The Lighthauz @ Gelugor, Penang
A 57-storey tower where the three-bedroom stacks — nine of every fifteen units — are the ones most likely to clear Penang Island's foreign-buyer floor, and the two-bedroom stack is not.
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The Lighthauz @ Gelugor, Penang at a glance
The thing worth understanding before anything else is that this tower splits cleanly in two for a non-Malaysian buyer. Penang Island sets a RM1,000,000 minimum purchase price for non-citizens acquiring strata property. The 732 sq ft Type A is quoted from around RM864,500 and a Penang portal records the project as RM890,000 onwards — under the floor. The 1,001 sq ft Types B and C are quoted from around RM1,118,000 and RM1,121,000 — over it. On the developer's own typical floor plan, Types B and C together are nine of every fifteen units. So roughly six in ten units in this building are potentially open to a foreign buyer and four in ten are not — the opposite shape to most of what is selling on the island. None of those prices is a gazetted ceiling, and I say so every time I use them.
- Development
- The Lighthauz @ GelugorServiced residence
- Developer
- EXSIM Waterfront Sdn Bhd (1486857-W)Printed on the project's own contact page
- Storeys
- 57Confirmed by facility decks at Level 56 and 57
- Typical floor
- 15 unitsType A x6 · Type B x5 · Type C x4
- Sizes
- 732 and 1,001 sq ft68 m² two-bedroom, 93 m² three-bedroom
- Layout variants
- SixA1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 — balcony and no-balcony pairs
- Tenure
- Not stated by the developerRecorded as “to be confirmed” from the approved brochure
- Advertising permit
- Not publishedE-brochure is 18 pages of images with no text layer
Explore related topics
Curated hubs, each with its own guide — not auto-generated tag archives.
Six things about The Lighthauz worth knowing early
Three are reasons to look harder. Three are reasons to ask harder questions. Both sets come from the developer's own material.
Nine of fifteen units are three-bedroom
Types B and C are both 1,001 sq ft, three bed, two bath. In a Penang market where new towers are increasingly studios and dual keys, a floor plate that is 60% family-sized is a real differentiator on resale.
Sky pool at Level 56, lounge at 57
Astral Lagoon sky pool, Stargaze Soak jacuzzi and Mirage Bay wading pool on Level 56; Fun Hub and Horizon Lounge on 57. That is a two-storey crown, and it is the strongest single reason the tower is 57 floors tall.
The orientation is printed on the plan
North-west to Bukit Dumbar, west to Gelugor, south-east to the Penang Bridge, east across the strait. Most developers make you guess. Here it is labelled, which means you can pick a stack on evidence.
Tenure is genuinely unstated
The microsite and the corporate page never say freehold or leasehold. A portal working from the approved brochure recorded “to be confirmed”. All the agent material says freehold. That is an unresolved contradiction, not a formality.
Serviced residence probably means commercial title
This is classified as a serviced residence, and serviced residences in Malaysia sit on commercial land as a rule — commercial assessment, commercial utility tariffs, a lower bank margin. Probable is not confirmed. Get the master title.
It shares a VR tour with a sibling project
The official VR360 link covers Lighthauz and a project called Keeperz together, which points to a paired development on the same parcel. Ask what the combined density on that land will be before you buy a view.
The whole development, decoded
Fifteen units on a typical floor, and the developer's own plan tells you exactly how they are split: Type A takes units 10, 11, 12, 13, 13A and 15; Type B takes 3A, 05, 06, 07 and 08; Type C takes 01, 02, 03 and 09. Types B and C are both 1,001 sq ft three-bedroom units — they differ by orientation and internal arrangement, not by area. That is the single most useful piece of information on this page for anyone choosing a stack.
Three stacks on one floor plate
Type A stack · 732 sq ft
Units 10, 11, 12, 13, 13A and 15 on the developer's typical floor plate. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, 68 square metres, in a balcony version (A1) and a no-balcony version (A2). This is the cheapest way into the building and the reason the project quotes “from RM864,500” — and on that pricing it is also the part of the tower a non-citizen cannot buy.
Type B stack · 1,001 sq ft
Units 3A, 05, 06, 07 and 08. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, 93 square metres, again split into a balcony version (B1) and a no-balcony version (B2). Same square footage as Type C — the difference is where it sits on the plate, and therefore what it looks at. Quoted from around RM1,118,000, which puts it above Penang Island's foreign-buyer floor.
Type C stack · 1,001 sq ft
Units 01, 02, 03 and 09 — the smallest count of the three stacks, which usually means the ends of the plate. Same 1,001 sq ft three-bed two-bath as Type B, in C1 balcony and C2 no-balcony versions, quoted from around RM1,121,000. If aspect matters to you, this is the stack to ask about first, because scarcity and position usually travel together.
Four facility levels — 1, 9, 56 and 57
Taken verbatim from the numbered facilities plan EXSIM publishes for this project. The corporate gallery names some of the same rooms differently — Sky Lounge, Games Room and Study Room on exsim.com.my are the microsite's Horizon Lounge, Fun Hub and Mindspace. Same spaces, two naming conventions in official material.
Arrival
- Coastal Arrival
- Arrival Bay
- Horizon Lobby
Main facilities deck
- Stargazing & Yoga Deck
- Firelight Grillbar
- Breeze Walk
- Mindspace
- Children Discovery Play
- Readery Deck
- Breeze Lounge
- Serenity Garden
- Herbs Haven
- Coastal Fit
- Seaside Court
- Lumina Hall (multipurpose hall)
- Coastal Gym
Sky deck
- Aquora Deck
- Astral Lagoon (sky pool)
- Stargaze Soak (jacuzzi)
- Mirage Bay (wading pool)
Crown
- Fun Hub
- Horizon Lounge
Where the project is now
All 6 The Lighthauz @ Gelugor, Penang floor plans
Six variants, two sizes, and the difference inside each pair is the balcony. A1 has one, A2 does not; B1 has one, B2 does not; C1 has one, C2 does not. All sizes are read directly off the developer's own layout-plan titles. Per-type unit counts are not published, but the typical floor plate gives you the ratio, and the ratio is what matters when you are asking what is still available.
Type A1 — 732 sq ft with balcony
Get this floor plan
Type A2 — 732 sq ft without balcony
Get this floor plan
Type B1 — 1,001 sq ft with balcony
Get this floor plan
Type B2 — 1,001 sq ft without balcony
Get this floor plan
Type C1 — 1,001 sq ft with balcony
Get this floor plan
Type C2 — 1,001 sq ft without balcony
Get this floor planInside The Lighthauz @ Gelugor, Penang
Where The Lighthauz @ Gelugor, Penang sits
Gelugor, on the east coast of Penang Island, in the waterfront corridor between the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway and the Penang Strait. The developer's own orientation labels on its typical floor plan tell you more about the site than its address copy does: north-west toward Bukit Dumbar, west toward Gelugor, south-east toward the Penang Bridge, and east across the water to the mainland.
No coordinate is published on this page, and that is deliberate. EXSIM publishes only its Kuala Lumpur head office and a George Town sales gallery address for this project — no lot number, no street number, no postcode for the site. Two secondary sources give readings about forty metres apart. Rather than pick one and present it as fact, the map above is set to the district the developer names in its own copy. When the S&P is issued the lot will be on it, and that is the number to trust.
- Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu ExpresswayNamed as direct accessdeveloper's own words, no figure
- Penang BridgeNamed as direct accessdeveloper's own words, no figure
- Proposed Mutiara LRT · Penang Waterfront stationProposed onlythe developer marks it with its own asterisk
- Universiti Sains MalaysiaNo figure publishednamed by a Penang portal, not the developer
- Hospital Lam Wah EeNo figure publishednamed by a Penang portal, not the developer
- George Town city centreNo figure publishedEXSIM names the city but publishes no distance
671 units, 10.59% built, licensed to EXSIM Waterfront Sdn Bhd
| Project code | Registered name | Licensed developer | Advertising permit | Permit expires | Units | Bed / bath | Price band on the permit | Built | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31088-1 | The Lighthauz | EXSIM Waterfront Sdn Bhd (31088) | 31088-1/10-2028/0882(A)-(S) | 21 Oct 2028 | 671 | 2–3 / 2 | RM890,000 – RM1,209,000 | 10.59% | Lancar |
Swipe sideways to see the full table →
Read from teduh.kpkt.gov.my on 27 August 2026. Pull it yourself: teduh.kpkt.gov.my/semakan-status-kemajuan?kodProjek=31088-1
Foreign buyers: the band straddles Penang’s threshold
Penang’s minimum purchase price for a non-citizen buying a strata unit on the island is RM1,000,000. The permitted band here runs RM890,000 to RM1,209,000 — so part of the development qualifies and part of it does not.
That makes this a unit-level question. Do not accept “foreigners can buy at The Lighthauz” as an answer about the scheme. Ask about the specific unit at the specific price, and get it confirmed in writing before a booking fee.
10.59% built, permit running to October 2028
The percentage is EXSIM Waterfront’s own progress return to the ministry under the statutory 7(f) report. At this stage you are buying delivery, not a building — which makes the delivery clause in the sale and purchase agreement, and your liquidated damages entitlement, the most important part of the transaction.
Note today’s percentage, check again in three months, and check again before every progress payment your bank releases. It is the only figure in a new-build purchase you can verify yourself from a public source.
The licensed entity
EXSIM is a brand across many project companies; the licence here is held by EXSIM Waterfront Sdn Bhd. That is the counterparty in your agreement and the name to use for a company search.
About EXSIM Waterfront Sdn Bhd (EXSIM Group)
The developer entity printed on the project's own contact page is EXSIM Waterfront Sdn. Bhd. (1486857-W), operating out of Level 35 of EXSIM Tower at Millerz Square, Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur, with a Penang sales gallery in MBF Tower on Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah. The registration series points to a company incorporated around 2022 — this is a project vehicle, not the group's balance sheet.
EXSIM's record on product is strong and I will say so: FIABCI world-level awards, GreenRE certifications on other developments, and a genuine specialism in making small floor plates work. The facilities programme here is unusually ambitious — a sky pool and jacuzzi at Level 56 and a lounge at Level 57 is not a common specification even in Kuala Lumpur.
The disclosure record is weaker, and there are three specific things you should know. First, no advertising and sale permit is published on either lighthauz.com.my or exsim.com.my. Second, the developer never states the tenure — a Penang portal working from the KPKT-approved brochure recorded it as “to be confirmed”, while every agent site asserts freehold. Third, the microsite has copy-paste defects: its disclaimer page still carries the template from a different EXSIM project, linking to that project's brochure and closing with that project's copyright line.
The e-brochure exists at lighthauz.com.my and on the EXSIM corporate site. It is eighteen pages of raster images with no text layer at all, so the statutory block, if it is in there, is inside a picture. If you want the licence and permit numbers, ask for them as text.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner buy at The Lighthauz?
The three-bedroom types, probably yes. The two-bedroom type, probably not. Penang Island sets a minimum purchase price of RM1,000,000 for a non-citizen buying strata property, and that includes Malaysian permanent residents.
The 1,001 sq ft Types B and C are quoted from around RM1,118,000 and RM1,121,000 — above the floor. The 732 sq ft Type A is quoted from around RM864,500, and a Penang portal working from the approved brochure records the project as from RM890,000 — below it.
I have written “probably” twice on purpose. Those are launch and agent figures, not a gazetted price ceiling, and the developer has published no price at all. The unit you are shown, on the floor you are shown, at the price on the day, is what the state will assess.
Budget beyond the price too: the Penang state levy imposed on foreigners on state approval — 3% of the transacted price is the rate introduced from 1 February 2014, and your solicitor should confirm the rate in force on your signing date — plus the flat 8% stamp duty applying to non-citizens on residential property from 1 January 2026.
Is it 56 or 57 storeys?
57, and the developer's own facilities plan settles it. The plan lists facilities on Level 56 — Astral Lagoon sky pool, Stargaze Soak jacuzzi, Mirage Bay wading pool — and on Level 57, Fun Hub and Horizon Lounge. A Level 57 facility deck requires a 57-storey building.
Some agent material says 56. When marketing material and the developer's own drawing disagree, use the drawing.
Which stack should I choose?
Start from the floor plate, because EXSIM has actually labelled the orientations on it. North-west looks toward Bukit Dumbar. West looks over Gelugor. South-east looks toward the Penang Bridge. East looks across the strait to the mainland.
Then use the unit numbering. Type A is units 10, 11, 12, 13, 13A and 15. Type B is 3A, 05, 06, 07 and 08. Type C is 01, 02, 03 and 09.
Type C is the scarcest at four units a floor, which usually means the ends of the plate and therefore the wider aspect. Type A is the cheapest entry. Types B and C are the same 1,001 sq ft, so between them the decision is purely about what you look at and how far you walk to the lift.
Send me the floor you are considering and I will tell you what is left in each stack on that level rather than in general.
What is the price and the completion date?
Neither is officially published, and the two circulating price sets do not agree with each other. A Penang portal records the project as from RM890,000. Agent microsites quote Type A from RM864,500, Type B from RM1,118,000 and Type C from RM1,121,000. Those are different starting points for the same building.
Completion is not stated anywhere by the developer. Agent sites say Q2 2030. I have no way to verify that and neither do they.
What is documented is that the tower is under construction, with site progress photographs published for Q2 and Q3 2026. I take the current price list and the stated vacant possession terms directly from the developer, and I will send you what is actually accurate today.
Is it freehold?
The developer does not say, and that is the honest answer. Neither the project microsite nor the EXSIM corporate page states a tenure anywhere. A Penang portal working from the KPKT-approved brochure recorded the land tenure as “to be confirmed” in November 2025. Every agent site says freehold.
This is not me being pedantic. Between a freehold title and a 99-year lease with 80 years left, the difference in bank margin, resale pool and long-run value is substantial. If it is freehold, one sentence in writing from the developer settles it.
I will ask for that sentence, and I will forward you the reply rather than summarise it.
Residential or commercial title?
Not officially stated. The product is classified as a serviced residence, and serviced residences in Malaysia are, as a rule, built on Bangunan Perniagaan — commercial — land.
If that is the case here, expect a commercial assessment rate from the local council, commercial water and electricity tariffs, and a bank margin of financing that is typically lower than for a residential-titled condominium. Over a ten-year hold, the utility difference alone on a 1,001 sq ft family unit is not trivial.
Probable is not confirmed. Ask for the master title or have your solicitor run a title search before the deposit, and price the answer into your offer.
What is the maintenance fee?
Not published, and the two figures circulating differ by more than double. One aggregator says RM0.46 per square foot including sinking fund. Another says RM0.94 per square foot including sinking fund and claims it comes from developer documents. I could not verify either.
On a 1,001 sq ft unit that is the difference between roughly RM460 and RM940 a month — about RM5,760 a year. That is not a rounding error, it is a material part of your holding cost and your net yield.
A tower with a Level 56 sky pool, a Level 57 lounge and a thirteen-item Level 9 deck is expensive to run. Get the rate in writing before you sign, and ask what is included.
How does this compare with Noordinz Suites, the same developer's George Town project?
They are aimed at completely different buyers even though the group and the missing-permit problem are shared.
Noordinz is a 29-storey tower of 603 suites in two sizes only — a 377 sq ft studio and a 603 sq ft dual key. It is a pure rental-yield product on the Weld Quay waterfront in the heritage quarter of George Town.
The Lighthauz is a 57-storey tower where nine of every fifteen units are 1,001 sq ft three-bedroom homes. It is a family building with a rental option, in Gelugor, with a two-storey facility crown.
For a non-Malaysian the difference is decisive: on the circulating pricing, Noordinz appears to have no units above the RM1,000,000 island threshold, while The Lighthauz has two of its three stacks above it.
Both share the same gaps — no published permit, no stated tenure, no completion date. Ask both of them the same seven questions and compare the answers, not the brochures.
What has not been verified on this page?
I would rather list it than let you find out later. The unit total of 671 comes from a Penang portal reading the KPKT-approved brochure, not from EXSIM directly. The 57-storey figure is inferred from the developer's own facility levels rather than stated. Per-type unit counts are not published at all. Tenure, land title category, price ceiling, completion date, maintenance fee and car park ratio are all unpublished.
One aggregator claims about 1,378 car park bays with six passenger lifts and one service lift. If that lift count is right, it is roughly 96 units per passenger lift over 57 floors, which is thin for a tower this tall. I could not verify it, and it is the first thing I would check at the sales gallery.
Also note: a travel-guide site that looks authoritative on this project is AI-generated aggregation with agent microsites as its only references. It is not an independent source and I have not used it as one.
Which stack, and are you allowed to buy it?
For this tower the two questions collapse into one. If you are not Malaysian, the answer starts with the 1,001 sq ft stacks and I will tell you which of B and C faces where. If you are Malaysian, the 732 sq ft Type A is the cheaper entry and the whole floor plate is open to you. Either way, tell me your budget and which direction you want to face and I will come back with what is actually left.
No agent fee payable by the buyer on new developer launches
Louis Koh
11 years in Malaysian property · Johor Bahru & Kuala Lumpur new launches · English & 中文
I work with cross-border buyers from Singapore and with local investors. I'll tell you when a project isn't right for you — that's usually worth more than the brochure.
Published 2026-08-12 · Last verified 2026-08-12 against EXSIM Waterfront Sdn Bhd (EXSIM Group)'s published project material. Unit availability, pricing and completion dates are set by the developer and subject to change. This page is marketing information, not an offer or a contract.
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How far up it actually is
Not the developer’s account of itself. These are the certified completion percentages and the status word the Ministry of Housing and Local Government records against the project, from the 7(f) returns. The vocabulary is theirs: Lancar (on schedule), Lewat (behind), Sakit (sick), Terbengkalai (abandoned).
31088-1 · THE LIGHTHAUZ
Overall status: Lancar — on schedule
| Component | Units | Complete | Status | CCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pangsapuri Servis | 671 | 10.59% | Lancar | — |
Read from teduh.kpkt.gov.my on 2026-09-05, project code 31088-1. Re-read weekly.
What to do with the number. Read it against the delivery date in your own agreement, not against what a salesperson says. A project with a year left on its statutory clock and a third of the building up is telling you something the brochure will not.