How is a condo maintenance fee calculated in Malaysia?

Maintenance charges are imposed in proportion to the allocated share units of each parcel, not by floor area. Your monthly charge is your parcel's share units multiplied by the rate per share unit per month set by whoever manages the development. The share-unit basis is required by the Strata Management Act 2013: section 12(3) for a developer, section 25(3) for a JMB, and section 60(3)(b) for a Management Corporation.

How much is the sinking fund in Malaysia?

Ten per cent of the maintenance charges. But it behaves differently depending on who manages the development. Under a developer it is fixed at exactly 10% with no variation clause (section 12(4)). Under a JMB or Management Corporation, 10% is a statutory floor that can be raised at a general meeting but never reduced (sections 25(4) and 61(3)).

What is the difference between maintenance fee and sinking fund?

The maintenance charge pays for day-to-day running costs: cleaning, security, lifts, insurance, utilities for common areas. The sinking fund is a capital reserve for major, infrequent works such as repainting, lift replacement or roof repairs. They are held in separate accounts and the sinking fund cannot be spent on routine maintenance.

What interest can be charged on late maintenance fees?

It depends on the management regime. During a developer's management period the rate is fixed by statute at 10% per annum calculated on a daily basis (section 12(6)). Under a JMB or Management Corporation, 10% is a ceiling rather than a fixed rate: the body sets its own rate but it cannot exceed 10% per annum (sections 25(6)(b) and 60(3)(c)). A parcel owner has 14 days from the date of notice to pay (section 25(5)).

Can a management body charge different rates to different owners?

Only a Management Corporation, and only in limited circumstances. Section 60(3)(b) lets an MC determine different rates of Charges for parcels used for significantly different purposes, such as commercial versus residential parcels in a mixed development. A JMB has no equivalent power under section 25(3), so all parcels are charged at the same rate per share unit.

Free Tool

Maintenance Fee & Sinking Fund Calculator Malaysia 2026

Strata Management Act 2013 Updated July 2026

Strata maintenance charges in Malaysia are not calculated per square foot. They are imposed in proportion to your parcel's share units, and the sinking fund is a percentage of that charge. Both rules come from the Strata Management Act 2013, and both behave differently depending on whether the development is still run by the developer or has moved to a JMB or Management Corporation.

Enter your share units and the rate per share unit from your billing notice to see the monthly and annual cost, plus what late-payment interest can lawfully be charged.

Parcel Details

Allocated Share Units

Shown on your strata title or billing notice. Not the same as square feet.

Rate per Share Unit (RM/month)

Who Manages the Development

Preliminary is the window after the MC exists but while the developer still manages (s.52). Managing Agent is a COB appointment under s.86(1)/91(3). Both fix the sinking fund at exactly 10%.

Sinking Fund Rate (%)

10% is the statutory floor. A JMB or MC may raise it at a general meeting, never lower it.

Amount Outstanding (RM, optional)

Days Late (optional)

Late Interest Rate Set by Your JMB / MC (%)

10% per annum is the statutory ceiling, not a fixed rate. A JMB or MC may resolve a lower one, and many do. Anything above 10% is capped.

Monthly Cost

Breakdown

Maintenance Charge RM 0.00

Sinking Fund (10%) RM 0.00

Annual Total RM 0.00

Late Payment Interest RM 0.00

Total Monthly Payable RM 0.00

Regime

Statutory Reference — Strata Management Act 2013

Sinking fund: 10% of Charges

Regime	Section	Behaviour
Developer	s.12(4)	Exactly 10%, no variation clause
Preliminary period	s.52(3)	Exactly 10%
JMB	s.25(4)	Floor — raisable at a general meeting
MC	s.61(3)	Floor — raisable at a general meeting
Sub-MC	s.68(3)	Floor
Managing agent	Reg.45(1)	Exactly 10%

Late payment interest

Regime	Section	Rate
Developer	s.12(6)	Fixed 10% p.a., daily basis
Preliminary period	s.52(5)	Fixed 10% p.a., daily
JMB	s.25(6)(b)	Ceiling of 10% p.a.
MC	s.60(3)(c)	Ceiling of 10% p.a.

Charges basis

Regime	Section
Developer — in proportion to allocated share units	s.12(3)
JMB — in proportion to allocated share units	s.25(3)
MC — in proportion to share units; may set different rates for significantly different purposes	s.60(3)(b)

Source: Strata Management Act 2013 [Act 757] • Strata Management (Maintenance and Management) Regulations 2015 [P.U.(A) 107/2015]. Verified against the AGC register on 26 July 2026: Act 757 has no amendment Acts and P.U.(A) 107/2015 has never been amended.

Why Share Units, Not Square Feet

A common assumption is that maintenance is billed per square foot. It is not. The Strata Management Act 2013 requires Charges to be imposed in proportion to the allocated share units of each parcel. Share units are assigned when the development is planned and take into account factors beyond raw floor area, including accessory parcels such as car park bays. Two units of identical size can therefore carry different share units and different bills.

The practical consequence for an investor: you cannot estimate a maintenance bill from floor area alone. You need the share units from the strata title or the billing notice.

The 10% Sinking Fund Is Not Always 10%

This is the detail most summaries flatten. The Act uses the same figure in every regime but not the same grammar:

Under a developer, section 12(4) requires "a sum equivalent to ten per cent of the Charges" with no variation clause at all. It is exactly 10% and nobody can change it.
Under a JMB, section 25(4) requires ten per cent "unless otherwise determined by the joint management body from time to time at a general meeting which shall not be less than ten percent of the Charges". The same floor-with-a-ceiling-free structure appears for a Management Corporation in section 61(3).

So if your JMB has resolved a 15% sinking fund at a general meeting, that is lawful. A JMB resolving 5% is not.

What a Management Body Can Charge You for Paying Late

Again the regime matters. A developer has no discretion: section 12(6) fixes interest at "ten per cent per annum on a daily basis". A JMB or MC does have discretion, but it is bounded — sections 25(6)(b) and 60(3)(c) both cap the rate at 10% per annum. A JMB charging 18% is acting outside the Act, and a parcel owner can take the rate to the Strata Management Tribunal.

Section 25(5) also gives a parcel owner 14 days from the date of notice to pay before the charge is treated as being in arrears.

Worked Example

850 share units, RM 0.33 per share unit, JMB-managed

Maintenance charge	850 × RM 0.33 = RM 280.50/month
Sinking fund (10% floor)	RM 280.50 × 10% = RM 28.05/month
Total monthly	RM 308.55
Annual	RM 308.55 × 12 = RM 3,702.60

On a rental property, that RM 3,702.60 is a real annual cost that comes straight off your net yield, and it is one of the line items most commonly left out of an agent's yield calculation.