provisions: sections 1, 2, 4, 6, 32, 70, 71, 105, 107, 117, 120, 121 and the Fourth Schedule. Not a clearly labelled current consolidation.
   https://lom.agc.gov.my/ilims/upload/portal/akta/outputaktap/20130208_757_BI_AKTA%20757-BI.pdf

3. Tribunal Pengurusan Strata, Ministry of Housing and Local Government — eTPS portal, retrieved 9 September 2026. Supports online filing and jurisdiction/standing FAQs. Recheck forms, fees, service and hearing steps. Same KPKT family as source 1.
   https://etps.kpkt.gov.my/portal

4. State Attorney-General’s Chambers, Sabah — Sabah Laws list, retrieved 10 September 2026. Lists the Land (Subsidiary Title) Enactment 1972 as in force and the 2026 replacements as not yet in force; used only for the separate-regime point.
   https://sagc.sabah.gov.my/?q=en/law-type/sabah-laws

5. Sarawak Government Gazette — Strata (Subsidiary Titles) (Procedure for Approval of Strata Subdivision Plan) Rules 2022 [Swk. L.N. 158]. Made under Sarawak’s 2019 Ordinance; used only to establish a separate Sarawak regime.
   https://lawnet.sarawak.gov.my/lawnet_file/Subsidiary/SUB_Issue%20No.%2044_L.N.%20158%20SSTO.pdf